How satisfied can we be with Sunderland's progress so far?

11/11/2024 01:00 AM

The Lads will spend the international break at the top of the league, despite some frustrating recent results. Our writers have their say on how things are going!

Calum Mills says…

Fifteen games played, nine wins, four draws and two losses. 31 points so far and an excellent start to the season.

The clear impact that Régis Le Bris and company have made is astounding considering that bar the additions of Wilson Isidor, Alan Browne and Chris Mepham, plus the loss of Jack Clarke, it's near enough the same eleven that finished sixteenth last season.

It shows what good management and coaching can do to galvanise a group of clearly talented players.

The Michael Beale regime was a shambles and players of lesser calibre may not have been able to mentally bounce back after going the best park of six months (including under Mike Dodds to the end of the season) without a definitive purpose, direction or credible coaching methods being implemented.

Forgetting the last three games before the break, there was hardly anything in the twelve games prior that showed us any signs of last season's horrendous performances or individual player attitude because for as bad as we were, those traits will linger.

There have been numerous moments of team brilliance as well as individual talent that have gotten us to where we are in the league - top!

In terms of other issues, I'll start Dan Neil, who's been poor.

He's being asked to play as a defensive midfielder and we all know he's better suited forward, but he's now made over 160 senior appearances and his naivety or lack of awareness this season is mind blowing.

When he was made captain, I was expecting him to conduct games and be our focal point, so is it a case of 'heavy is the head that wears the crown'? I think so, and I think he's trying too hard. He should take a leaf out of Luke O'Nien's book and try to do the simple things brilliantly, and the rest will follow!

A positive surprise has Jobe. What a player he's become.

I was a big critic of his last season as he couldn't use his size, couldn't shield a ball and looked like he was running through quick sand from the fifteenth minute on, but this season, he's been nothing short of brilliant.

The way he tracks back, wins the ball, rolls his man, plays decisive and killer passes, you'd genuinely think his brother was playing for us! He is a talent to behold. Long may it continue and hopefully his abilities continue to develop on his return from suspension!

A special mention to Wilson Isidor, because he's hit the ground running. As a striker, you want to be scoring goals but to do it in the fashion as he's done it is quite spectacular.

We're top of the league. We've played great football, our home form is terrific and we have a fantastic squad.

OK, the last 3 games weren't what we wanted in terms of points return, but we didn't lose.

Small tweaks in terms of tactics and the lads will come good and I fancy us to pick up of a minimum of seven points from the three games after the break. These are exciting times as a Sunderland fan and I'm even close to sticking Speakman back on the Christmas card list!

We've come a long way in a short space of time- look at the players we've recruited versus what we had.

Long gone are the pre-match nerves where I would happily take a point because watching us could give you a complex. Switching the tele on, getting to the pub or going to the Stadium of Light is now an exciting prospect where I'm itching to see the team news.

Jonny Hawley says…

Frustrated at the last three? Of course.

QPR was acceptable after a red card, Preston was drab throughout, and we chucked away a 2-0 cushion at home. Only the most eternal of optimists could fail to be at least somewhat annoyed after that run of three games.

However, we're top of the league and seven points clear of Middlesbrough in seventh. Despite being down to a somewhat makeshift midfield for three games, we've not lost a game in a long while, and the time for panic is not right now.

Yet again, what's happening within the fanbase?

Petulance and entitlement is creeping in- 'Aaron Connolly isn't good enough', 'Alan Browne isn't good enough', 'We're such a lucky team'.

Are these people occupying the same reality as me?

Ross Stewart, Romaine Mundle, and Jack Clarke are among the best players we've seen at this level. All three took a full six months to bed in before showing more than glimpses, and Clarke, especially, was anonymous in League One.

Yet, once again, the impatient and negative elements of the fanbase wait for the first signs of negativity and leap on it with glee. Would they not have snapped your hand off for this position before the season started? I know I would have.

John Wilson says…

It's all human nature and psychology for me.

If anyone had been told at the start of the season that we'd be top on November 11, at the start of the second international break after only losing twice, we all would've taken it.

What happens though, is a team that's top is there to be shot at - not just by other teams who want to knock us down or peg a two, or to prove to themselves they're just a good as 'the team at the top' - but also by our own fans.

High standards have been reached so far, and it's been a delight to behold in most games.

Unfortunately, the default position for some is to not accept anything less, but social media is an immediate animal.

Most people are finger happy and can instantly shoot from the hip on various platforms, whereas as I think if most of us were in the pub with our mates, we'd chew the fat and agree that it's been a great start.

Another thing about being upset by a football result is actually understanding that anyone can beat anyone.

In the blink of an eye, there could be a misplaced pass, a slip, a piece of skill by an opponent, a bit of luck and the whole game and result changes. Some people are suggesting Man City aren't as good as they were because they've lost four in a row, but as Pep said, they can't win the Premier League for the next fifty years!

So as has been said, we all need to calm down, accept that every game will have its own surprises, luck, and different intensity, and step back and be very pleased that our club is top of the league at this point.

Lars Knutsen says…

All teams have bad patches during a long season, and if three draws in a row represent the bad patch we have to endure, I'm not too worried.

To my knowledge, Régis Le Bris hasn't blamed injuries and suspensions, and that in itself is refreshing.

If we start winning again soon, we'll look back in the New Year and see this as a minor blip.

The psychological aspect which John mentioned is illustrated by the different reactions to the two 2-2 draws we've experienced at home this season. After the Leeds game, the draw felt like a victory, but after Saturday's game, I felt totally deflated.

Having said all that, Coventry City are a bogey team for the Black Cats, because our recent record against them has generally been one of defeats interspersed with the occasional draw.

This team, especially after the forced changes, is still learning and our head coach is young, so events like this will make everyone grow up quickly.