SOCCER:A VICTIM of "second season syndrome," in his Reading days, Kevin Doyle now admits the pressure is beginning to build at Wolves where both his own performances and the team's results have fallen some way short of what was achieved in a fine first campaign following promotion.

Wolves have lost four straight games in the league and have just two wins to show for their 14 outings. And despite some decent team efforts against some of the top flight’s biggest boys – they beat Manchester City and played well against United and Chelsea – there is little mystery regarding their current standing in the table.

Mick McCarthy’s men are five points adrift of safety because they score too rarely and concede too often as a glance at the table readily reveals.

In the circumstances, Doyle, who finally got off the mark in the league himself last week against Blackpool, readily admits that he and his team-mates need to start showing significant signs of improvement.

He remains positive, however, that the team can turn the corner with a win over Sunderland today, he hopes, enough to spark a revival.

“It hasn’t been great with the results we’ve had but, sometimes,” he says, “it only takes one win and you can see the bright side again. If you get the win under your belts, it can act as a kick-start for a decent run. Hopefully we can do that against Sunderland – but we know we need to do it sooner rather than later.”

Quite a few of McCarthy’s players won plaudits for their efforts over the course of last year and Doyle, in particular, came in for regular praise, especially when he was deployed as a lone striker and depended upon to hold up play, involve others and chip in with his share of goals. There are signs of dissent from the stands, though, whenever McCarthy has persisted with playing just one up front despite having added to his attacking options over the summer and Doyle acknowledges that the lack of a win starts to play on everyone’s minds.

“It has been a while and it does cause a knock-on effect but we’re all working hard to try and ensure it will happen against Sunderland,” he says. “We also know the fans are frustrated – like us as players – and that is totally natural and understandable when you don’t get results.

“But they won’t be frustrated if we win the game, simple as that.”

Aston Villa are somewhat better off than their near neighbours but they are hardly where they would like to be either and Richard Dunne is another Republic of Ireland international hoping that his side start to build a bit of upward momentum this afternoon although to do it they will have to beat Arsenal.

“Between now and the end of January, it is important to pick up points because the league will start to spread itself out,” he says. “We want to make sure we are in the higher half of the table.

“Against Arsenal, we need to put in the same performance as against Manchester United,” continues the Dubliner who will again captain the side this weekend. “It’s a game that we need to win really, otherwise we could be level with the bottom three.

His manager, Gerard Houllier, meanwhile, has sought to diffuse the growing sense that Stephen Ireland is not especially valued at the club, insisting that he sees the midfielder as “special”, but insisting once more that the Corkman does need to demonstrate his ability out on the pitch.

“As a player, he has got something special,” says the Frenchman. “I like that. But his input has got to be better. I am patient, though, and I hope that everyone else is as patient as me.”

Ireland, who arrived at Villa Park as part of Manchester City’s acquisition of James Milner, has been linked in the British media with the possibility of a move in the January window to Fulham.