A YEAR ON THE WEAR:Sunderland face some tricky run-in games, starting at home today with Chelsea, but they still have time to steer themselves away from relegation, writes Michael Walker

THE IDES OF March. A time to beware, a time of be aware, of where you are and where you can be. There are just nine Sunderland matches left of this Premier League season, just nine games over 56 days that end with Arsenal arriving at the Stadium of Light on May 11th. It is not a game Sunderland want to be counting on three points from and consequently cynics, or realists, might say there are eight games left for Sunderland to steer themselves away from relegation. Starting today with Chelsea. Oh, dear, maybe make that seven.

Such pessimism. There are 27 points to be played for, not 21. It is almost a quarter of a season. There is still plenty of time to stare at that league table, still plenty of time to consider the numbers, to plot a path.

Admittedly, some days that table makes for better reading than others and Thursday morning was one of those occasions when the updated table sent another shiver down Wearside's spine. It is not an unfamiliar feeling.

There was some warmth to be garnered from Birmingham's defeat at Portsmouth on Wednesday night, which means the midland side stay beneath Sunderland and have played their game in hand, but overriding that was Middlesbrough's point at Villa Park and the frequent bulletins from Stamford Bridge.

Six goals against Derby, four of them from Frank Lampard, not only rinses a lot of FA Cup Barnsley from Chelsea's system, it sets them up for a trip to Wearside, where they have not been beaten for eight years.

Claudio Ranieri was Chelsea manager then, Sunderland's was Peter Reid. Kevin Phillips scored the winner. These are just a couple of the stats and facts worth contemplation today. Here are a few more from the Premier League.

Chelsea have won 68 per cent of their games since Avram Grant succeeded Jose Mourinho.

Lampard's four goals on Wednesday takes his season's tally to 10. It is a good number for a midfielder, though not a frightening total for title challengers. But Lampard is Chelsea's top scorer.

Chelsea have scored 48 goals; Sunderland have conceded 47.

Chelsea's last goal was 18 minutes from the end on Wednesday. Sunderland's last was 285 minutes ago. It was memorable for more than that, however, Daryl Murphy's screamer against Wigan was goal of the month for February.

There have been three blanks since.

Sunderland's top scorer is Kenwyne Jones. He has five goals. The last of these came on December 29th. That's 10 games ago for Jones. His last goal before that was in September, nine games earlier. Jones has one goal in his last 19 matches. One goal in half a season.

The top five players in the league credited with "assists" are, in descending order: Young (Aston Villa), Fabregas (Arsenal), Berbatov (Tottenham), Gerrard (Liverpool), Jones (Sunderland).

Sunderland's second top scorer is Murphy. He has three. Michael Chopra and Kieran Richardson have the same number.

Chelsea's second top scorer is Salomon Kalou. He has six.

Didier Drogba has the same number of league goals as Kenwyne Jones. Drogba has started 10 league games for Chelsea this season. Kalou has started 16. Andrei Shevchenko has started eight.

Shevchenko cost €39 million when he left Milan for Chelsea. It is a club record pay-out. The most Chelsea have received for a player is €15.5 million for Tore Andre Flo. Rangers - Uefa Cup Rangers - paid that for Flo in 2000.

Sunderland's record paid is for Craig Gordon, the €11.6 million to Hearts last August. Prior to that it had been the nine-or-so million given to Rangers for Tore Andre Flo. Flo retired this week - presumably rich - at Leeds United.

The most Sunderland have ever received for a player is €6.5 million, from Leeds for Michael Bridges in 1999. Leeds.

Chelsea average 1.71 goals a game. Sunderland average 0.9.

Chelsea have 16 clean sheets in 28 games, seven in their last 10 away from home. Only Manchester United can compare. Sunderland have six clean sheets from 29 games.

Bolton have eight from 28. Bolton are the only club in the bottom eight with a game in hand. It is next Wednesday, at Manchester United. Bolton are at Wigan tomorrow. Bolton's last game of the season is at Chelsea. Their second last is at home to Sunderland.

Sunderland's last defeat was on Sunday, the 1-0 at home to Everton. Chelsea's last was in December, 1-0 at Arsenal. Twelve games ago.

Sunderland's next match is Villa away. They last scored away from home on December 22nd. Six blank games across 458 minutes have followed since Chopra's 82nd-minute penalty equaliser at Reading.

Chelsea have not lost a game this season in which they have scored first.

Chelsea's last away game was at West Ham. Chelsea won 4-0.

Chelsea have the best away record in the Premier League.

Sunderland have the eighth best home record, better than Tottenham, Portsmouth and Blackburn.

Sunderland are 6 to 1 against, at home in a two-runner race.

Sunderland are 16th in the table. They have the fifth-best home attendances in the league. Their average is 42,394.

Chelsea are third in the table, and have the seventh highest attendances. Their average at Stamford Bridge is 41,476.

Sunderland have bigger crowds than Chelsea, Villa and Manchester City this season. Derby County have bigger crowds than Blackburn and Reading, 9,000 bigger.

Big crowds alone do not prevent relegations. Anxiety is not a statistic. But on Wearside it is a fact.