Many Sunderland fans will be wondering what side will turn up to this weekend's clash against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

A fantastic performance against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light was followed by a horror show at Wigan Athletic's DW Stadium last weekend. I couldn't believe that it was the same team.

But, inconsistency has been apparent all season and it's something that Steve Bruce will have to address if Sunderland are to stay in the top eight of the Premier League table.

Despite having a small squad to choose from, it seems as though a different team turns up against the likes of Wigan, Burnley, Birmingham and Stoke.

If we can beat the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, why can't we get anything from the teams below us on our travels? If Bruce is to get anything from Fulham this weekend, he'll need to ensure the right Sunderland team gets on the bus to London.

It's difficult to understand why a team can play so well against the likes of Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool and then fail to show up for against the teams we'd be expected to pick up points from.

Is it arrogance? Is it complacency? Are we scared to leave the comfort zone of the Stadium of Light? Do players really have travel sickness?

Our home form is one of the best in the league - played seven, won five, drawn one, lost one (against an exceptional Chelsea side).

However, our away form is abysmal - played seven, won one, drawn one, lost five. If you stretch it back to last season, we've won one of our last 17 away games.

Steve Bruce has changed the mentality of our players when it comes to playing against the big teams by picking up seven points from the Big Four this season. He now needs to address our away form.

We not only lost to Burnley, Stoke, Birmingham and Wigan away from home, we failed to perform.

After beating Arsenal, Wigan were there to be beaten. They were embarrassed 9-1 by Spurs the week before. Unfortunately, when it comes to Sunderland, form is of no relevance to predicting the outcome.

December's a busy month in English football and if Sunderland are to stay with the pack they'll need to pick up some points on their travels, starting with the trip to Fulham on Sunday.

Kenwyne Jones should return to the starting line-up following his suspension, though he did receive a dead leg playing for the reserves last night. We've missed his physical presence and have scored one goal in the three games that he missed.

If the team that beat Arsenal turn up at Craven Cottage, Sunderland should be too strong for Fulham. However, there's just as much chance of the team that lost to Wigan making an appearance.

It's a long journey back to the north east on a Sunday evening. It's made a lot longer when you've seen your team lose. Let's hope not.

* Sunderland have been drawn at home against Oxford United or Barrow in the FA Cup third round. Both teams should bring thousands to the north east for the game but, personally, I'd like to see Barrow at the Stadium of Light, after watching them do so well against Middlesbrough in last season's FA Cup third round in front of 7,000 fans at The Riverside Stadium.

A decent cup run would be welcomed. It'll be 18 years since Sunderland last graced an FA Cup final by the time next year's showpiece comes round. Since losing 2-0 to Liverpool in 1992, Sunderland have struggled to make any impact in the competition.

Losing to Millwall in the semi-finals at Old Trafford in 2004 is one of my biggest frustrations as a Sunderland fan. The opportunity to get to the final and a place in Europe was never bigger but we blew it.

Steve Bruce identified cup competitions as a priority for Sunderland upon his arrival. After being knocked out against Aston Villa in the League Cup, the FA Cup's our last chance of having a good cup run.

A kind draw against a non-league side in round three has helped. Let's hope we're still involved a little bit longer than we're usually used to.