Judging by the mood on Wearside, you would be forgiven for thinking Sunderland had just been relegated to League One rather than playing for a place in the Premier League.
Boos rang round the Stadium of Light last Saturday as the Black Cats were consigned to a fifth consecutive Championship defeat against QPR. When the players then took part in a pre-planned post-match lap of appreciation, only a small smattering of supporters were still in the ground to greet them.
Contrast the scenes in Sunderland to those 200 miles down the road in Coventry, where Frank Lampard and his team lapped up the jubilant crowd’s acclaim after securing an unlikely top-six spot with a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.