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Andy Walker says Sunderland face a Premier League survival battle

Image: Gus Poyet: Must reverse Sunderland's slide

Sky Sports pundit Andy Walker believes Sunderland are facing their most difficult spell of the season after Bradford knocked them out of the FA Cup at Valley Parade on Sunday.

The 2-0 cup loss ended a miserable week for manager Gus Poyet, who saw his side defeated just days earlier by a QPR side that had lost every league away game so far this season.

Sunderland are just two points clear of the relegation zone and Walker warned they now face the very real prospect of getting sucked into the battle for Premier League survival.

“I did Sunderland v QPR last week and QPR were terrific, they really deserved to win,” Walker told The Morning View on Sky Sports News HQ.

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“But when you have your home supporters having a go at you before half-time then I think you have got a problem and clearly it’s carried on to the Bradford game.

“It was the attitude of some of the Sunderland players that struck me. They looked lethargic, they looked heavy-legged and there was no sharpness about them. Unless the ball was played up to Jermain Defoe – who looked really sharp and busy – Sunderland had a problem all over the pitch.

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Victory for Bradford today ended a miserable week for Sunderland

“The supporters are seeing that and I don’t think you can kid them. I think the Sunderland fans know the team is on a bit of a slide. They are looking for a bit of inspiration and I don’t know where it is going to come from.

“I think with QPR beating them it really draws Sunderland back in to that relegation dogfight now. QPR managed the game superbly and controlled the majority of the game.

“With games against the likes of Aston Villa – who have a new manager - coming up, Sunderland have got a lot of work to do to escape.

Poyet also appears to be feeling the pressure after launching an astonishing tirade against the media during his post-match press conference following Sunday’s defeat to Bradford.

“The problem is you, not me,” he told the assembled journalists.

“If you write what I say the fans will be on my side but because you write what you want then we have problems, so I am not bothered about that. 

"I'm not going to get involved any more. If we close Sunderland - if we put a China Wall around the city - it would be fantastic."

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