JOHN O’SHEA has revealed how he has maintained a unified Sunderland squad to ensure manager David Moyes receives the support required to keep hopes of survival alive at the Stadium of Light.

After a two week break, the Black Cats’ preparations for crucial games with Burnley and Watford are in full swing as they bid to put together the results that gives their fight to stay in the Premier League a boost.

Despite Sunderland’s position at the foot of the table, where they have spent the majority of the campaign, Moyes has remained in charge with owner Ellis Short reluctant to look for change like he has so often in the past.

There is a real drive for continuity from chief executive Martin Bain and that has meant sticking with the former Manchester United and Everton boss.

Moyes has certainly got the backing from Sunderland’s experienced skipper O’Shea, who has worked hard to keep everyone united and behind him.

O’Shea said: “It can’t happen overnight, we have to be patient, we have to give him the support he needs. Obviously the position we’re in, we don’t want to be there but the players know what the manager wants from us and it feels like we’re going in the right direction regardless of league position. Fingers crossed we can get that stability as soon as possible.”

Since arriving from Manchester United in 2011, O’Shea has encountered relegation battles every year. He has seen Steve Bruce, Paolo di Canio, Gus Poyet, Dick Advocaat and Sam Allardyce lead the team too.

And, as well as a change of manager, O’Shea thinks the strength of character within the group of players has been crucial in staying up – and that will be important once more if Sunderland are to do it again.

“We’ve been able to deal with the pressure and put good runs together at vital times – and we’re going to need to be able to do it again this season. The biggest thing is the squad being together,” said the Irishman.

“The manager has big decisions to make. If the squad is fully fit he has to leave people out of the team and it’s making sure everyone realises it’s for the benefit of everyone and not just the individual – that’s the key to it.”

In the absence of the injured Lee Cattermole, who is also a big player in the dressing room in terms of keeping things positive, O’Shea has had to take an even greater lead.

He said: “It’s making sure the spirit is good. The last few years when we’ve been able to stay up it’s been because the atmosphere in the dressing room has been positive. We stuck together and we’ve been able to cope with difficult times and come through.”

O’Shea can’t believe the amount of changes he has experienced during his time on Wearside. He said: “Things changed quite quickly when I came because Steve Bruce got the sack only a few months into it. We’d developed a new squad and then the manager was gone and that’s what I had to get used to over the next few years, where I’d had such stability at my previous club.

“It’s difficult because obviously a new manager with new ideas comes in, there are new players, the squad dynamic changes. But thankfully we’ve always been able to react in the right way, pull together and stay in the Premier League and hopefully that continues.”

The 35-year-old added: “You want to get away from the possibility of a relegation battle as quickly as you can but also you’re aware that the Premier League is very competitive.

“You look at the teams that got relegated last season – the size of the squads, the size of the budgets, the support they have – and you know there’s no divine right to stay in this league, you have to fight for every point you get.”

Moyes felt like he didn’t make quite the additions to the squad he wanted last summer, having taken over late in the transfer window when Allardyce took on the England job, albeit briefly.

One player Sunderland did pursue was Sevilla’s midfielder Vicente Iborra and he has revealed how strong the interest was from the North-East club. He stayed in Spain where he has scored seven times in 22 appearances this season.

Iborra said: “In the last few years there’s always been interest (from the Premier League). Perhaps the strongest interest came in the summer but I’ve always said the most important thing for me is continuing here and the club wanted me to stay.

“It’s an important league, one of the most important in the world, where some of the biggest teams and players in the world are. It’s true that there’s a temptation for players but I feel happy at Sevilla, who are a great team and one of the biggest in Europe.

“At the beginning no one wanted me to leave, then the two clubs began negotiations. Sunderland did everything they could but in the end Sevilla decided they didn’t want to sell me and I’m happy with that.”

  • JOHN O’SHEA’S full interview will be in 'The PFA's 4 The Player Magazine and available to download on the March 20 from www.thepfa.com’