TWO games, two defeats. What does the future have in store for Sunderland after losing to Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light?

The next eight days will go a long way in determining whether the Black Cats can avoid another season of struggle, although David Moyes’ admission that they are in a relegation fight suggests he is braced for one already.

Sunderland, who face Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Cup tomorrow night, need new players and worryingly there does not seem to be too many deals even close, with the exception of potentially something for Yann M’Vila and a season long loan for Atletico Madrid full-back Javier Manquillo.

Chief Football Writer Paul Fraser caught up with former Sunderland players Gary Bennett and Julio Arca yesterday to hear their views on the club’s situation in light of the Wear-Tees derby result.

Bennett, the former Sunderland skipper, and Arca, who played for Sunderland and Boro, were at Sunderland’s Castle View Enterprise Academy at the beginning of a four-day training clinic for children related to employees at Calsonic Kansei and Nissan.

GARY BENNETT

“Things have not been helped by what has been going on off the pitch. When you look at the likes of Jan Kirchhoff, Lee Cattermole missing, then you have Younes Kaboul who has just been sold on the eve of first home game, plus Lamine Kone’s situation … Sunderland are in a bit of a mess at the moment.

“David Moyes has had a lot to deal with and Sam Allardyce’s departure hasn’t helped. David has been thrown in at the deep end and has been hit with problems like players who want to go back to London, players who have been promised things and players who want to leave. It will be interesting in the next nine or ten days to see who actually stays and goes.

“At the present moment they are a long, long way from climbing away from the bottom three. They have youngsters on the bench, they need experienced players who know what the league is all about.

“When you look at Kone and Kaboul, they were the spine of the defence at Manchester City. Then you look at the Sunderland team, and there were only four players that finished the season who played on Sunday. When you make that many changes, forced even, it needs to be sorted. We need new faces in.

“You can’t give up. At the end of the day it is the second game. We did well at Manchester City but since then you have lost Kaboul and Kone too, the heart of the defence ripped out. Good teams are built on solid back four but all of a sudden we are all over the place.

“We haven’t got a settled back four. Now John O’Shea has picked up an injury. Is Jack Rodwell going to be the answer? Paddy McNair claims he is a midfielder, but where did he play for Manchester United? If he has been brought in as a centre-back then play him there. He looked out of his depth in the middle on first home game.”

JULIO ARCA

“I’m disappointed for Sunderland. To get beat in the first home game … the squad should be better. It’s young players, new players coming into the team and they have a lot of problems, with players wanting to leave and injuries, so it is a hard task for the manager I guess.

“He will have been through it before, when players who do not want to be at the club, but it will be a long process for him. You do worry because you think there are only ten days left. There are not many names being mentioned either, or not the big names Sunderland fans are looking to hear.

“David Moyes has proven himself, particularly at Everton. It did take time for him to achieve that at Everton. Then things didn’t work out at Manchester United the way he wanted. If he is given the chance to stay a few years then I think he will turn things around, but not if he is only here for the short term.

“Middlesbrough looked good. They tried to play football the Spanish style. You can tell why as they have Spanish manager, he wants them to look after the ball. They look like they will run out of legs like they did when Sunderland had pressure for a bit.

“But Boro should do well. It is all depending on how the foreign players react. It’s OK now but it will be interesting when the weather is not as nice and they are at Burnley away or wherever, and it’s cold. That will be the challenge.”

BACK 2 BASICS will spend the next four days at Castle View Academy, Sunderland, working with children associated with families connected with Calsonic Kansei and Nissan.

Bennett and Arca along with ex-Boro man Dean Gordon’s coaching clinics have created the link that has enabled Calsonic to do something a little bit different for their employees.

Calsonic’s manufacturing manager Ian Thompson said: “We wanted to give something back to them. This has taken it away from just doing something like the standard pen, voucher or whatever to say thank you. It gets their kids involved too and gives them exercise to get them out and about.”

Bennett, the former Sunderland captain, said: “It’s a thank you to the workers. They thought it was a great idea. When Nissan and Calsonic started in 1984 they started with 1000 people and are now approaching a workforce of 20,000 between Calsonic and Nissan up here.”