After desperate run of 6-straight defeats how many points do Sunderland need to survive in Championship?

Sunderland have now lost six games in a row and are edging nearer to the wrong end of the Championship table following the disappointing defeat to Southampton at the weekend.

But do the Black Cats already have enough points based on recent history? The Echo takes a closer look over the past 10-years to assess just how many points proved to be enough to survive.

2022/23 - 45 points

Last season saw Reading relegated to League One with 44 points. Cardiff occupied 21st place and stayed up with 49 points.

2021/2022 - 38 points

A lowly 38 points would have been enough to stay in the Championship in 2022 due to Peterborough, Derby and Barnsley all failing to reach 38 points.

2020/2021 - 44 points

In 2021 Derby avoided relegation with a tally of 44 points, a point ahead of relegated Wycombe Wanderers who joined Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday in the third tier of English football.

2019/2020 - 49 points 

Barnsley narrowly escaped relegation when they finished on 49 points, one point ahead of Charlton, who returned to League One following their play-off win over Sunderland 12 months prior.

2018/2019 - 41 points

Another low tally was required to stay in the Championship in 2019 when both Ipswich Town and Bolton Wanderers failed to break the 40-point barrier, while Rotherham finished on 40 points. Millwall stayed up with 44 points but 41 would have been enough.

2017/2018 - 42 points

Sunderland finished bottom of the league on 37 points in what was their second relegation in two years in 2018. Barnsley and Bolton also were relegated and didn't fare much better with both finishing on 41 points.

2016/2017 - 52 points

Although Nottingham Forest stayed up on 51 points, they did so on goal difference with Blackburn relegated to League One by two goals. Burton finished above Forest on 52 points which is the highest tally over the past 10 years.

2015/2016 - 41 points 

Charlton suffered relegation once again back in 2016 when they finished on 40 points with both MK Dons and Bolton joining the Addicks in League One. 

2014/2015 - 42 points

Millwall were relegated to the third tier in 2015 when they finished five points behind 21st placed Rotherham. The Lions finished on 41 points with both Wigan and Blackpool trailing behind.

2013/2014 - 45 points

There was another case of a team relegated on goal difference in 2014 when Doncaster Rovers were relegated to League One due to Birmingham City’s superior goal difference after both teams finished on 44 points.

Verdict

The average over the past 10 years for a team to stay up is 44 points. Sunderland’s current tally of 47 points would have been enough to stay in the Championship in eight of the past 10 seasons.

Only three times in Championship history has a team gone down with 50 or more points. Blackburn with 52 points on goal difference in 2017, Peterborough in 2013 with 54 points and Gillingham with 50 points in 2005 again on goal difference.