Stephen Elliott: Phil Parkinson needs to be braver and bolder before it's too late for him and Sunderland

However, as we have seen on numerous occasions over the past couple of seasons, they have turned a win into a draw.

We can justifiably point to the blatant penalty that wasn’t given to Lynden Gooch in the first half, but frankly even without that Sunderland should have been out of sight.

During my career, in seasons when I have been part of title winning promotions, the one thing that sticks with me is the sense of unity within the squad over the course of the season.

Both Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane at Sunderland, and Paul Lambert at Norwich, created environments where every substitute, in every matchday squad, always felt trusted to come on and affect the game if they were required.

Phil Parkinson tried to limp over the line on Saturday and it backfired. It was obvious that fresh legs were needed, as it was clear some players had maxed out around the hour mark.

It’s your job as a manager to recognise this and try and fix it, especially when you have a real grip of the game as Sunderland did on Saturday.

To gain promotion as a manager, you must be brave, and you must be bold.

Both Parkinson, and his predecessor Jack Ross, have failed to be either.

Phil Parkinson still has time to fix this, as there is a long way to go and the gap isn’t huge but it will need to be fixed quick.

There are five substitutes allowed per game now and that should be an advantage to this club, with the experience within the squad for this level.

However, if Parkinson continues the way he is then he could lose players, and unhappy players in a squad is never a good thing.

Automatic promotion is still achievable as there are no standout teams in the league but Sunderland, and Phil Parkinson, must get their own house in order first.

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