Sunderland legend Gary Rowell believes it has become normal for the Black Cats to put in mediocre performances, after their defeat to Gillingham at the weekend.
The Wearside-based club slumped to their sixth League One defeat of the season on Saturday, suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Steve Evans' Gillingham at Priestfield.
While Rowell wishes that Sunderland had managed to get the win and three points from the game, he is of the view that Phil Parkinson's side were woeful against their weekend opponents.
The 62-year-old, who played for the club between 1974 and 1984, believes it has become normal for Sunderland to put in below-par performances, which he points out is unacceptable for the fans.
Rowell also pointed out how rarely the League One side produce a good performance and stressed it has been a long time since their thumping 5-0 win against Tranmere Rovers.
"Over the 90 minutes though, it has got to be said that Sunderland were woeful", Rowell wrote in his Sunderland Echo column.
"I could have lived with that in return for three points, even if we all would have known it wouldn’t have been deserved.
"To be second best for much of the game, to a mid-table team in a mediocre league is incredibly difficult for Sunderland fans to accept, but that’s the reality because that sort of performance is becoming the norm now.
"The odd good one, like the thumping of Tranmere which seems like a lifetime ago, is very much the exception."
Sunderland now have a home game against fourth-placed Blackpool coming up and they will be hoping to turn the tide.
