Former Sunderland midfielder Don Hutchison has branded the current squad as "mentally weak".

He wrote in the Evening Chronicle: "I see a Sunderland team that has a squad where 75% of the players are mentally weak.

"I say weak because they will turn it on for a new manager, going to places like Arsenal and getting a battling point or winning at Everton. But as soon as he's got his feet under the table they revert back to type.

"Any player worth their salt will do that. When your place is under threat and you're worried about getting a game, of course you'll turn it on. It's doing it week in, week out that matters."