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Sunderland players let Gus Poyet down, says John O'Shea

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John O'Shea says he is determined to help keep his side in the Premier League

Sunderland’s players let down Gus Poyet and must now perform under new boss Dick Advocaat to save their Premier League status, says John O’Shea.

Poyet was sacked by the Black Cats’ board this week after a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of relegation rivals Aston Villa left the club just one place above the drop zone.

Sunderland moved swiftly to appoint experienced Dutchman Advocaat as Poyet’s successor – but O’Shea says it is now up to the players to respond to their new manager’s ideas and deliver results on the pitch.

“We have to be positive now, we have to move forward,” he told Sky Sports.

“The result against Aston Villa was terrible and we let the manager down. The club have made a decision to change and we have to bounce back.

“The new manager has vast experience all over the world and fantastic success. He’s come in initially for the nine games to keep us in the league so we’ve got to listen to him as much as we can, take on board what he wants us to do.

“He’s just had a few days before the West Ham game to get his ideas across, so hopefully we can take them on very quickly and get climbing the table.

“But it’s up to the players individually and collectively to take responsibility and make sure they step up to the plate.”

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O’Shea was part of the Sunderland side which – in the words of Poyet – pulled off a miraculous run of results to avoid relegation last season. And the centre-back is hoping Advocaat’s appointment will give the club the boost it needs to go on a similar surge towards survival this term.

“You’re always feeling pressure and you want to stay in the Premier League,” he said.

“We had a situation last season where it was really, really tight and managed to do it. So we have to perform and do it again.

“You see it all through the leagues, managers coming in and making a difference and we hope that’s the case.”

Watch West Ham v Sunderland live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 4.45pm on Saturday. 

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