THE GUS POYET era got off to an ominous start as Sunderland slumped to a 4-0 defeat against Swansea on Saturday.
The Black Cats now have just one point from their opening eight games and, six points clear of safety, they already look like relegation fodder.
How bad were they on Saturday? “Gutless” was the word of choice for Mirror journalist Neil McLeman who pulled no punches in his player ratings.
Whether that was “useless and gutless,” “clueless and gutless” or — encouragingly — “not as gutless as his team-mates” depended on the player in question.