JIM Montgomery will make a rare pilgrimage to the Stadium of Light today.

He will meet friends old and new, swap anecdotes and enjoy the convivial atmosphere in one of the ground's smart suites.

Then Montgomery will settle in his seat and go through 90 minutes of footballing purgatory.

"I was at Newcastle and the attitude, for what is the fans' derby, was poor. But the game against Aston Villa is a must-win game," the goalkeeping legend said.

Montgomery's presence at the Stadium of Light, when he will be watching just his fourth game since Sunderland moved from Roker Park, will be a reminder of past glories.

Of days when the desire of Sunderland's players was never questioned, no matter how bleak the club's plight.

What they would give for a midfield terrier like Peter Reid in his prime, Montgomery observes.

Or even Kevin Ball, the heartbeat of the Sunderland team throughout the 1990s.

"Kevin would have put his hands around a few throats last week to sort things out. If people weren't doing it, he would have made sure they did," Montgomery said.

"You need someone like Kevin Ball in your team. He was a leader off the pitch as well as on it.

"Peter Reid the player would do the job, too, to get the players going. We had people like Jimmy McNab in our team who, if you didn't come up to scratch, would have let you know about it.

"But I don't know if Sunderland have someone like that now."

Despite Sunderland's tendency to punch below their weight for many decades, it still hurts Montgomery to see his old club struggling.

A veteran of 623 appearances for Sunderland, he is as keen as any Mackem to see them succeed.

But while the "Reid Out" campaign has gathered momentum in recent weeks, Montgomery believes the burden of blame lies solely on the shoulders of the players.

"Once the players cross the white line, there's nothing Peter can do about it. He's a bit old to get in the first team now!" he said.

"The reason Sunderland finished seventh in two successive seasons was simply they battled for each other and gave 100 per cent effort.

"They were playing to the maximum of their ability, and when the players fall below that level their results are going to suffer.

"Sunderland have always had that fighting spirit and the saddest thing about last Saturday was that that was missing.

"That was the biggest gripe of the fans I spoke to after the game, and Bob Moncur was disappointed by it when I talked to him.

"They've got to roll their sleeves up and fight for the cause, and hopefully the fans will be patient.

"The players have got themselves in a mess and only they can get themselves out of trouble now.

"It doesn't matter what Peter does with them from Monday to Friday if they don't perform on the Saturday.

"If they don't put it into practice, you have to blame the lads, not the manager.

"But Aston Villa are a poor team and it's imperative that Sunderland pick up three points.