Sunderland's new manager David Moyes knows Sunday's match at home to Middlesbrough is one he must not lose. He is under acute pressure to win, even if his side's form against supposedly beatable opposition in recent seasons has been less than convincing.
But the early signs of Moyes' reign are encouraging, despite opening with a predictable defeat -- albeit in unfortunate circumstances as Sunderland lost 2-1 late at Manchester City last Saturday. He has made reasonable progress on transfers since taking over from Sam Allardyce and despite the absence through injury of such key players as Lee Cattermole and Jan Kirchhoff, he was able to field a competitive side that probably merited better than a narrow defeat at the Etihad.