Wear keeping faith with the boss, insists a defiant Gordon

Feb 28 2010 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

“However, the boys are 100% behind the manager. He has been great all season and there is absolutely no problem there.

“He will get it right and I am sure between now and the end of the season results will pick up and we can look forward and improve again next season.”

While it was always unlikely Sunderland could maintain their early-season form - which saw them beat Arsenal and Liverpool at home and come within seconds of winning at Manchester United before having to settle for a draw – Sunderland’s mid-season nosedive came out of the blue.

The disappointment on the terraces is compounded by the feeling that, after the installation of an experienced boss in Steve Bruce and the recruitment of tried-and-tested Premier League players in the summer such as Lee Cattermole, Darren Bent and Michael Turner, quality foreign imports Lorik Cana, Paulo Da Silva and John Mensah, and a promising youngster in the shape of Fraizer Campbell, the Wearsiders were finally ready to move onto the next level and swap relegation battles for the fight for a top-10 finish.

Gordon added: “I think that is certainly true, but it is never as simple as just buying in players and thinking everything would improve overnight.

“It is frustrating for the fans because they could see at the start of the season we were making big strides, but things have stagnated since then.

“If we can pick up that first win, move forward and get the confidence back then hopefully we can get back towards that top ten before the end of the season.

“With the amount of games left, we could still find ourselves in the top half if we manage to turn it round quickly and get some results.

“Mre important right now is getting a win and increasing the gap between ourselves and the bottom three.”

Gordon says the bad run has inevitably taken its toll on confidence in the dressing room, although he is convinced Sunderland’s team spirit will pull them through over the final 12 games.

He said: “There is a bit of apprehension in the dressing room – I think that is obvious when you are on a run like this.

“The confidence is not there and you are a bit apprehensive about going out there and performing.

“It is only natural when things are not going your way.

“I think the characters are coming back into the team now - the injury crisis and suspensions we had a while back have let up a bit, and the likes of Lee Cattermole and Anton Ferdinand are back.

“They are not exactly quiet lads, so they make a big difference!

“Our team spirit is fine and we are still working hard and trying to make sure we are doing the right things to try and get that result that will turn things round.

“As you can see with some teams that were not expected to do so well this season, team spirit can pull you through a lot and can, in some cases, get you points.

“It counts for a lot when you are all pulling in the same direction. We have that kind of team spirit here.