Michael Walker talks to Mick McCarthy before Sunderland's crunch game against West Brom this afternoon

Played five, lost five, scored two, conceded nine: Sunderland's season has begun with their backside on the canvas and that is a difficult position to strike from. But today, at home to West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland surely must land blows or people will start counting them out with 32 games of the season still to go.

That is simply too dispiriting to contemplate and besides, what an incentive: win today and for 24 hours at least Sunderland will leave Newcastle United bottom of the Premiership. Mick McCarthy surveyed that possibility and said: "It wouldn't break my heart if we're above them on Sunday morning."

McCarthy remains upbeat despite Sunderland's position. But it can only last so long. West Brom visit the Stadium of Light on the back of a home defeat by Wigan and there is confidence that if a win can be chiselled out this afternoon, Sunderland can begin to re-establish itself as a club with Premiership credibility. A sixth consecutive defeat, however, and the club will be in grave danger of alienating an already demoralised fanbase to the point of apathy. And we are only in September.

It is very early to be discussing games as make or break but West Ham have just beaten Aston Villa 4-0, Wigan have won two in a row, while Sunderland, who finished above both in May, are pointless. West Brom offers an opportunity.

"It's a game we've got to get something out of," said McCarthy, though he added quickly: "I don't want to add to the pressure by suggesting this is make or break. We've learned to play at this level, now we need to win at this level." McCarthy said he does not "sense any deflation among the fans" but the 49,000 capacity stadium is now regularly one-third empty and each defeat makes it harder for loyal supporters to summon the enthusiasm to turn up for more.

"I think our crowds are quite decent," said Martyn McFadden of the Sunderland fanzine A Love Supreme. "We began the season really enthusiastic, yet we all knew that McCarthy has an almost impossible job. He got us to the semi-final of the FA Cup one season and promoted the next, with no money. But obviously the last five games have been a bit of a lesson."

That latter sentiment should, and does, trouble Sunderland's board because, like their neighbours Newcastle, in the absence of trophies they have relied on the size of their support for prestige, self-esteem and financial survival.

Their last league title was in 1936, so long ago the statistic feels redundant. But another one remains painfully current despite its irrelevance and a Sunderland loss today would also prolong its life: it is two years, 10 months and two days since Sunderland's last Premiership win, under Howard Wilkinson. McCarthy lost 15 games in a row at the end of the 2002-03 season and two years away has not prevented critics from adding this season's five defeats to make 20.

It ignores the fact that McCarthy has had to deconstruct one expensively assembled team and replace it with another, bought cheap.The manager, understandably, does not like its use, but to those who have endured the full saga of Sunderland's decline, it has resonance if not relevance.

Julio Arca is the only survivor from the club's last back-to-back Premiership victories in December 2001. "The supporters might start losing hope if we were to lose on Saturday," he said. "But they have to understand that things are different to last season. Then we were flying and playing good football. This is a different situation. We need a win."

Guardian Service