Grayson: Too early for Cats to worry about relegation
BOSS BACKS SIDE TO MOVE AWAY FROM DANGER ZONE
SUNDERLAND manager Simon Grayson is not ready to write-off this season as a relegation battle.
With only one win from their first 14 league games, Sunderland are next-to-bottom of the Championship and face a crucial home game tonight against basement side Bolton Wanderers.
There is no doubt that, with almost a third of the season gone, the Black Cats are currently fighting for their lives.
But victory at the Stadium of Light tonight could lift them out of the bottom three.
While a dramatic and sustained improvement in results will be required, Grayson insists this Sunderland squad should not be battling against the drop and is confident they will stay in the Championship. Asked whether this season feels like a relegation battle, Grayson said: “It’s too early to settle for that. “The table shows that we are in the bottom three at the moment, and we have to do better because we are not doing well enough with the group of players that we have at our disposal. “But wins will come, without a shadow of a doubt, because we have too many talented players to let it [Sunderland’s current 12-game winless streak] go on any further.”
When Grayson was appointed in the summer, the expectation was that Sunderland would be competing in the top half of the Championship table rather than struggling to survive once again.
But just as Aston Villa found following their relegation 12 months ago, life does not always pan out the way you plan it – especially in such a competitive league.
Former Cats boss Steve Bruce spent around £40m bringing high-profile additions to Villa Park – a stark contrast to Sunderland’s spend this term of just £1.25m – only to finish in 12th place. Grayson said: “I’m definitely disappointed with where we are. “But even from this position, a couple of wins can lift you up the table and if we can gather some momentum, who is to say we can’t look towards the top half over the course of the season. “This season was always going to be tough given that this club was relegated from the Premier League. “It’s a big fish in the Championship, everybody wants to beat Sunderland just as they did last year with Aston Villa.”
I’m definitely disappointed with where we are. But even from this position, a couple of wins can lift you up the table Simon Grayson