Former Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn believes Gus Poyet has brought the 'Roker Roar' to the Stadium of Light.
Poyet succeeded Paolo di Canio as Sunderland manager earlier this season.
"Gus dealt with it all brilliantly. Those fans want to be close to the team. He has managed to reconnect them," Quinn told the Mail on Sunday.
"It's his charisma. Gus showed the fans that he had identified the problems. He didn't need them booing after 20 minutes. He actually semi-educated them - the man isn't a bluffer.
"At the start he had the right to have a go at his players, but in a good way. Not antagonistically. If you're going to compare him with the predecessor, he doesn't claim all the credit and has brought stability.
"Fans like what they hear, which is so valuable after what was a dreadful situation. There is an enormous amount of emotion involved in this weekend. It's crazy. I'm very excited for them."
