UNDER-PRESSURE Sunderland manager Peter Reid faces a fans' revolt unless he can inspire an immediate Premiership revival.

The Wearsiders have slumped to fifth bottom place in the table after three defeats in the last four games.

And unrest among supporters is snowballing following the alarming 1-0 defeat at the hands of the then bottom club, Leicester City and the prospect of playing the next two games against top-of-the-table Leeds United and another team with championship aspirations, Liverpool.

At the weekend one sports paper carried three pages of letters from supporters, many calling for Reid's head after a disappointing start to a season which was heralded as the final step towards Sunderland's long-awaited entry into Europe.

Most of Reid's critics complain that he has not made any big money signings since the club just missed out on European qualification last season after finishing seventh for the second year in a row.

Millionaire Reid, who owns 400,000 shares in the club worth around £1.5m and is reputed to earn close on £2.2m a year, has the unstinted backing of chairman Bob Murray, who first brought him to an ailing First Division outfit in danger of relegation six years ago.

Reid has rebuilt the club but has steadfastly refused to pay inflated transfer prices and his biggest transfer outlay to date was the £4.5m paid to Chelsea last season for defender Emerson Thome.

Reid recently made an unsuccessful £7m bid for West Ham's newly-capped England winger Trevor Sinclair, but the struggling Upton Park outfit were believed to be seeking a £10m fee for the transfer-seeking 28-year-old Londoner.

Sinclair is still Reid's prime target, but West Ham are now even more reluctant to part with their prize asset after his impressive debut on the international stage.

Reid seems content to wait and in the meantime continues to trawl for talent across Europe and at the weekend was linked with players in Holland and Italy, though they were hardly household names and would not command the type of transfer fees which will placate disgruntled onlookers.

The manager, however, characteristically refuses to be rushed into the transfer market and remains unruffled by the mounting flak from the club's rank and file.

But Reid must act soon to halt the current decline, which has totally deflated supporters whose expectancy was built up for a march into Europe.

Certainly he could not ask for a sterner test for his players than the visit of Leeds United on Sunday, and he faces an anxious wait to see if two of his key players, central defender Jody Craddock and striker Niall Quinn, will be fit in time.

Craddock, arguably Sunderland's most consistent defender this season, had stitches in a deep gash on his shin, received at Filbert Street, removed yesterday after spending a week on crutches and is set to resume light training.

But it is not yet clear if Quinn, who aggravated an old back injury in the Republic of Ireland's 2-0 World Cup play-off victory over Iran in Dublin on Saturday, will be available against Leeds.

The big Dubliner travelled to Tehran yesterday with his Irish teammates and will have treatment before Republic manager Mick McCarthy decides if he can lead the line again on Thursday

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