Former Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has heaped praise on new manager Gus Poyet.
The Uruguayan has produced three wins from five matches since he took the reins from caretaker Kevin Ball after the demise of Paolo Di Canio, including the weekend's shock 1-0 result over Manchester City.
The Black Cats now sit on seven points after languishing on the bottom of the table for the first few months of the campaign but Quinn feels that Poyet could be the right man to get them out of danger come season's end.
"You cannot predict football. If anybody said, outside Sunderland, that they were going to beat Manchester City 1-0 again, you would have laughed," he said.
"From the outside looking in I really like what I see. I am more than pleasantly surprised. He has a real thirst and vitality that he wants to make this work.
"I think the future bodes well. You feel the impetus is there and they can go and play teams now with so much less fear and enjoy the games.
"If Gus Poyet manages to do it and pulls it off (keep Sunderland up), I think it is one of the best things to happen to the club in many, many years."
