Jermaine Jenas exclusive: Sunderland need to go gung-ho to save Big Sam's survival record

Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has a well-earned reputation as a specialist in Premier League survival, but that proud record faces its toughest ever test in the final five games of the season. While he is a man whose success has been built on defensive solidity, I feel the Black Cats need to completely change tack and adopt a more adventurous approach if they are to have any chance of staying up.

Watching their game against Leicester was weird for me because I think it's the first time I've ever watched a Sunderland game and wanted them to get a result, mainly because I'd like to see my former club Tottenham win the league but also simply because it would make the title race more exciting. But the Black Cats offered nothing going forward.

They lined up with a central midfield threesome of Jan Kirchhoff, Yann M'Vila and Lee Cattermole - all primarily destroyers, rather than creators - so it was no surprise that they didn't cause Leicester's defence too many problems.

Also, packing the middle of the park doesn't quite work against Leicester, who break so quickly and directly that they almost bypass the midfield when they counter-attack, as was shown in Jamie Vardy's first goal.

Meanwhile, up front Jermain Defoe was working off scraps and getting involved in physical battles with Wes Morgan, which completely nullifies his strengths as a finisher. The balance of the Sunderland team was all wrong.

Allardyce constantly talks about the importance of clean sheets, and I can't argue with him on that, but it's come to the point where his side need to start taking more risks. If they carry on being tentative and waiting for teams to attack them first, they will go down - simple as that. Against Leicester they were like sitting ducks, waiting to be picked off.

With a four-point gap between them and Norwich, Sunderland need to start winning games and that means doing more than just containing the opposition. The Foxes are a dangerous side, granted, but Sunderland's line-up was so defensive that it completely took the emphasis away from scoring goals.

Even the best chance they bad, which was badly missed by Jack Rodwell, came about through a lucky ricochet. It's not the first time Rodwell has fluffed chances this season - there was another big one against Newcastle last month, for instance - but at least he's a midfield player getting into those forward positions. Before he came off the substitutes' bench, there was nothing coming from that midfield in an attacking sense.

Sunderland do have the creativity within their ranks to play a different way. As well as Rodwell, there were players left on the bench against Leicester that offered something different, such as Jeremain Lens, Dame N'Doye and even Sebastian Larsson, and it's time for Allardyce to use them.

There is still just about enough time for Sunderland to preserve Big Sam's record, starting with a game at Norwich next weekend that is undoubtedly the biggest game of the season for both clubs.

Canaries manager Alex Neil appears to be prepared to take more risks. And while his side have lost a hell of a lot of games playing that way, those risks do sometimes pay off. Just a couple of back-to-back wins recently were enough to lift them out of the drop zone.

Leicester did something similar last year. They were bottom of the league but they threw caution to the wind and tried to win games - and succeeded. This season I think the team that takes the most risks will be the one that stays up.

Newcastle aren't completely out of it, purely on the basis that the teams above them still could go the whole rest of the season without winning a game. It's possible, although it's wishful thinking from the Magpies' perspective.

The strange thing is that when I saw the transfer business these three teams did in the January window, I was most impressed with Newcastle's signings and least so with Norwich's. But the fact they have edged it since then is a testament to Alex Neil's quality and also to the team spirit he has managed to maintain at the club.

They have a never-say-die attitude and they can score goals, especially at home, whereas confidence seems to drain from Newcastle and Sunderland the moment they concede. Newcastle, in particular, have only come from behind to win once in the last 18 months (against Tottenham at White Hart Lane this season, somewhat bizarrely) and that tends to tell you a lot about a team, unfortunately.

But it's not settled yet. I think Sam Allardyce will realise he has to make a tactical shift because that clean sheet mentality is not going to be enough. They have five games left and five draws will not keep them up. His team need to carry more of a threat, and I expect to see them putting more balls into the box against Norwich, possibly with N'Doye supporting Defoe up front.

Saturday's match is the mother of all must-win games for Sunderland and it's time for them to go for it. A draw is not an option.