Sunderland have their work cut-out if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship this season.
Michael Gray during his days with Sheffield Wednesday
Black Cats legend Micky Gray spoke exclusively to talkSPORT this morning, and delivered his damning verdict on his former club’s survival hopes this season, suggesting that Sunderland fans are only clinging on to hope because of the fact that they have managed to perform Houdini acts in the past by avoiding relegation against all odds.
Sunderland are firmly rooted at the bottom of the Premier League table, after losing three consecutive league games, and currently find themselves six points adrift of 17th placed Crystal Palace who, to make matters worse, are managed by their former boss Sam Allardyce.
And Gray, who made 412 appearances for the Wearsiders during a 12 year spell with the club, highlighted just how bad things currently are at the Stadium of Light, when speaking to talkSPORT:
Sunderland manager David Moyes
“Supporters are hanging onto the knowledge that we’ve been here before and have got ourselves out of it over the last four seasons. If you’re asking me right now if this is the season that Sunderland will go down, I’d have to say yes. The club is between £40m-£60m in debt. There’s a realisation in the North East, we’ve got to try and find that passion and I think that might come with nurturing the youngsters coming through. And I think the best place for Sunderland to do that might actually be in the Championship.”
If David Moyes’ men are to have any chance whatsoever of staying up, their next three fixtures will be pivotal to their chances.
A home game against Burnley is followed by consecutive away matches at Watford and Leicester City respectively, and they will be looking at an absolute minimum return of six points from those outings.
Otherwise their already worrying situation will surely look even bleaker.
Sunderland manager David Moyes
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