Gus Poyet has this afternoon taken the unusual step of penning an open letter to Sunderland supporters, taking full responsibility for the club's recent lack of form.

The Black Cats boss came under fire from his own fanbase during last weekend's surprise FA Cup exit at Brentford, having previously hinted that he was not fully to blame for results.

However, in a personally-written piece on Sunderland's official website, Poyet has taken a step to build bridges with supporters.

He said: "I would like to clarify once more - the man responsible of the results of our team is me, I always said it and I will always accept my responsibility.

"I am really looking forward to see the Stadium of Light packed on Saturday, pushing the team to what could be a very important victory."

The statement in full can be found here.