Thursday’s Durham Times column comes from Craig Clark.

WHEN Sunderland travel to Burnley this weekend, Gus Poyet will surely be tempted to make some alterations to the starting XI that drew with Tottenham Hotspur. Although much of the criticism aimed at the team for their performance on Saturday has been harsh, there are reasons for change that extend beyond individual performance levels.

For a start, Burnley clearly represent a very different type of challenge to Spurs, with both clubs already occupying positions at the opposite end of the table; both are likely to be there are thereabouts come the season’s end. Spurs are sixth and looked every inch a side progressing toward European football next season, while Burnley are third bottom. Evidently, the quality of opposition is going to be significantly lower.

You can read the rest of the column here.