10 Things Sunderland Must Do To Avoid Relegation

It's January. It's the transfer window. It's yet another painful slog at the halfway mark for Sunderland AFC. Some things will never change, the sooner you accept this, the easier it will become. Sunderland fans have every right to be cynical as they watch Bournemouth and Newcastle splash enormous money on signings that will surely boost their odds of survival, but at the same time, there's a slight air of calm around the club. This is not a new situation, and with Villa rooted to the bottom of the league and safety within touching distance, this isn't the most perilous position the Black Cats have found themselves in. Jan Kirchhoff and Damal N'Doye (subject to a medical) are Sam Allardyce's first two signings of the window, but you'd expect more incoming and outgoing transfers between now and the end of the window. Of course it's going to take a massive effort to steer clear of danger, but it's certainly not impossible. Sunderland just need to make some crucial decisions between now and May. Sam, if you're reading, here are 10 things you need to crack on with if Sunderland want to line up at Manchester United's Old Trafford next season as opposed to Brentford's Griffin Park...