Matthew Etherington says there is no panic at Stoke as they seek to end a four-match losing run. The Potters went down 1-0 to Everton on Saturday, their third straight Premier League defeat on the trot, with a reverse to West Ham in the Carling Cup also sandwiched in that run.
Stoke have now dropped to 15th in the table, just a point above the drop zone.
Speaking ahead of the trip to Sunderland on Saturday, the winger told the club's official website: "We aren't going to panic, especially as the Premier League table is so tight at the moment.
"A couple of good results now and we would climb back into the top half again.
"You can maybe argue that we haven't had the rub of the green in certain games, but we're not looking for excuses.
"The lads all know that we need to raise our game and I am sure that the manager will have a few things to say to us as we start preparing for Sunderland.
"The frustrating thing about the Everton match was that they didn't create a lot of chances and we never felt as if we were holding on.
"Had we performed better on the day, then we could have got something out of the game and that will spur us on as we look towards Saturday's game."
Etherington is targeting a positive result at the Stadium of Light ahead of home games with Birmingham and Liverpool.
He said: "We need to get at least a point from that trip and then we have two home games in quick succession where a couple of good results would push us up the table."
