Stephen Elliott has claimed that Sunderland must recall midfielder Ethan Robson from his loan at Grimsby Town in January, and hand him a spot in the Balck Cats starting lineup.

Sunderland have endured a difficult start to life under new manager Phil Parkinson, who has won just two of his 13 games in charge in all competitions, leaving them 12th in League One, four points off the play-offs.

That is something that Elliott is clearly not impressed with, and it seems he has identified one change that could Sunderland improve that recent record.

Taking to Twitter following Sunderland's 1-1 draw with Blackpool at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, Elliott, who made 88 appearances for the Black Cats in all competitions between 2004 and 2007, simply said: "Ethan Robson has to be brought back in January and given a slot in the team straight away."

Robson joined the League Two side on loan until January during the summer transfer window, and has made 16 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals, for his temporary side, who are currently 20th in the fourth tier standings.

Prior to his move to Blundell Park in the summer, Robson had made 14 appearances in all competitions for Sunderland, while also spending time on-loan in the Scottish Premier League with Dundee last season.

The Verdict

This is an interesting one.

There can be no doubting that Sunderland need to change something quickly if they are to have any hope of challenging for promotion this season, but it is hard to know if Robson is that alteration they need.

On the one hand, it could be argued that Robson's relative lack of first-team experience, and Grimsby's lowly position in the League Two standings, suggests that the 23-year-old may not be the right man for the job at this particular stage of his career.

However, it does seem as though this something that a number of the club's fans like the sound of, so it could be worth giving it a try, even if only to help get them back onside after a hugely frustrating past couple of years.