CLUB skipper Gary Breen has defended the Mick McCarthy regime at Sunderland and wants the critics to point the finger of blame in the direction of the Sunderland playing staff rather than the manager.

After a week in which there were two polls held to gauge whether the club's fans want McCarthy to stay in charge, the former Republic of Ireland boss has survived as the hectic Christmas period approaches.

Having stayed in his post over the past seven days, ahead of a free weekend in the fixture list for the Black Cats, it is now more than likely McCarthy will stay in command for the short-term at least.

And his skipper Breen, who has worked under the Yorkshireman at both club and international level, believes there should be no question marks over whether the current incumbent of the manager's seat on Wearside is the right man for the job.

Instead the 32-year-old feels the players should be blamed for the club's embarrassing league position - they sit 11 points shy of safety and look no nearer to turning things around.

But Breen, one of a number of the boss' free signings since succeeding Howard Wilkinson in March 2003, feels under-fire chairman Bob Murray would be wrong to wield the axe.

"We understand the work that been done by the manager," said Breen, knowing he has been at fault for his share of goals conceded in the Premiership. "It's been well documented that the pressure's on the manager but it's not the manager who's been making the mistakes, it's us on the field.

"He hasn't had the most money in the world but what he has had he's spent very well because there's lads he's brought into the club who are potentially Premiership players, but it costs a lot more to buy established Premiership players than he has available to him."

Having spent time at eight other clubs during his career, Breen has experienced the highs and lows of a sport that can be cruel as well as rewarding.

But, in the two and a half years he has spent at the Stadium of Light, he has come to realise the passion for the game that the supporters possess in the North-East and reassured them that the whole squad are as frustrated as they are.

The five points recorded by Sunderland this season, is the worst totalled by any other club at this stage of the season in Premiership history and have lost their last ten matches.

"Our players have it drummed into us by the manager that we're part of the community," said Breen. "If you compare us with teams in London, then that can be lost really because it's so big.

"In Sunderland we all live in the area, we all see the people and we all understand what it means to them when we're not doing particularly well, like now.

"There's a real desire to make sure we put that right. To do things like this is more of a pleasure for us than the people we see, I'm sure."

Breen, with 62 caps for Ireland behind him, knows the benefits of taking time out to reflect and work on things that are going wrong.

And he feels that not playing this weekend, Sunderland's next match is at home to Bolton on Boxing Day, could be just what is needed.

"Even at this stage we've done an awful lot of work on the training ground. We played a game on Thursday and worked on a few things we need to improve," said Breen.

"It also give us an opportunity to get players over any niggling injuries.

"It's an opportunity for players to get back fit and we can't have enough of our good players back, to be honest. We're all focused on Boxing Day and determined to put it right."

Read more about Sunderland here.