Sunderland boss drops selection hint and explains his key message to players this week

Tony Mowbray says he sees a positive future for his Sunderland team but admits he might have to rejig his forward options as the wait for striking reinforcements continues.

The Black Cats face Rotherham United on Saturday in search of their first win of the campaign, and the head coach insists the mood is upbeat amongst his young squad.

"They're young lads and if anything I'm trying to accentuate the need for urgency to them, because we've had a lot of the ball in the first two games and I think they've felt comfortable," he said.

"We've moved the ball around, we've created chances and yet we've found a way to lose. We can't get confident in dominating games and not winning. So if anything, I'm the one trying to increase the intensity in the team and creating an urgency about finding a way to win.

"And that's what we'll be trying to do, my conundrum is who are going to be the forward players? Who is going to play at the top end of the pitch, are we going to change the formation to get enough players at the top end of the pitch in a game where we feel we'll have a lot of possession. Or do we just keep doing what we're doing, and hope the luck changes?

"We want that first win and I do feel we've played, I haven't sat there and thought 'we don't deserve anything from this game'. I think there's lots of things we can do better: We have to have more forward targets. I'm just constantly reminding them that we have to have forward targets, we have to play higher up the pitch. You can't just come and get the ball and keep moving it sideways to full backs. We have to have people in forward areas and yet, I do feel we had enough opportunities in the Preston game.

"We have to find a way to win, and I've always said that," he added.

"When Ross Stewart got his injury and Ellis went back I said it, we have to find ways to win and I don't want to sit here and say, 'we haven't got strikers so we can't win a game'. We did it last season enough.

"We have to keep trying to mix the jigsaw to get the players we've got in the positions to score. I'm probably more interested in keeping a clean sheet along the line, so there's a conundrum that we have to resolve quickly.

"I keep saying it, it's football and these are our players, we have to find the answer to make them productive and get in the box and put the ball in the right areas and score the goals.

"We have to work hard and get the fans believing in the team because I know they will stick with us if we fight and work hard. Football supporters aren't stupid, they can see the missing ingredients in our team.

"We've got a few weeks and we will resolve it and I only see positive things moving forward, because in four or five weeks Ross Stewart will be fit and I'll be sitting here moaning that I've got too many striker and I'm upsetting the balance of the team. Let's hope that is the case."