New Sunderland captain Grant Leadbitter has said the club needs to get away from the negativity of the past few years and having a winning mentality at all times.
The 31-year-old was appointed captain by Jack Ross following the departure of George Honeyman, who joined Hull City at the start of August.
A product of the Sunderland academy, Leadbitter has made 138 appearances over two spells with the club.
Speaking to the club media ahead of the Black Cats’ Carabao Cup tie against Accrington Stanley, the new skipper expressed his pride at taking the armband.
He said: “It's an incredibly proud moment for me to captain this club. It's special but I want to be a successful captain."
Leadbitter continued: “I love this club but I’ve got to step away from that and do what’s best for the players in the dressing room.
“I’m proud to be captain and I want to help bring success to this club.”
The 31-year-old added: “You’ve got to have a winning mentality all the time. It’s no good just having it on a matchday.
“There’s been too much negativity at this club in the last few years. We want to get away from that, when we get down, we need to stand together, be positive and get back up.”
Leadbitter said after a shaky start in League One, the target remained achieving promotion.
He explained: “We might only have two points from two games but there's still an incredibly long way to go.
"We've got a positive group and we will remain positive. Sunderland is a big club, when the pressure is on you've got to stand up and be counted.”
Sunderland travel to the Crown Ground to take on Accrington on Tuesday evening.
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The Verdict
Leadbitter seems like a really smart appointment by Ross.
As his comments show, he is passionate about the club, having developed through the academy at the Stadium of Light and made over 100 appearances for the club.
The Scotsman has a number of young and exciting players in his squad, so picking an experienced head like Leadbitter as their leader looks a great decision.
The 31-year-old also has experience of successfully achieving promotion, which could be vital for the season ahead.