Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce says frailties have cost them
Sunday 3 January 2016 13:07, UK
Sam Allardyce admits Sunderland have only themselves to blame for their current difficulties but admitted their 3-1 win over Aston Villa had given them a boost.
The Black Cats took the lead through Patrick van Aanholt's deflected effort before Chales Gil equalised for Villa after 63 minutes.
Jermain Defoe then scored twice to secure the points for Allardyce's side but they remain four points adrift of 17th-placed Swansea with work still to do.
"It's massive, the pressure is constantly on you at this level and in this position, and you have to accept it because it's our fault," said Allardyce.
"We are only under that pressure because of our frailties and what we must do is continue to try to improve all the time.
"You have to try to go out in every game and make fewer mistakes than the opposition, and then hopefully you keep a very important clean sheet and at the other end, your goalscorers punish the opposition.
"Whether you are playing better than the opposition or not doesn't really matter. When you get the chance if you score it, it turns the game in your favour whether you deserved it or whether you didn't."
Sunderland face a tough FA Cup third round trip to Arsenal next week before heading for Swansea in another six-pointer, and Allardyce knows how his side performs against the teams in the lower half of the table is likely to decide their fate.
"It's not rocket science to know that if you are going to get out of trouble, it's the teams around you that you have got to take the points from more than the bigger sides," he added.
"If you get one or two of those [wins over bigger sides] in a season when you are in our position, then you are working a bit of a miracle. That's your bonus points, then."
