Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has revealed Wearside fans can play a part in bringing in new investment.

Quinn said: "I suppose there are two things that will go a long way towards deciding matters - firstly, retaining our Premier League status and secondly season ticket numbers. The season ticket sales will tell us how the recession has affected us; it will tell us what we have to do to react and ultimately it will tell us what we have in the summer to trade with.

"If we can show Ellis (Short) that we are supporting the club in numbers, he will see that it is worthwhile investing in it. And down the line we can all share success together."