Poyet Sets Points Target For Sunderland Survival

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has set his side a target of winning five games to stay up this season, with a final points target of 39-points being enough to secure a spot on the top flight.

The Uruguayan told the Sunderland Echo today that if things continue as they are, we should be alright;

We've done alright so far.

We've got 23 points from 19 games and if we had done that over the course of the whole season, we would be comfortably safe.

So we have improved over the course of the season, and that give us hope that we can win five out of our last 12 games.

The first of those five wins will likely have to come this weekend against fellow strugglers Crystal Palace at the Stadium Of Light.

Further potential home wins lie on the horizon with games against West Ham, Cardiff and Swansea, but points will also have to come away from home too.

Poyet believes that 39-points will be enough, and that's the target despite many thinking that either 33 or 34-points will do it;

I have been told we might stay up with 33 or 34 points, but that's not what I'm interested in - I want those five wins for us to get to 39 points.

If we can do that, I'm happy to analyse myself and feel that I've done a decent job.

I came in when we were rock bottom of the Premier League, with one point from seven games, and 39 points I would see as an excellent return - I would have snapped your hands off for it when I first arrived.

The first step towards all of this however comes this weekend with the monster game against Crystal Palace.