Niall Quinn accepts Sunderland Football Club are not going to have a comfortable season.

Hopes were high at the start of the campaign that the Black Cats could challenge for a place in Europe this term, as Steve Bruce made a great start to life on Wearside.

However, a run of eleven games without a win has dampened spirits at the Stadium of Light, and now Quinn’s side sit just four points above the relegation zone.

"We all hoped at the start of the season that we'd have a comfortable year, well the reality is that we can't," said the chairman. "We have to knuckle down and drive forward."

A trip to the Premier League’s bottom club, Portsmouth, is next up for Sunderland, when a defeat really would set the alarm bells ringing amongst supporters.

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