Points the ideal Christmas present

IT’S 10 days since we left the Stadium of Light deflated after dominating the Newcastle match, but only getting a point, yet the mood around Wearside going into this weekend’s fixture at Everton is one of optimism.

We’ve not gone soft — the Toffees are a shrewd outfit under David Moyes, and anything more than a point would be a bonus.

Having seen us take hold of games like our last outing, against an average mid-table side, it’s much easier to pick out upcoming matches and see where we are going to tally up the points we require for survival.