England and Rangers legend Terry Butcher is backing Dick Advocaat to keep Sunderland up.

The Dutchman will take charge of his first Premier League game at the age of 67 when the Black Cats face West Ham at Upton Park on Saturday.

"He'll loosen the shackles and allow the players to express themselves," Butcher, who had a brief spell in charge of the Black Cats in the early-90s, told the Daily Star.

"Don't get me wrong, he's a strict disciplinarian, who has his own regimented style and woe betide any player who steps out of line.

"But on the pitch, he's very attack-minded and I expect to see a more positive approach from Sunderland than we've seen recently.

"Advocaat worked alongside Dutch master Rinus Michels, who introduced Total Football to the world and that's influenced his whole coaching career.

"He has his teams very well organised and hard-working but the emphasis is always on getting bodies into the box and scoring goals.

"Under Gus, Sunderland struggled for goals all season, even when Jermain Defoe arrived but I'm expecting to see a big improvement on that front."