Sunderland require a stable manager in order to re-establish themselves in the Premier League.

That is the opinion of former striker Kevin Phillips who has seen 12 managers preside at the Stadium of Light since Peter Reid departed in 2002.

The Wearside club are just three points above the drop zone with Dick Advocaat at the helm following the sacking of Gus Poyet earlier in the campaign and Phillips has urged stability to get things back on track.

"For Sunderland to be a success they need to put someone in place for four or five years and then stick with them," the ex-Black Cats ace said.

"That's what happened with our team and Peter Reid. That's the way forward. I think they'll be fine this year, they'll regroup in the summer, get their recruitment right and then look to push on next year.

"They've shown they've got good players, but they just need some consistency and that starts from the manager down."