Sunderland midfielder David Vaughan has insisted that the players are to blame for the side's recent poor run of form.

The Black Cats sit just four points clear of the relegation zone having gone seven Premier League games without a win.

Following their disappointing 1-1 draw at home to 10-man Norwich City on Sunday, Vaughan believes that the finger should be pointed at the team.

"It is our fault we're down there, nobody else's, and it's up to us to get ourselves out of it," Vaughan told the Daily Star. "When we got in at half time on Sunday, we all thought we'd go on and get three points but it wasn't to be.

"We put in a massive effort but ran out of ideas by the end. We needed more imagination, something we've been missing. We badly let ourselves down with our passing. We rushed it and the quality just wasn't there.

"That is our own fault and something we need to work on. We're on a bad run. It's difficult to keep confidence high."

Sunderland host Manchester United on March 30.