Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has hit out at 'disgraceful' Premier League chiefs for the demands that they have put on players during the festive period.

The Black Cats manager saw his side suffer a 3-1 defeat at home to Hull City this afternoon, with attention turning immediately towards Sunday's meeting with Aston Villa.

While Poyet insists that the traditional Boxing Day fixture should remain in place, he believes that something has to be done to clear up the hectic schedule if players are to perform at the top of their game.

"We shouldn't be playing on the 28th," he is quoted as saying by FourFourTwo. "I've been in England for a long [time]. I think that Boxing Day is tradition, and I accept it, and I think we should maintain it. Playing on the 28th is a disgrace.

"We shouldn't be playing on the 28th. We shouldn't. If you want to see the best players performing well, you need to make sure that we're not playing every two days. That's not needed. It's not tradition, somebody's not [telling] the truth really."

Sunderland are currently four points above the drop zone following today's defeat.