Dick Advocaat reveals he would quit Sunderland if he thought they were going down

Dick Advocaat claimed he would walk away from Sunderland if he thought he couldn't keep them up

DICK ADVOCAAT is convinced he is still the right man to steer Sunderland towards Premier League safety.

 

The Dutchman revealed yesterday he would quit if he thought the Black Cats were going down.

But despite Sunderland having picked up just two points from six games, Advocaat believes they can recover from yet another nightmare start.

"Let's be clear, if I feel it is better for somebody else to take over, then I will go, " said the 67-year-old.

 

Asked how close he was to walking away, he said: "Very far. I have no doubt there are better times ahead.

Even during the 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth, Advocaat claims he saw positive signs.

"Bournemouth are not better than Sunderland but they are a team who have played together for two years and that is the difference," he said ahead of tonight's visit of Manchester City in the Capital One Cup.

 

"I still have a good feeling about this squad but they have to gel and the combination of players has to be better.

"If we get 40 points, I think that will be enough."

Advocaat will resist making many changes for tonight's game which is a repeat of the 2014 final at Wembley which City won 3-1.

He beat Pellegrini the last time he faced his as manager of Zenit St Petersburg six years ago. "We played his Villareal side and kicked them out of Europe when they expected to win," he said. "He was very angry that night but is a very nice man."