Here we go again.

Into the last quarter of the season with teams looking up to try and get into that top four because of all it means financially, and for the same reason teams looking over their shoulder to keep away from that bottom three.

Interesting that the three bottom teams are those who got promoted last year, which proves what we’ve always said as to just how difficult it is to get a foothold once you’re in the top flight.

I don’t think anybody at those clubs will be too surprised and they will be well aware of the differences, having watched their teams in the Championship last year, and will usually give their managers total support.

When you are at a club that has been in the Premier League for a while, you might not expect to be in the top six elite, but you should aim for the middle eight group.

One of those clubs is Sunderland.

What happened? They not only lost 8-0 in a memorable game down here at St Mary’s but it was hard to believe when the word came through that last Saturday they were playing against Aston Villa at home and Villa, having scored fewer goals than any other team, less than one per game, were 4-0 up at half time.

Whilst I am sure the manager made his point during the break, there was no reaction and that was the final score.

In that last 45-minute period, the crowd had their say, some by turning their backs and walking out and others going the opposite direction by trying to get onto the field to make their point directly to Gus Poyet in the dugout.

I’ve always said that once the crowd turns on the manager to that extent his days are numbered.

The end result was that Gus probably knew it was all over himself by teatime on Saturday and it was officially announced on the Monday and, lo and behold, there was a new arrival on Tuesday morning.

I suppose this means that the owners or backroom board were getting ready for this event before last weekend.

I obviously have more than a passing interest in the Sunderland situation because, after 12 years managing at Southampton, I was persuaded by the then Sunderland chairman to join him.

Jimmy Tarbuck, the comedian, famously said ‘what have Lawrie and the Titanic got in common? Neither one should have left Southampton.’ He was proved right.

Looking back, my two-year period was quite disastrous insofar as whilst I left with about ten games to go in my second season thinking ‘they will survive’ it was decided to bring in Bob Stokoe, who will always be a legend at that club, and rightly so having won the FA Cup for them in 1973.

However, it turned out Bob had been out of the game too long and wasn’t 100 per cent fit and his personality and record wasn’t enough and unfortunately Sunderland went down (from the old Second Division) as a result of two play-off games which they lost on away goals.

To this day, of course, I am named as the man who got them relegated.

In my defence, it was the only club I had been to where I suffered these problems, starting with Bishops Auckland and then Doncaster and Grimsby, winning the league at all three, and finishing runners-up with Southampton.

I have looked at a succession of managers since my time who have been and gone, with names such as Martin O’Neill, Steve Bruce, Howard Wilkinson and even Gus Poyet who all had success at other clubs but failed miserably at what used to be Roker Park.

Whilst certainly not defending all of the managers, there has to be something wrong with a club like that which has such a fantastic following.

Bear in mind that last week, with the club in such a low position playing not the biggest attraction in Aston Villa, there was actually 45,000 at the game.

The crowd are so frustrated, they have been waiting so many years to have even some of the success that their neighbours Newcastle have, which of course is not too much either.

With such a passion in the whole area of Tyneside and Wearside for the game, there has to be something not quite right within the club.

The owners, of course, have not been the same over the years.

Is it something which they should address?

Is it the fact that the modern way is that the manager hasn’t got total control over signings for instance?

Gus Poyet made this point as he departed. He did not necessarily agree with whoever was called director of football, or some title like that, who had a big say in signings.

Of course, as ever it comes back to the manager, the dressing room and the players.

If the manager has not got full control there, cannot get 100 per cent from every player, cannot work out the right system for them to play in, then he will be the one that gets the blame and gets the sack.

l A week has gone by which has reminded everyone that we may have the best league in the world, but not necessarily the best teams.

The last eight of the Champions League has three Spanish teams who deserve to be in there, but this does not necessarily mean their league is as strong the whole way down as ours is.

Our top clubs who took part will certainly expect more success with the amount of money which has been spent.

I suppose whilst they may all finish in high positions, there could well be inquests over the future of the men in the manager’s seat come the end of the season.