IF Peter Reid is searching for solace in these troubled times, he has only to think back to one of the darkest times of his playing career.

Or if his memory fails him, he need only consult assistant manager Adrian Heath for a reminder of how a club's fortunes can be transformed in an instant.

At the start of 1984, Reid was part of an Everton team that were staring into the abyss.

While Reid was having water hurled at him by a disgruntled fan last week, then Everton manager Howard Kendall's house was daubed in graffiti calling on him to go.

The last thing they needed was a testing Milk Cup trip to Oxford United, renowned giant-killers at the time, and the Blues trailed 1-0 and were heading out of the competition with time running out.

Then, Kevin Brock's backpass was intercepted by Heath, who scored. The game finished in a draw, Everton won the replay, and within 16 months they were league champions and European Cup Winners' Cup holders.

Reid's career, until then notable only for an horrendous run of injuries, was on a dramatic upward curve which culminated in his involvement in the 1986 World Cup.

Sir Alex Ferguson, of course, would have been sacked by Manchester United had Mark Robins - a striker he was to later sell to Norwich City and who was last spotted warming Rotherham United's bench - not scored crucial winning goals in their victorious 1990 FA Cup campaign.

That's all it would take for Reid to get Sunderland back on track - and put to an end the anger currently being spouted forth by "Disgusted from Fulwell".

A deflected goal, one spark of magic - even a bad refereeing decision that goes their way.

The arrival of Eidur Gudjohnsen or Malcolm Christie would go a long way, too, and the Sunderland manager's frantic efforts to bring in a striker shows he is aware of the paucity of attacking options at the Stadium of Light.

But save for a midfielder - Paul Bracewell - and a left-back, Kendall barely added to his squad in-between the game to Oxford and Everton's league success just over a year later.

Meanwhile, embattled Reid came in for support last night from an unlikely source - colourful Darlington chairman George Reynolds.

As Sunderland prepared to fly out to Spain ahead of tomorrow's friendly with Seville, Reynolds said: "The chairman I admire more than any other is Bob Murray, and I hold Peter Reid in high regard too.

"What the Sunderland fans fail to understand is that when Peter took over, they were at the bottom of the First Division ready to be relegated, and they've had two successful seasons in the Premiership.

"They're shouting for his head just because they've had one bad year. I think they're being very unfair; it's a great miscarriage of justice.

"Of course Peter should be looking to buy players, but he should not pay over the odds for them.

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