RICKY SBRAGIA £500,000 PAYDAY

RICKY SBRAGIA will be given a £500,000 pay-off by Sunderland whether or not he keeps them up today.

The former Manchester United and Bolton coach has struggled since he was given an 18-month contract to succeed Roy Keane back in December.

Now Stadium of Light bosses are ready to get ruthless and show him the door. Sunderland have won just twice since Sbragia's permanent appointment and the 50-year-old Scot has looked increasingly out of his depth.

He was an unwilling manager in the first place when he was asked to step in to replace Keane. And he has struggled to win over a dressing-room that will also undergo huge changes in the summer.

American billionaire Ellis Short wants a big-name manager to take over in the summer.

If Sunderland avoid the drop, Short will take 100 per cent control, buying out Niall Quinn's Drumaville Consortium, who paid £10million to take over from Bob Murray in 2006.

They will leave without making a significant profit despite the improvement in the club's fortunes since it teetered on the brink three years ago.

Sunderland's top brass have grown increasingly agitated at Sbragia's inability to gel a squad that cost £80m to assemble.

They will not take up the loan option to sign Djibril Cisse, while Kieran Richardson and Kenwyne Jones are both set to leave.

Sbragia is desperate not to become the latest manager to take Sunderland back to the Championship.

He said: "I don't want to be known as the manager who took Sunderland down. That's the last thing I want to do. We will prepare the players the best we can and then it's up to them to go out there and follow the information and the instructions we give them.

HAPPY DAYS - Kieran Richardson and Kenwyne Jones celebrate a rare Sunderland goal but both could be leaving this summer

"We will show them a video before they go out. It will last about three minutes, it will have pumping music and it will focus on what they've done well, a good tackle, Kenwyne winning a header. I've learned that from Sam Allardyce.

"If Bolton were playing Arsenal he would have things about what Arsene Wenger had said and he would show things like Kevin Nolan maybe standing on one of them. It was always to our benefit.

"I can remember him showing Abdoulaye Faye heading Van Persie in the back of the head - just heading him! It got the players ready for it."

The under-fire Sbragia added: "I am not worried about my job. I don't believe we will go down."

Sbragia was on Peter Reid's coaching staff when Sunderland were relegated at Wimbledon on the final day of the season in 1997.

And he recalled: "Going back to the bus was a nightmare. We had to walk through the supporters. Everyone kept their heads down.

"Spurs played Coventry and their game was delayed. That was the worst thing. We had to watch Tottenham lose to Coventry and it was so disappointing.

"I hope in the interest of football the games start at the same time on Sunday."

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