Sunderland are gearing up for their first game under Chris Coleman this weekend at the Stadium of Light as they look to continue a solid start under him.

Coleman has presided over a narrow loss to Aston Villa and an important win at Burton Albion - ensuring that the club has shown signs of improvement away from home.

The home form is what really needs addressing, though, but ahead of their game with Reading this weekend confidence seems to be up and the Black Cats would appear to be feeling that bit more positive.

Indeed, as recently quoted by the Northern Echo, goalkeeper Robbin Ruiter has revealed the positive impact the Welshman has had since arriving a couple of weeks ago at the club and particularly thanked him after not dropping him after the game against Millwall.

He said:

“It has been a really difficult situation. The changes between Jason and me were not good for either of us.

"As a goalkeeper you want the confidence of the manager and we didn't really know what we were up to.

“One week I played really well, and then the next game I was on the bench, and the same thing happened to Jason.

“My mistake against Millwall … everybody has written and spoken about it, but I think I stood up well in the second half and made a good save at a crucial moment in the game at 2-2, and that is the important thing for a goalkeeper. I'm experienced enough to deal with that."

Ruiter, of course, had a bit of a howler against the Lions but Coleman was not in charge in terms of in the dugout - even though it looked certain he'd be there soon.

He appears to have given everyone a clean slate, then, and now the players will be looking to repay him and the fans for their loyalty with a more than long-awaited home win.

The Verdict

Coleman has had a fairly positive looking start to his career at Sunderland.

Yes, he lost to Villa but he won the game that really mattered against Burton and now is the time to crack on against Reading.

Thoughts, Sunderland fans? Let us know below!