Dwight Yorke: Cats can’t mention the ‘R’ word
Apr 11 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal
YOU might not hear it, but the ‘R’ word is on everyone’s mind at Sunderland right now.
The Black Cats entertain Manchester United today knowing defeat will give local rivals Newcastle United the opportunity to dump them into the relegation zone with six matches left.
A two-goal defeat for Sunderland would allow Newcastle to overtake them with any win at Stoke City in the evening kick-off.
Veteran midfielder Dwight Yorke refuses to even contemplate demotion, however. “Relegation is not an issue,” said the Trinidad and Tobago captain, who could make his first Premier League appearance of 2009 against one of his former clubs. “That talk around the place ought to be eradicated from everyone’s mind. We won’t accept anything less than Premier League football.
“However, the table suggests we are in serious difficulty and we have to accept that. There are seven games ahead of us and they’re games we can win.
“You have to be mindful of it because of where we are. No one is banned from talking about it but we would rather stay positive.”
A month ago, when Tottenham stole a point from the Wearsiders at the Stadium of Light, there was fanciful talk from some players about pushing for Europe.
“It’s amazing how quickly football turns around,” admitted Yorke. “It goes to show that if you think you are doing well and take your eye off the ball, certainly at this level, you pay the consequences. I’m not saying for one minute the players have taken their eye off the ball, but you have to keep the intensity.
“If you are not giving 100% you get punished in this league. It’s been a very difficult period for us, but we are still very positive we can get out of this situation.”
