HOWARD WILKINSON would be well advised to keep the history books under lock and key if he wants to cling to a scintilla of hope that Sunderland will escape relegation.

You don't need to thumb too far back through the tomes of time to see that the Wearsiders are facing something akin to mission impossible.

For a club who dominated the English game in the early years of their existence, reigning as champions three times in the first seven years of the Football League and becoming the first winners of the Division One title, Sunderland are now synonymous with the phenomenon that is football's yo-yo effect.

Four years after regaining their top-flight status and cementing it with successive seventh-place Premiership finishes, the Black Cats are buried at the bottom of the pile, desperately trying to claw their way out.

Sunderland, who evolved from the Team of All the Talents into the Bank of England Club, again have the look of a spent force as they head for the seventh top-flight relegation in their 124 years, and sixth such demotion in 33 years.

Their most recent flirtation with the drop, of course, came last season in manager Peter Reid's final full campaign when they finished fourth bottom with 40 points, four ahead of Ipswich.

After 26 games last season, Sunderland had 31 points.

Now, at the same stage this term, they have 19.

As Wilkinson, who replaced the sacked Reid in October, prepares his men for today's game at Tottenham, Sunderland are averaging just 0.73 points per game.

If they maintain that sort of form, they will end up with only 27 points.

Most managers will tell you that 42 is the benchmark for big-league survival.

All the signs are that a lower-than-usual total will apply this season.

But with a mere 12 games to play, it would require a Lazarus-like resurrection for Sunderland to survive.

And bitter past experience only serves to confirm the impression that they are doomed.

As the tables past and present show, in the seasons of their two relegations from a 20-club top flight, Sunderland were considerably better off after 26 games than they are now.

In 1991, under the stewardship of Denis Smith, they were in 17th position with 25 points.

And six years later, with Reid in charge, they were 14th with ten points more than they currently have.

Yet, on both occasions, they still went down, finishing 19th with 34 points in '91 and 18th with 40 in '97.

It should be noted that, in '91, only two teams were relegated and third-bottom Luton survived with 37 points; under the criterion of three down, Aston Villa's 41 would have been needed, as that total was in the case of Southampton and Coventry in '97.

In recent years, teams have stayed up with 36 points; this season fewer may suffice.

But after a run of two wins in 17 Premiership games since Wilkinson took charge and eight League outings without victory, is it really conceivable that Sunderland will still be among the elite come August

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