Sunderland fans have backed the decision to part company with Lee Johnson after Saturday’s heavy defeat to Bolton Wanderers.
The Black Cats suffered a shock 6-0 defeat, leading to Johnson’s exit on Sunday after 14 months in charge.
Whilst some onlookers pointed to the fact that Sunderland currently sit third in League One, two points off the top of the table, as a reason why Johnson’s departure could be considered harsh, Black Cats fans feel otherwise.
With Sunderland having won just one of their last five matches and the top two teams in the division, Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United, both having games in hand, the majority of fans called for Johnson to leave in a ChronicleLive survey published immediately after the Bolton debacle.
When asked whether Sunderland should consider a change in manager after the scale of the defeat to Bolton, 58.3% said yes.
However, there was still sizeable support for Johnson, with 27.3% of fans believing Sunderland should have kept faith with the former Bristol City boss, and a further 14.4% admitting they were unsure what course of action would be best.
According to 82.1% of fans, the defeat to Bolton has also ended Sunderland’s hopes of automatic promotion, such is the significance of other teams’ games in hand.
Just 8.9% of supporters believe the Black Cats can still make the top two, with 9% unsure of whether their promotion hopes are over.
With the defeat coming just over 48 hours before the transfer window shuts, fans were also asked their thoughts on whether the Black Cats are good enough to go up and how many signings are needed to improve.
Only 19.2% of fans believe Sunderland are good enough to go up in their current state, with 64.4% arguing the Black Cats do not currently have the quality required for promotion.
Most fans are keen to see multiple signings before the window shuts, with 31.9% arguing that three players should be brought into the club.
Nearly a quarter of fans - 24.3% - believe more than four players need to be signed, whilst 26.1% feel that two would be sufficient.
With the Black Cats locked in talks to re-sign Jermain Defoe after his release from Rangers, 31.5% of fans believe a striker should be top of their shopping list.
A further 24.6% feel Sunderland need to strengthen in central midfield, whilst 15.8% of fans are keen to see a central defender prioritised.
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