It’s been a tumultuous few years as a Sunderland fan - yes, even more so than usual - and the idea that stability will return with the recent play-off win and promotion is probably fanciful.

Sunderland are in a can't-lose situation with teams around us picking up points everywhere. We travel to Lincoln on Saturday; what can we expect?

Results last night did not go our way, but we're still sixth; just about. How does the run in for SAFC look as we approach the final eight games of the season?

Five of our closest rivals play to catch up a game in hand on the Lads as we approach gameweek 39

For Sunderland to maintain the kind of form required to secure a playoff spot and potentially trouble the top two, the Lads are going to have to improve overall performances.

We love hypothetical situations. Not only are they interesting, but on days where news is short they give us a fantastic reason to waste our time writing a blurb to waste your time. Win for everyone; wouldn't you say?

We are now six games into Alex Neil's tenure as Sunderland manager. He is the fourth permanent manager we have had since relegation to League One and with a 3-2-1 record (11 points) in his first six league games, we decided to compare his start with that of his three predecessors.

We covered Sunderland's win earlier, but what happened in the other League One games impacting our closest rivals?

Sunderland deliver Alex Neil's third win and third clean sheet since taking charge despite the Lads yet to get out of second gear with the Scotsman a the helm.

Alex Neil has announced his line up to take on bottom-of-the-league Crewe Alexandra.