STAYING POWER
Sole survivor Moyes makes case to trust in experience
DAVID MOYES is the last manager standing in the bottom six – and vowed to prove continuity works.
The Sunderland boss will not be sacked this season despite the Wearsiders being bottom of the league.
He has seen off Aitor Karanka, axed this week at Boro, Alan Pardew, Mike Phelan, Bob Bradley and Francesco Guidolin, and Claudio Ranieri.
Moyes has warned it is now or never to conjure and escape as Sunderland host a Burnley team winless on their league travels.
And he reckons experience and loyalty can win through ahead of a new manager bounce.
He said: “A lot of good managers have lost their jobs, which is sad. Whatever walk of life you’re in it’s not something anybody likes.
“I’ve a lot of experience, a lot of Premier League games under my belt and the players here have a lot of experience of this situation, so let’s hope we can pull it together.
“Sackings work for some clubs but I think changing isn’t the answer. I think having stability would always outweigh changing unless you’re a club that’s always changing manager and spending money. But if you want to build a football club you have to have stability.
“I think football management has changed. The new breed are probably not expecting to be in jobs for an awful long time. They’re looking at a shorter period.”
Today’s clash with Burnley is crucial with Sunderland six points adrift of safety.
Moyes added: “We’re running out of games. I think it height- ens the stakes but sometimes in games like this we’ve not performed that well. We have to show we can win when the stakes are high.
“But it’s an opportunity, and a big one. Things can look so much different if that happens.”
Moyes has ruled out injured Jan Kirchhoff for the campaign but says the England call up for Jermain Defoe (below) has been a boost.
He said: “I’ve never pulled anyone out of an international. It’s prestige for the player, for the club and I just think people playing for their country is a great honour. But I will be watching through my fingers.
“We have to hope he doesn’t come back injured but I hope it lifts his level of performances, the level of the supporters, and I also hope it makes English players on loan at an English club right now realise that if you come to Sunderland you can play for England. Even an old player can resurrect their career here.
“When I was first at Everton we had no England internationals. Then Wayne got in and we grew from there.
“It’s something you try to do. I hope we see it with Jermain, his goals and the way he plays.”