George: We can be very honest with each other

Sunderland captain George Honeyman has offered an insight into the success-minded mentality of Sunderland’s squad as they gear up for their promotion push.

The Black Cats will be looking to take another big stride in their quest for a return to the second tier when they welcome Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

And skipper Honeyman is keen to see the side continue to move on from a disappointing string of results which saw their promotion hopes take a dent.

Back-to-back home draws with Blackpool and Accrington saw pressure mount on the Sunderland squad, but such results also allowed the squad an opportunity to ‘sort out’ anything that may have stunted their hopes of a top two finish.

“I’m very privileged in my role as captain, but I’m lucky in that I’ve got a fantastic squad to be captain of,” he said, speaking to safc.com.

“Everyone was massively disappointed after the Accrington game, but we sorted out what we needed to sort out. I can be part of that, other people can be part of it, we’re all part of that.”

Such is the mentality within the squad, Honeyman believes that frank and honest discussions can be had. But the 24-year-old is keen to ensure that he gets his dialogue with the squad correct to avoid having an adverse effect on morale.

As captain, Honeyman is always striving to strike the right balance between critical and confidenceboosting when speaking with teammates - although he feels that the success-geared mentality means criticism can be taken if levied.

“As a captain, all I ever think is lead by example,” added Honeyman. “When I say things, I’ve got to think about what I say and try and time things right.

“We all want the same things and we can all say constructively what we want to each other, without taking it personally.”