Mark Lawrenson says Sunderland must follow Newcastle's Championship success.
Sunderland lost again last night to make their relegation from the Premier League look inevitable.
David Moyes' side went down 2-0 against a rejuvenated Leicester City, piling more pressure on manager David Moyes.
Mark Lawrenson told BBC Sport he is certain the Black Cats are 'doomed', adding that they must look towards rivals Newcastle United for a lesson in how to rebuild.
Newcastle were relegated at Sunderland's expense last summer, but look set to have the last laugh with promotion looking assured, with their rivals succumbing to an inevitable fate they were spared last summer.
Lawrenson said: "Sometimes its not the worst thing in the world to go down to the Championship. Newcastle have proved you can go down and make yourself stronger.
"They will be a big club in the Championship - it's a dog-eat-dog league and you've got to have some balls to come straight back up but it's possible."
Newcastle were helped with the bounce of Rafa Benitez's late appointment and decision to stay in the summer, with the damage done by previous boss Steve McClaren.
David Moyes cannot take the blame for Sunderland's years of struggles, but he has failed to get it right this year and recruited poorly.
His spell was a PR disaster even before the latest controversy he inflicted upon himself, admitting from day one they would be battling relegation.
There will be little excitement among fans if he is kept on this summer, and the lack of enthusiasm and increased pressure will make bouncing back for Sunderland even tougher than Newcastle have found it.