IT speaks volumes that this will be the fourth consecutive season in which Sunderland Football Club has started the campaign under one manager and ended it with another man in charge.

That points to a deeper problem at the club than merely the ability of the managers who have been brought in with alarming regularity.

Steve Bruce, Martin O'Neill, Paolo Di Canio, and now Gus Poyet, all came highly recommended, with encouraging track records, yet left The Stadium of Light with tarnished reputations.

That said, the emotional Poyet dug a hole for himself with a series of errors of judgement, the most damaging of which was to dare to criticise the supporters.

Ultimately, a football manager's longevity hangs on the relationship he has with those who part with their hard-earned money for the privilege of watching matches. It is debatable whether Poyet had lost the players, but he had certainly lost the majority of the fans.

So what now for Sunderland? The Black Cats have plummeted dangerously into the relegation mix and Poyet must be replaced with someone strong enough to make an immediate impact – as Tim Sherwood has done at Aston Villa.

Here at The Northern Echo, we want to see all the North-East teams doing well and, with hopes high of Middlesbrough returning to the Premier League, the region at last has the prospect of having three teams in the top flight.

We know Teessiders won't agree but, in our view, it would be a crying shame if Boro returned to the top tier of English football, only for Sunderland to replace them in the Championship.