The strength of perspective
Yesterday at 03:04 AM
If that stint down in the third-tier doldrums is to have taught us anything, that perspective is well and truly needed.
Little can be taken from that era in the footballing wilderness between 2018 and 2022. We all still bear the battle scars of four consecutive seasons languishing in League One. If the midweek trips to the likes of Accrington, Fleetwood, and Shrewsbury weren't humbling enough, enduring "Parky Ball" or Jack Ross courageously hold-out for a 1-1 stalemate often proved a stark reminder of our depressing reality.
Watching Sunderland was no longer enjoyable, most were watching out of obligation, if not habit. Of course, some may argue that their enjoyment ceased long before the days of our third-tier demise, where we circled the drain that was Premier League relegation year-on-year before being swallowed into the abyss.
Regardless of where we pinpoint the start of the downward spiral, this club, not so long ago, was stranded in a directionless, joyless vacuum. The relationship between the club and fans was almost irreparable, with our mere existence teetering on the brink no thanks to years of financial mismanagement and opportunistic charlatans looking to make a quick buck off the back of a fallen giant.
This was very much our version of the Great Depression: penny-pinching, asset-stripping, and simply scraping the barrel to survive.
Yet, what can be drawn from that paltry harvest are particular lessons in the art of the rebirth and a refreshed perspective. Naturally, the club is a reflection of the region. If the aftermath of WWII and the oppressive reign of Thatcher are anything to go by, then it is in the club's genetic makeup to regenerate itself. With that regeneration has come a new impetus and clear vision.
Our fall and subsequent rebuild, while not completely linear nor without its teething issues, has given us much reason for optimism. This season has been a microcosm of what we've seen over the last few seasons. What I mean by that is the team has often fallen victim to its own overachievement.
Our first season back in the second tier saw us reach heights few thought were possible: a top-six finish, playing some of the best football we've seen in years, and a couple of fully fit centre-halves away from another trip to Wembley. By every stretch, the 2022/23 campaign drastically exceeded the "avoid relegation" expectations set by fans. That relative success is partly what accentuated last season's outcry when results didn't align with expectations. Granted, the managerial fiasco substantially impacted progress, but performances had been on the decline months prior, with Tony Mowbray's side picking up just 8 points from 9 games before his sacking.
That's why the reaction to this mini blip in form over the last few games has, unsurprisingly, given voice to a raft of criticism and unnecessary negativity. If that stint down in the third-tier doldrums is to have taught us anything, that perspective is well and truly needed. We are top of the league (again, not a position any of us would have thought we'd be in), enjoying our best start to a league season in over a century and playing some pulsating football with a young and exciting squad. Of course, last weekend's result against Coventry was infuriating, but it doesn't just reverse the development and progress this season has brought thus far. We sit atop the pile on merit alone; top sides drop points, just look at Leicester and Ipswich last season and Burnley and Sheffield United the season before. The same can be said for the clubs around us: Leeds, Sheffield United, West Brom, and Boro have all had spells of patchy form.
The reactionary nature of football fandom has the propensity to take you from believing you're watching 1970s Brazil-reincarnate one week to thinking blowing a two-goal lead is somehow akin to that 2007/08 Derby side who finished the season with 11 points. Ultimately, there needs to be balance. Had you offered anyone the position we are in now at the start of the campaign, having lost just two all season, they'd have bitten your hand off.
As a fanbase who've been through the wringer and have had real, genuine cause for dejection in recent memory, measured perspective during comparatively "good times" is surely achievable. We should be enjoying this period, as we did during the 2022/23 season. We have a youthful, gifted squad with an abundance of talent and belief, an ambitious owner, and a manager who, so far, has us playing with organisation, conviction, and resolve. A far cry from the journeyman mercenaries, spineless managers, and out-of-touch owners we've had in seasons past. Our academy is now holding on to its young stars, we are attracting some of the best talent in the country, and we have a recruitment system that lends itself to continuing to breed sustainable success both on and off the pitch.
While we mustn't bask in self-congratulatory rhetoric, it's important to acknowledge how far we've come as a club in such a short amount of time instead of reflecting on a minor, (hopefully) temporary negative.
