David Moyes refused to read anything suspicious into the appearance of Sunderland owner Ellis Short at the Stadium of Light to see his side slip closer to the Championship after a goalless draw with Burnley.
Short has been an infrequent matchday visitor this season and will have been less than impressed as a series of missed chances contributed to the Black Cats' survival mission becoming ever more unlikely.
Moyes is the last manager standing in the Premier League relegation fight following last week's dismissal of Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka, but he insisted he is unconcerned by Short's rare appearance.
Moyes said: "I spoke to him [Short] today. I suppose if you own a football club you are entitled to come and watch it -- he is allowed to do that. I saw him this morning and he is entitled to come along but it is all good.''
Moyes was left to rue misses from Billy Jones and Fabio Borini as his side drew a blank for the third consecutive game following their dramatic 4-0 win at relegation rivals Crystal Palace in February.
He added: "It was not the prettiest but we had more opportunities than we've had in recent games. I think we made more chances today than we did against Palace, where we had four chances and scored everything we hit.
"It's not for want of trying -- we've got nearly every forward player we've got on the pitch and if a couple of those opportunities had fallen for Jermain [Defoe], that might have helped.
"But we need others to score, not just Jermain, and today was an opportunity for them to do that. I think the players to a man have done everything they could to try and get a result.''
Burnley boss Sean Dyche expressed frustration that his side failed to take their early chances to put the hosts under pressure and ultimately end their long-running away-day drought.
Dyche said: "We had chances early on to change the feeling in the whole stadium -- the psychology of the game would have changed if we'd nicked the goal we probably deserved in the first half.
"They had to have a go because there was a feeling of must-win for them today and they created two great chances. It was a game of missed chances for both teams today.''
Dyche admitted he thought his side's luck had finally changed in the dying stages when substitute Sam Vokes sprang the Sunderland offside trap to burst into the left side of the box but shot straight at Jordan Pickford.
"I did think when Vokes went through at the end and did everythjing right, struck it hard and low, that it might have been the moment but their keeper makes a great save,'' he said.
"[But] we're in good shape. We've got good points on the table considering everyone thought we'd get nothing, and there are nine games left.
"There's a lot of work to do. We've got to continue playing hard and doing all the details to get points. At the start of the season I think fans and the media would be surprised to see us sitting where we are now, but there is still work to do.''