Sunderland's painful decline has been felt most clearly by local lad Michael Gray, who has seen his fair share of ups and down since signing in 1992.

But now, along with many of his teammates, the Wearsiders' longest-serving player faces an uncertain future. Chief Sports Writer Steven Baker reports.

FOR Michael Gray, a Castletown lad who bleeds red and white, Sunderland's decline has been a painfully crushing experience.

The longest-serving Sunderland player by some distance, Gray is a close acquaintance of the slings and arrows of outrageous footballing fortune.

He has known the bad times on Wearside; the relegation in 1997, his Wembley penalty miss 12 months later.

Contrast those moments, however, with his integral part in Sunderland's runaway promotions in 1996 and 1999, when he made his England debut.

And as a proud Sunderland captain, he was a permanent fixture in the side that established the club as the No 1 in the North-East in 2000 and 2001.

Gray has shared the highs and lows in the ten-plus years since he made his first-team debut, and seen off a handful of managers along the way.

Now, however, the midfielder turned left-back is sweating on his place as Mick McCarthy begins his Wearside revolution.

He signed a new contract in October, during the hiatus between the sacking of Peter Reid and the ill-fated appointment of Howard Wilkinson.

But as McCarthy reconstructs his squad, and tries to stop Sunderland slipping deeper into the red, 28-year-old Gray concedes his future is uncertain.

He said: "Is there a question mark over me? Yes. I'm part of the team and we've all under-achieved. I hold my hands up.

"I'm working hard in training, but when you're losing games all the time your confidence takes a blow. That has happened to everybody here.

"I have three years of my contract left to run and I want to see that out. Unless I'm told otherwise, I want to stay at Sunderland.

"I've just topped 400 games for the club, and hopefully I can carry that on and play as many as possible.

"But our results over the last two seasons have not been good enough. To go through three managers is not right. The players have got to look at themselves.

"We know the situation the club is in. People are pointing the finger at the players.

"And if you went around every Sunderland player of the last two years, they would have to admit that they have under-achieved.

"The only way to put it right is to get out there and show a bit of passion, show a bit of courage. Your body language is important.

"When we go a goal down, people can see that our heads drop - mine included. But we've got to keep fighting until the bitter end. When we start doing that, the results will start to follow."

Gray has been carrying the guilt of Sunderland's surrender at St James' Park in September for the last seven months.

Ultimately, that defeat spelled the end of Peter Reid's time in charge. The axe may have fallen two games later, but the gutless derby display sealed his fate.

As remarkable as it seems now, that match was billed in some quarters as a "Donkey derby". Newcastle, at the time, were scratching around for form.

How different the North-East football landscape is now, as the Magpies contemplate another Champions League campaign and Sunderland have only an arduous First Division season to look forward to.

Gray said: "We lost some pride at St James' Park. We let ourselves as well as other people down, and we let our heads drop in the second half.

"You could have probably stopped the game after 70 minutes because the passion went; we were well beaten on the day.

"But that will not happen at the Stadium of Light. We will have a full house and we have to make sure we keep those fans on our side for the full 90 minutes.

"We know our fate for next season and we need to give something back to the fans because they've been brilliant all season.

"This is probably the biggest derby game in the Premiership and we need a bit of pride back.

"We've had a bad run and we're desperate to get out of it. And there's no better place to put things right than at the Stadium of Light against your fiercest rivals.

"A club this size shouldn't be in this position. We know we will be in the Nationwide League next year and the only thing on our minds is to bounce straight back. This club should be in the Premiership.

"Is it humiliating? The feeling is along those lines. When you're losing games, it can be accepted - as long as you show a bit of passion.

"Ever since I've been at this club, passion has been a key theme. Passion took us a long way. But when it isn't being shown, fans start asking questions, and rightly so.

"The fans are turning up every week and they are expecting something. They want to go home with a smile on their faces; they don't come to boo.

"They want to see a good game of football and they want to see a bit of passion, and they haven't had that recently.

"It's about time we gave the fans something back."

Of course, the driving force behind Newcastle's quest for victory tomorrow is a coveted Champions League place.

According to Gray, however, the impending departure of up to 83 Sunderland employees is playing on his team's minds.

If Sunderland were to finish 19th in the Premiership, rather than bottom, it would be worth around £500,000 to the club.

Certainly, that unexpected windfall would not hinder attempts to safeguard as many jobs as possible.

Gray added: "Over the next three games, if we can keep even one person in a job, that will be a good thing to do.

"And if we can start filling the Stadium of Light again week in week out, maybe we can start to get some people their jobs back."

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