Sunderland's miserable season continued as they went eight league games without a win after suffering a 5-2 loss at Ipswich last night.

The Black Cats are in the relegation zone and could drop to 23rd if Birmingham manage to get a point at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

It continues their rapid fall and unfortunately for fans of the Wearside club, there were few positives to take out of the game.

However, boss Simon Grayson pulled no punches when assessing his side's display.

“Every time the ball went into the box it looked like we might concede in the first half. People not stopping the crosses going into the box in the first place,” he told the official site.

“All over I think you could say we were five yards off the pace.”

Next up for Sunderland is a game at Grayson's old club Preston North End, who have excelled under new manager Alex Neil.

The Scot has guided his side to 4th, boasting the best defence in the division.

The Verdict

Whilst Sunderland fans will be glad Grayson is not trying to defend his players, he will also need to take responsibility himself.

It was never going to be easy for him given the situation the club are in, but they should have had enough to avoid a relegation battle.

At the moment, it looks as though it could be a long hard season and the former PNE manager needs to resolve many issues as soon as possible.

What do you think Sunderland fans? Is Grayson the right man? Was he unfortunate to inherit the club in a mess? Let us know in the comments below!