Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill feels that his side lack "true ability" in their squad.
The Black Cats spent over £20m last summer when they brought in Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson, along with January additions Danny Graham and Alfred N'Diaye.
O'Neill told reporters: "I think that to get those points, you have to show that bit of fight in adversity and in fairness, over the course of the season.
"We might lack a lot of things – we lack real true ability in the team – but I'm not sure that I would question the desire of the players.
"We could have fallen out of the game against Fulham (2-2 draw) here but we fought back and really should have won."
Sunderland face Norwich City on Sunday at the Stadium of Light.
