But the bookies have had to tear up their odds, because Sunderland are on the rise.
Jack Colback: “We said after Stoke that it wasn’t a pretty win, but it was about winning.
“We’d rather play badly and win, than lose.
“It was vital winning that one and then to go to Newcastle and win 3-0, it’s got even better.
“If you’d have said we’d have been in this position three or four months ago, I don’t think many people would have believed it.
“People were looking at us as certainties to go down.
“But since the new manager and staff have come in, they’ve been brilliant and all the players have bought into what they want.
“Obviously we need to carry that on now.”