Player vox-pops….

Robbie Elliot insists that Sunderland must forget their loss at Portman Road and concentrate on making amends at home to Sheffield Wednesday this weekend,

Elliott said: ‘The honeymoon period is over. It was a very disappointing result on Saturday and a very upset dressing room.

‘We know we were not at the races as we were against Leeds and West Brom.

‘We have our ideas about why it did not happen for us and we need to rectify things for the home game against Sheffield Wednesday.

‘What was said in the dressing room afterwards stays in the dressing room but the lads know where we all stand and we know we have to improve if we want to stay at the club, never mind wanting to go places with this club.

‘Football is a game where things can change overnight.

‘Now we have to react positively and look forward to a tough encounter at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

‘We were up for it against Ipswich and went there expecting to win, but for whatever reason we did not get into our stride.

‘We did not force their goalkeeper into a save and if we want to win games we have to do better. Two defensive errors let us down.’

Meanwhile striker Dwight Yorke, another dissapointing performer on Saturday, has claimed that Sunderland need to calm down their over-zealous approach, suggesting that emulating their manager for tenacity on the pitch is not necessarily the best idea,

‘You cannot go tearing round the pitch looking for scraps here and there. We are trying to play with aggression but there was a lot of handbags stuff out there.

‘The game got out of hand and there was no need for it. People got caught up in that too much and there was no need for it.

‘I am sure the fans love to see people scrapping and getting into a fight but you lose credibility.

‘Roy was a special player but it does not mean you try to go out and emulate him.’

However, one player who has hardly featured this season under Keane, Liam Lawrence, is determined to hang around and fight for his place instead of opting for a loan move away,

‘As far as I’m concerned, I want to stay here and get back in the side because what is happening at this football club is something of a revolution and I want to be part of it.

‘I’m very disappointed not to have been involved in the last few games, of course I am because every player wants to play, but the lads have done fantastically well so I can’t grumble really.

‘I just have to keep my head down and try to impress the manager and work my way back into the side.

‘It’s up to me now, no one else.’