David Moyes will take a win for Sunderland any way it comes
Friday 14 October 2016 15:44, UK
David Moyes is so desperate to claim his first Premier League win as Sunderland boss that he does not care how it comes.
Seven league games into his reign Sunderland sit at the foot of the table with just two points to show for their efforts so far.
But as they head into their clash with 19th-placed Stoke on Saturday, Moyes, who has signalled his intention to play progressive football, admits he would take three points however they arrive.
He said: "I want us to play well - playing well and performing will lead to good results. But I would take a win and if it means doing that, then I'll have to find a way to do it, whatever I can.
"We would love to get a feel-good factor running through the club, I'd love to get that first win under our belts so that we could start to look up.
"But while we are where we are at the moment, we are struggling, so we have to dig in and we have to try to pick up points. If it's one, if it's three, we have to pick up as many points as we can at this moment in time."
Moyes' task is being made all the more difficult by his injury list.
Defenders Lamine Kone and Jason Denayer are struggling with hamstring and adductor muscle problems respectively and Vito Mannone, Lee Cattermole, Jan Kirchhoff, Adnan Januzaj, Steven Pienaar, Sebastian Larsson and Fabio Borini are already missing.
The Scot said: "I'd have been more worried if they had been picking them up in training, but they have been more in games.
"But the one thing it does it means that lots of young players are getting an opportunity here and also while the squad is small just now, it's a chance to form a bit of toughness, a bit of togetherness and show they can be a team."
Moyes will go head-to-head with Stoke boss Mark Hughes for the 17th time in a league game having lost on just three occasions.
He said with a smile: "Thank you, thank you, just what I need to hear, a good boost. I have got to say, they have got a good club, Stoke, they are a club in the Premier League who have built correctly.
"There's a lot of things that at Sunderland we have, but it's a model for stability. It's a long road Stoke have been on. They are on the long road and doing okay with it."
