Hammers are out to crush Sunderland's feel-good factor

A YEAR ON THE WEAR:Last weekend's miracle at Villa Park has seen an outbreak of Sunderland hope before the arrival of today's visitors, 2 to 1 shots West Ham United, writes Michael Walker

Get your fingers down the back of the settee, rob your relatives and plunder your savings, because there is a sure thing running today and it is called West Ham United. Generally available at 2 to 1, West Ham should be lumped on and the persuasive explanation is not solely their pedigree 1-1 draw at Everton last Sunday. No, the main reason, the overwhelming reason, is that Wearside is suddenly optimistic. As sure as night follows day, the only thing that ever follows an outbreak of Sunderland hope is a clouding, crushing Sunderland defeat.

"Aye," said Niall Quinn, "I've still got my Plan B." Quinn's Plan B refers to relegation. It is a word that has suddenly left the local vocabulary this week.

The Miracle of Villa Park is responsible for that, last Saturday's 1-0 win, Sunderland's first away from home this season, lifting the club not just four points clear of the relegation zone, but also lifting spirits. Massively. If Everton in November was the low point, then Aston Villa is the high. So far.

It could all change again, should West Ham go to the Stadium of Light today and triumph, which is why Quinn has a grip on his Plan B still. But it is Plan A grabbing the chairman and his flock all week. Even Roy Keane, when not discussing hypocrisy yesterday, was moved by the new mood.

"Not a stat-man," as he said, Keane was shaken that today offers Sunderland the opportunity to win back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time in seven years - a run of 126 games. He was stirred that there will be around 45,000 present to see if Sunderland can do it.

"There is good energy around the club," Keane said. He was in buoyant form, even if the hypocrite headlines will suggest otherwise. "The fans have been very understanding this season, which is great because it's very easy to support a winning team. That's why they sell-out every week.

"But credit to our supporters, they gave us a standing ovation after losing to Chelsea, you've got to believe that if we achieve anything or win a Cup, then the place will take off. We're going to get 45,000 against West Ham, imagine if we were doing well, you wouldn't be able to get a ticket."

Just in case anyone thinks 45,000 is not something to shout about, if Sunderland do get that many, or more, then they are likely to leap above Liverpool in the Premier League's table of average attendances. At the moment Sunderland are fifth, despite being no higher than 14th in the actual table since September. It is a figure that says everything about the club's potential.

"We'd the guts of 44,000 sold by Wednesday," Quinn said. "When you think that we have been in and around the bottom all season, it's an astronomical figure.

"But it's not just that, not just this season - this club has won one major trophy since the 1930s. We're not talking about a Liverpool here, who have won European Cup after European Cup, or even a modern Chelsea with all the money they have, we're talking about a club with one trophy in seven decades. That's why this place is special, it's been waiting to burst into life."

For Quinn there is extra satisfaction. This is his baby. It may be Roy Keane teaching Sunderland to walk the walk and talk the talk of top-flight football, but it was Quinn who answered the call of Wearside when the club were failing and falling.

It was Quinn who persuaded the Drumaville investors to stump up. It could so easily have gone wrong, and it still might. Hence Plan B.

"When Sunderland had that second terrible year in the Premiership and I was getting a group of men together, I told them about the crowd," Quinn said.

"I told them that it was not a case of crowds going from 7,000 to 12,000 if things were going well - I'd not be here if that was the case - I told them the place was extraordinary.

"Now, of course they've had the anxiety of any fan, this season in particular, but the great thing is they have trusted Roy and myself, their heart and their passion is in the right place.

"They understand that in one way staying up is greater than getting up and so there is no false pressure from them.

"They play a hugely important role and obviously from a purely financial perspective the better we are means the more secure their investment is. The benefit of splitting the investment between eight people is that one person is not taking the hit or getting carried away. There is a nice consensus.

"To a man it's now all about how Roy kicks us on. Fair play to them, the messages of support we've had behind the scenes have been great.

"They are solid, not cautious or nervy. Last Saturday the messages I got from them, they would not be printable in The Irish Times. The summer would be a huge low now if we went down, but then it would be time to stand up like men."

Keane may ask them to stand up that way anyway. He is clearly thinking of a summer spent recruiting for a Premier League club and with one year remaining on his contract, would like to see proof of ambition before he joins the dots.

"The Arsenals, Uniteds, Celtics are massive and I believe we can get somewhere near that - I'm not saying we can match that," Keane said, "but there's great energy around the club at the moment. And in the summer I hope Sunderland can match my ambitions.

"We'll find that out then. Because if we can stabilise, then we can go on to the next level. This year was always going to be the most important. Forget last year, that was easy. Can we match each other's ambitions? That remains to be seen.

"But I'm optimistic about that. They know that. This summer will be interesting. Niall knows it will take time to get the club into a big machine."

Keane's delivery was unthreatening, just pragmatic. In fact he declared himself "very happy". And he was.

West Ham, 2 to 1 against.