Steve Bruce has been told he will keep his job as Sunderland manager even if the Black Cats fail to win another game this season.
Chairman Niall Quinn: "If we go down, he'll still be the manager. I just feel he shares the same passion that the fans have, the owner has, we all have. And he does it in a diligent way.
"The way he carries himself and projects our club is everything we wanted.
"We're trying to make a step up in the toughest league in the world. We know it's going to take guts and determination and hard work aligned with other stuff like a good transfer policy, getting things right tactically and in terms of motivation.
"There were some tough knock-backs but we think he's the right man to get this club where we all want it.
"There would be a 40 per cent reduction in our salaries if we went down, players and senior staff like me. We could then breathe. People used to say you can't do it but we have for every new signing.
"We say to players don't come unless you are prepared to accept a penalty for failure. We have to have a performance-related wage structure."