After two relegations in two seasons, Sunderland were on their knees. Relegation to League One was confirmed before their Championship season had finished. Chris Coleman was sacked and the owner was desperate to leave. At this point last season, fans feared the worst. Could their team drop through the leagues? It was definitely a possibility. The fact that they have not dropped further and are on course for promotion, means Sunderland deserve credit after their recent heartaches.
Sunderland Deserve Credit After Recent Heartaches
New Owners
The whole club needed rebuilding from top to bottom. The club, under owner Ellis Short and Chief Executive Martin Bain was going one way, down. The club was also precariously close to being put into administration.
After failing to sell the club in the summer of 2017, the thought of the same happening one year on, filled fans with dread. Thankfully in came Stewart Donald, Charlie Methven and Juan Sartori. Former Eastleigh owner Donald, became the majority shareholder.
They had a tough job to do. Get supporters back on side was one. Another was to bring in a new manager. There was also player sales and recruitment to deal with too, amongst many other things.
New Manager
Sunderland’s new men in charge acted quickly in getting a new manager. Many names were rumoured, but few expected the St Mirren manager Jack Ross to be unveiled. The Scot had done a remarkable job at St Mirren, saving them from relegation and then making them into a force that won promotion with ease.
Fleetwood boss Joey Barton has insisted of late that he would have already had the Black Cats promoted. He is in his debut season at Fleetwood, as is Ross at Sunderland. Jack Ross is also a newcomer to the English game. Fleetwood are currently mid-table, Sunderland are second.
Jack Ross has obviously a better squad and a bigger budget than the likes of Fleetwood; however, this does in way mean his job has been easy. Ross has had to mould a team from those relegated in each of their last two seasons, with youngsters and new players. Many on completely different contracts and wage structures.
New Players That Want to be at the Club
Many new faces were brought in last summer. With several not interested in playing League One football, Sunderland began their preseason with barely a team. Too many players in the past have gone to Sunderland for the lucrative contracts. And when things weren’t going their way, they had no interest in fighting for the club. Things were changing.
In came players who wanted to play for the club. Chris Maguire for example, texted Charlie Methvan in a desperate attempt to get him to Wearside. Others such as Jon McLaughlin, Max Power, Luke O’Nien could have gone elsewhere. The same goes for January signings Will Grigg and Grant Leadbitter. Leadbitter had offers from the Championship but chose Sunderland due to his love for the club.
Combine these with those who wanted to stay, such as Lee Cattermole, Aiden McGeady, Lynden Gooch and George Honeyman, then Jack Ross has a squad who will do whatever it takes in an attempt to succeed.
Relying on Youngsters
In the first half of the season, due to injuries, Jack Ross had no senior strikers to choose from. Youngsters Josh Maja and loanee Jerome Sinclair lead the line. Maja had an outstanding first half of the season, scoring 16 goals. It was these goals and hesitation in signing a new contract that led to a move to Bordeaux.
The likes of Denver Hume, Benjamin Kimpioka, Bali Mumba amongst others have also been an important part of the first team squad this season. Lynden Gooch and captain George Honeyman are also relatively in the early stages of their careers.
Second in the League and a Cup Final
With all that has changed, Sunderland have had a very good season. At present they sit second in the table with an excellent chance of automatic promotion. They also reached the EFL Trophy Final. The game at Wembley in front of over 85,000, saw the Black Cats draw with Portsmouth after extra time. Unfortunately, Portsmouth prevailed in the penalty shootout.
Some will say that Sunderland should be on course for automatic promotion. However, with all the changes made in the past year, The new owners, new manager, new and current players and also the fans should take a huge amount of credit. After all, it could have been so different.
It Could Have Been Different
Should Ellis Short not have sold the club last year, the Black Cats could easily have been at the wrong end of the table. With no money to spend and a squad deprived of confidence and disinterest from some, a third relegation could have happened.
Thankfully, it appears Sunderland have rebuilt and if they are promoted this season then not only do they deserve credit but going forward the club will be run correctly to ensure that it doesn’t play League One football for a long time. An average home attendance of over 30,000 may have enjoyed the victories in this league but they ideally don’t want to be their next season or in the future.
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