O'Neill desperate for points

Martin O'Neill has admitted Sunderland are off the pace in the race for Barclays Premier League survival.

The Black Cats head for QPR on Wednesday night having collected only 14 points from their first 16 games of the season, and that has left them vulnerable in 17th place in the table. O'Neill has set his players the task of increasing that ratio to at least a point a game to give themselves a platform for the rest of the season, and victory at Loftus Road would do just that.

"I have used the word unsafe - I might as well say it again. We need to get points on the board," said O'Neill.

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