Sunderland's promotion hopes have been severely dented over the last two months - with the Black Cats languishing in midtable in League One and firmly at the wrong end of the form table.
At the beginning of November, the sixth-placed Black Cats beat Ipswich Town to move within a single point of the Tractor Boys, who were then second in League One, and they still had a game in hand of Paul Lambert's men.
Since then, Sunderland have slipped to their current position of 11th in the league table.
But with several clubs, including the Wearsiders, forced to call off games due to Covid outbreaks, and with a couple of fixtures falling victim to the weather, the full League One table offers an incomplete picture with sides having played anywhere between 22 and 16 games.
However, a direct comparison of the last eight league games played by every club in the division makes for grim reading as far as Sunderland are concerned.
Those eight league games span two bosses and a caretaker, with manager Phil Parkinson sacked after following that victory against Ipswich a defeat and two draws, Andrew Taylor drawing his sole game in temporary charge, and new head coach Lee Johnson winning one, losing one, and drawing two matches so far.
That record of just one one win in eight games, and eight points collected, leaves Sunderland 18th in the form table.
Basement side Burton Albion are winless in their last eight games, and they are the only side in the division to have won fewer games than the Black Cats.
Sunderland have lost only three league games all season - the fewest in the division - and two of those have come in the last eight games, although that is not the reason for their lowly position in the form table because both Lincoln and Doncaster who are at the top have each also lost two of their last eight.
It is their five draws - the highest number in the division - that have cost them dearly over the last eight games.
In fact, Sunderland have drawn eight of their 18 league games in total, the second highest number in League One with only Shrewsbury Town (nine) beating that total.
And while Sunderland's defence has stacked up pretty well over the last eight games with only four clubs conceding fewer goals than the seven that the Black Cats have given away, it is their failings at the other end of the pitch that have been exposed.
They have scored only nine goals in their last eight games, and only five clubs have managed fewer.
