Sunderland missed the chance to record their first home win of 2017 when they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to QPR on Saturday. The result leaves the Black Cats in 23rd position and three points from safety, with a tough trip to Brentford up next.

There are a host of problems for Simon Grayson to solve, but the manager has suffered with injuries to key men, notably Lewis Grabban. The striker missed four games and the mood has seriously deteriorated in his absence, where the team failed to win. The ex-Bournemouth man returned as a substitute on Saturday and will bring a bit of quality to the side when fully fit.

The forward admitted to the Sunderland Echo that they deserve to be down in 23rd. “You can't say it is (a false position). We are where we are in the table.” However, Grabban incredibly still has high hopes for the season. “I'm not worried about relegation or anything like that – I don't think that's going to be an issue – but to try to achieve the aim of promotion, we're going to have to start very, very soon.”

The Verdict

These are very strange comments from Lewis Grabban and they might worry Sunderland fans. Even though he acknowledged the club aren't in a false position, the comments about getting promoted should be saved until they move up the table. At the minute, they are a million miles away from there and whilst it's admirable to remain confident, there needs to be a bit of realism which Grabban is missing.

Thoughts, Sunderland fans? Do you share Grabban's belief that relegation is not possible? Let us know in the comments below.