EMERSON Thome has moved swiftly to allay Sunderland fans' fears of relegation this season by insisting: "It's just got to be better than last year."

The towering Brazilian centre-back, who had to suffer the torture of watching from the sidelines as his teammates battled against the drop in May, has fought off injury and he is ready to go.

And Thome insists that the club is in a far better state than many Sunderland supporters believe.

Pre-season saw defeats, a V-Sign from midfielder Kevin Kilbane and chants for Peter Reid to quit from his post before the manager was swilled with a glass of water by an irate fan in Belgium.

However, Thome is confident not all is bad and he remains optimistic that the Wearsiders can make strides towards a top ten finish this time around.

Sunderland narrowly avoided relegation on the last day of the 2001-02 campaign when they drew 1-1 with Derby County.

And Thome, who has not played competitively since scoring a late equaliser in the New Year's Day draw with Aston Villa, said: "I'm looking forward to trying to put the disappointing season of last year behind us.

"The club did not get what they wanted and we only got the safety very late on. I'm sure everyone around here was disappointed and I'm sure everyone will be trying much better this season.

"We want to be a success here and that means that first we have to be safe as soon as possible and then take it from there.

"We have to rebuild and the gaffer has shaped up. He knew what he had to do to improve the side. The other clubs who are coming up, like Birmingham City, will all be trying to improve.

"It's going to be hard and everyone wants to play in the Premier League.

"I don't think Sunderland will be fighting against relegation again because we have the quality and attributes to be in the top ten."

Serious knee trouble caused Thome to miss the first half of 2002, but he has been pleased with how he has been able to recover.

The 30-year-old, who was signed for £4.5m from Chelsea nearly two years ago, is hopeful Sunderland can bounce back and achieve success while he is part of the squad.

And Thome, who has also played for Sheffield Wednesday and Benfica, admits that he is considering staying at the Stadium of Light for the rest of his career.

"I feel OK and training has been going OK since coming back," he said. "I had to make sure I didn't rest too long because I was still recovering from my second operation.

"I had to make sure that I got the right balance and I'm happy with how things have gone.

"Every season is exciting for me and it doesn't matter how long I've been out every year is exciting.

"I was frustrated before because I was injured but physically there is no problem.

"I'm just looking forward to having a good nine months and I've just turned 30 in March so I'm looking forward to a long bright future at Sunderland.

"I want to play a lot more games than I have."

Thome will have his work cut out to keep his place in Reid's starting line-up during the course of the up-coming Premiership fight.

The Sunderland chief, whose side kick-off away to Blackburn on Saturday, has added defender Phil Babb to a squad which now boasts six centre-backs.

And Thome is a firm believer that competition for places will bring the best out of the players.

He said: "If the gaffer thinks he wants to improve he knows what he has to do and perhaps now he will be looking to add in other positions because he has the quality at the back.

"It is going to be a very ferocious battle to get in the side and that's what I expect to happen all over the pitch.

"I think the most important thing is to have a balance and I'm sure Sunderland will have a good balance at the back.

"That is the way to go and we have six defenders now and that is a great achievement for the club."

He added: "I know that Phil had a successful season at Sporting Lisbon and that he is an experienced defender.

"He is going to bring us maturity and that will be good."

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