I don’t think many fans were surprised when the news broke that Gus Poyet had been relieved of his duties at Sunderland earlier this week.

Football fans around the world were shocked at the scenes at the Stadium of Light on Saturday in their match against Aston Villa. The Black Cats were 4-0 down at half time and thousands of fans walked out- refusing to stay for the second half.

At least three supporters tried to break through the stewards guarding the dugout, yelling abuse at Poyet- but were things that bad at Sunderland for so much action and emotion?

It is well known that Black Cats fans are passionate and the side have always been known for showing their passion in more extreme ways than other teams across England. Things have not been going well for them since Christmas as they have slipped closer and closer to the relegation zone.

The defeat to Aston Villa has left them just one place above Burnley and the bottom three, and they have won just one game in their last 12 league outings.

Many fans had already left before the half-time whistle but those who were there made their anger heard as boos sounded around the stadium.

Those fans who stayed after half time could not believe their eyes when they spent the first four minutes playing with 10 men as Seb Larsson was in the dressing room having treatment on a leg injury when the action restarted.

Fans around the ground chanted: “We’ve only got 10 men” in shock and disgust and when the final whistle went it was and afternoon many Sunderland fans wanted to forget.

When you are not around a team 24/7 you cannot possibly understand every little detail as to why there is so much anger. For those neutral fans, it looked like an over-reaction by Sunderland supporters but really they were right to be unhappy.

Until the weekend, Aston Villa had only scored four goals away from home all season and they managed to double that in 45 minutes. The results have been getting worse and the thing that has angered fans the most is the lack of passion and pride the team have been displaying in recent weeks.

Many fans can agree that while they never want to be relegated but if they do so playing their best and playing with pride for the club, it can slightly soften the blow.

The mass walkout and boos seemed to have had some impact on the Black Cats’ board, who did not take long to announce Gus Poyet had been sacked from his position. His quick departure should mean a fresh start for the club with enough fight against relegation

Fans can now look forward to the last games of the season and hopefully temporary boss Dick Advocaat is the man to steer them clear of the drop zone.

One thing is for certain – when you go to the North East, be prepared for the extreme. Gus Poyet found that out.

Last year’s hero became this year’s villain.

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