MICK McCARTHY has learnt one salutary lesson from the bitter experience of being relegated as a player - that teams are never unfortunate to go down, writes Steven Baker.

Jason McAteer last month described Sunderland as the "unluckiest side in the world" after their slump to the bottom of the Premiership.

But the new Black Cats manager will not countenance talk that the sole reason for his club's miserable plight is that they have not had the rub of the green.

He said: "I was relegated with Manchester City in 1987, and it's an awful, gut-wrenching feeling when you're relegated.

"And of course that feeling starts to come now because people are expecting relegation.

"But I remember from my time at Manchester City that, when you get an opportunity, you need to score.

"I've seen it with the clubs at the bottom now. They can play well, get chances and be on top, but they miss their chances and concede a goal.

"They say, 'We were unlucky today,' but you can't be unlucky for 29 games.

"It happened to me at City. When those opportunities come along, you need to concentrate, and then make sure you don't let one in your net.

"It becomes harder over time, too. The belief that you won't score or win creeps in.

"But from our point of view, maybe we're a bit fortunate that everyone thinks we're going down.

"Perhaps we can relax a bit and play. I'm not saying we should play as if we're not bothered, but we should relax by passing it."

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