Sunderland Boss Sbragia Calls On Players To Deliver Against Portsmouth
The Black Cats gaffer knows that big performances are needed if the threat of relegation is to be successfully staved off...
Sunderland make the long journey to the south coast to face Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Monday night, and manager Ricky Sbragia is demanding that his players show the supporters they are worthy of a continuing place in the Premier League, and produce a winning display.
Sunderland's plight has been eased somewhat this weekend by their local rivals Newcastle United suffering a 1-0 home defeat to Fulham, whilst Hull City and Middlesbrough could only muster up draws in their respective fixtures with Bolton Wanderers and Aston Villa.
A win would therefore secure the Black Cats' Premier League status, and Sbragia does not want to leave any lingering anxieties going into the club's last game of the season - at home to Chelsea.
"We know what we’ve got to do, but we’ve been saying that for 10 weeks," Sbragia told The Sunday Sun.
“We’ve had umpteen occasions when we’ve not performed and got what we wanted – we’ve let ourselves down.
“Now it’s about time we did it. This is the moment, this is the game.
“A win at Portsmouth will make us safe – no one wants this to go to the last game against Chelsea.”
