SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid last night championed the cause of Spurs boss George Graham, whose job is under increasing threat.

Sunderland travel to White Hart Lane today in search of their first Premiership away win of the season and Reid believes Tottenham's recent defeats by Birmingham City in the Worthington Cup and London rivals Chelsea could result in a back-lash.

Reid said: "Knowing George the way I do those results will have been a massive disappointment and it is going to be a really difficult game for us."

Many disgruntled Tottenham supporters have been giving Graham a hard time after his decision to sell crowd favourite David Ginola to Aston Villa and especially as his former club, Arsenal, are again challenging for the Championship. But Reid expects the gritty Scot to take the criticism in his stride.

He said: "There is a bit of unrest at Spurs - a certain section of their supporters are having a go at the manager.

"But he has proved himself to be a top-class manager and I'm sure it is only a minority.

"I think it helps teams and managers if the crowd get behind them.

"George has made a couple of unpopular decisions, including the sale of David Ginola, but in these days of football management it is not an easy job with the Bosman ruling.

"A 33-year-old like David Ginola being sold for £3m in some people's eyes is good business and sometimes you have to give managers credit.

"I think George Graham is one of those managers who will keep on fighting and he gets it right more times than he gets it wrong."

Reid believes it is only a minority of supporters and a small section of the media which makes life difficult for managers.

He stressed: "I think the majority of journalism is good and solid and the majority of supporters know how hard it is to manage a football club and how hard it is to win football matches.

"But I know as a manager if I get a run of four or five bad results I will be under the cosh - that's a fact of life.

"But I don't think negative reporting or negative support helps the cause."

"There are certain managers I am close to and when we meet socially we talk about it.

"But we know what the rewards are and we know what the downside of the job is. Criticism is part and parcel of the job and that is not a problem.

"I make mistakes and everyone makes mistakes, but it helps if it is constructive criticism."

Reid feels that many of the Tottenham players will be smarting after the Cup defeat by Birmingham and Graham will be looking to put his side back on the rails and maintain a home record which has produced 13 points from a possible 15 this season.

He said: "George was a fantastic manager at Arsenal. But as a professional person he has moved clubs and he will be trying to make Tottenham as successful as Arsenal.

"I know there is intense rivalry between the clubs, the same as it is in other parts of the country, and I know it is difficult for some Tottenham fans, but what they are doing does not help Tottenham Hotspur football club."

Meanwhile Graham refuses to look to his young players for an answer to the club's current problems. He said: "It is difficult to bring in youngsters at the moment.

"They need nursing - what they don't need is a red-hot atmosphere like there is now."

Sunderland's impressive Slovakian international central defender Stanislav Varga, who made a victorious return in the Worthington Cup tie at Bristol Rovers after ten weeks injury absence, is likely to be on the substitutes bench at White Hart Lane as Reid sticks to his in-form central defensive partnership of Emerson Thome and Jody Craddock.

Republic of Ireland winger Kevin Kilbane is unavailable as he completes a three-match suspension