LEE CATTERMOLE thinks history suggests Sunderland were always destined to have relegation concerns hanging around in the early part of this season and the challenge in front of the players is to eradicate such a threat as soon as possible.

Cattermole’s performances in the opening few weeks of the campaign have been one of Gustavo Poyet’s biggest bonuses so far and have led to calls for the tenacious midfielder to receive an England call.

Whether Roy Hodgson, who opted for Aston Villa’s Fabian Delph and Newcastle’s Jack Colback instead for the double header with Switzerland and Norway, turns to the Sunderland man for future qualifiers will depend on his form.

And Cattermole, who was an England Under-21s regular in his younger days, knows he will have to help the Black Cats enjoy a good run of results if he wants to significantly boost his chances of a first senior cap for his country knowing San Marino and Estonia lie in wait next month.

The 26-year-old has rarely been mentioned as an England contender since his £6m move from Wigan in the summer of 2009. Having shown impressive signs of maturity after easing disciplinary problems, however, he has deserved to have crept in to Hodgson’s thinking.

Sunderland have Premier League encounters with Tottenham, Burnley, Swansea and Stoke before the England boss names his next squad for the visit of San Marino on October 9. Cattermole’s chances of a call would be seriously strengthened if he can help Poyet’s side to a few victories during that run of games.

From a club perspective, the honest-talking Teessider also knows helping to secure a first league win of the season and then build on that would be a real boost to Sunderland’s chances of avoiding a repeat of the relegation fights endured on Wearside in recent years.

After picking up two points from opening games with West Brom and Manchester United, the defeat to Queens Park Rangers means that Poyet was not able to deliver the sort of start he had hoped for ahead of Saturday’s visit of Tottenham.

Cattermole accepts that Sunderland, boosted by the arrival of a number of new players over the summer, can’t take Premier League status for granted.

He said: “I’ve been here five years and I think it (the relegation threat) is always going to be there. Barring the top end of the table all the teams are much of a muchness in the Premier League, so we know where we stand at the moment as a team.

“As soon as we can we have to try to get to a stage this season where we don’t have to worry about relegation. We have to start as well as we can. In the first half of the season, you are always going to have an eye on things towards the bottom end, no matter how well you start.

“We have to make sure we build on what we have got here. We have added a few more players to what we had already here and I think we already had the basis of a good squad. We have to make sure we are not worrying about relegation - and get to that point as soon as we can.”

Relegation worries have been with Sunderland until the latter stages of every season since promotion was secured under Roy Keane in 2007. Cattermole has been around for most of those and last season’s struggles remain prevalent in his mind.

Despite improved results after Poyet took over in October, the threat of falling in to the Championship was still there in April after a further run of alarming results. However, Sunderland won four matches in a row after drawing 2-2 at Manchester City on April 16 and top-flight status was preserved.

Cattermole said: “We play every game to win and we are not going to set any early season targets. It’s difficult to know how you are going to do, you can’t just base things on last season. We just have to build on what we achieved and grow from there.

“The city was buzzing and the fans were buzzing at the end of last season because we were playing for something in every game. The way it turned out it was a big positive and it’s important we make the most of that at build on it this season.

“There were parts of last season where we weren’t good enough. What we ended up doing, though, we have to take the best bits, learn from last season, and hope that the new players in the squad can gel with the old ones so we can have a good season.

“The signs are good so far. There can’t be anything negatives around and we have to make sure there is a buzz about the place again this season – that will mean we are doing things right.”

Sunderland have been boosted by the news that Ricky Alvarez has proven his fitness during training over the last ten days and is ready to push for a place against Spurs this weekend.