Sunderland's legendary striker Kevin Phillips has backed new manager Sam Allardyce to save the Black Cats from relegation.
Bleak viewing
It hasn't been the start to life at the Stadium of Light that Big Sam would have had hoped for as he has managed just three points from his opening four matches, all of which came in the 3-0 victory over arch rivals Newcastle United.
This run of results still leaves the Wearside club firm favourites for the drop as they are currently sitting in 19th position and are four points from safety.
With a tough fixture against Crystal Palace on Monday, it could go from bad to worse for Allardyce too.
Phillips' faith
However, Phillips remains optimistic about Sunderland's chances of staying in the top flight with Allardyce, who has never been relegated from the Premier League.
The ex-Sunderland striker of six years told the club's official website that Allardyce has shown in his past jobs that he "gets the best out of the players" and that his "vast knowledge" of sports science in football can help, something which is "huge" now.
The Derby County coach went onto say that the analysis side of the game is "important" and Allardyce knows "everything about it all".
The 42-year-old also spoke of Allardyce's managerial techniques, saying that the players "respect him" because he is a "no-nonsense" kind of coach and "gets his message across". This gives players "clarity" and makes sure they know "what he wants".
Jones impressed
One of the players that Allardyce has had a seemingly profound effect on has been defender Billy Jones, who has been won over by his management so far.
Jones told the club's official website that he has been "impressed" by the work they have been doing "on the training pitch," as well as all the work they do after games, such as "watching videos" to work out what they need to "improve on" and what they "did well."
Crystal Palace will host Sunderland at Selhurst Park on Monday 23 November, with kick-off at 8PM BST.