Lewis Grabban wants his team-mates to throw off their shackles and take risks to get results, with a trip to Brentford next on the Black Cats' agenda.
The Lads have somewhat steadied the ship in recent weeks with consecutive draws ending a run of six defeats in seven Sky Bet Championship games, but the wait for a win goes on.
Grabban, who was instrumental in the Sunderland's solitary league victory this season, admits the table doesn’t lie, but has faith in the squad built by Simon Grayson and believes the quality within it will come to the fore.
But in order to that, the winger explained the need to be brave on the ball, particularly at the Stadium of Light.
“You can’t say it’s [a false position] and we are where we are in the table,” Grabban told the local media.
“Obviously, if we do the right things and play to our ability we shouldn’t be where we are, but so far we haven’t done that.”
He continued: “Sometimes, when things aren’t going well, the hardest thing is to be positive and take a risk, but that’s when you need everyone to be brave enough to do that.
“In my opinion, as a footballer, it’s a minimum that you should want to be on the ball.
“It isn’t always as easy as that, but you can’t hide away from things.
“I think we do have to be a bit braver, especially at home, and we have to be prepared to try things and look to dominate the ball a bit more.
“If we do that, let’s see where it takes us.”