Poll Reaction: Moyes set to guide Sunderland to Prem safety

David Moyes is set to extend Sunderland’s ten-season stay in the Premier League, with another solid but unspectacular year ahead at the Stadium of Light.

That’s the view of today’s Ladbrokes Twitter poll, which asked how the former Manchester United manager would fare in his first season on Wearside.

A full 50 per cent of you tipped the Black Cats to survive the drop but finish in the bottom half of the league.

There’s plenty of logic in that, with the north-east outfit having finished 13^th or below in eight of the last nine seasons, without suffering relegation – though they have flirted with the drop on more than a few occasions.

And the bookies seem to agree, with odds of 2/7 for the north-east outfit to avoid the drop in the Scot’s first season in charge.

How far can Moyes take Sunderland this season? #SAFC

— Ladbrokes (@Ladbrokes) July 27, 2016

However, a top-half finish came second in our poll with a sizeable 22 per cent of the vote. And those voters could be onto something, with Moyes having finished in the top 10 during nine of his 11 full seasons at Everton.

Next up are the 20 per cent who voted for the Black Cats to suffer relegation, while in fourth place – unsurprisingly – are the optimistic eight per cent backing the new gaffer to deliver a sensational top-four finish to the Stadium of Light faithful.

Sunderland are 7/2 to secure a first top-half finish in the Premier League for the first time since 2000-01, and to do so, Moyes’ men will need to hit the ground running.

It’s 14/1 they snatch an opening-day victory at current title favourites Manchester City. Should they oblige, those who tipped a season of success on Wearside will be looking very wise indeed.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing