What are our hopes and aspirations for Sunderland in 2025?

01/01/2025 01:00 AM

As we welcome a new year on Wearside, we asked our writers for their thoughts on what they hope the next twelve months will bring for the Lads

Calum Mills says...

My aspiration for 2025 is promotion.

Three wins in twelve wouldn't appear to suggest that we're a threat for automatic promotion, but with the Championship being one of the toughest, most ever-changing leagues in the world, team's league positions can change over a weekend.

We have Sheffield United up next and they've lost a few key players recently, and for me it's a 'six-pointer' in terms of the title race. The banana skin against Stoke may be the wake-up call the Lads needed to get back on an automatic promotion push, and it's not beyond the realm of possibility!

This is our third season back in the Championship and the progression and the development of the club and players is evident for all to see.

Will some of them leave if we don't secure promotion? Absolutely, but for now, we have a squad that's more than capable of promotion and we just have to cut out the sloppy mistakes and play a complete game of football - not the bit-part style we've seen in recent weeks.

With five games (two against teams in the top three) in January and key players due back from injury, this may be the most important month of our season.

Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I do feel like come the end of the season we'll be swapping the Championship arm badges for Premier League ones!

John Wilson says…

It was the Stoke result that confirmed I'm hoping for an automatic promotion spot.

We're in a good position but missing out on what should've been three points from the Potteries has disappointed me way more than it perhaps should've done.

I usually remind myself that it's a long season and we've only just hit the halfway mark, and that the final table may look very different to how it does now, but you can almost guarantee that Leeds, Sheffield United and Burnley will be involved.

It's frustrating that we've let their coattails slightly slip from our grasp.

A win against Sheffield United tonight is a must for me- not to get into the playoffs, but for one of the top two spots. That's my aspiration, and it should be the club's aspiration.

I don't believe that if we miss out, we'll have as strong a squad next season. I think we'll lose some key players and a slight rebuild will ensue again, so I'd like to see what this young squad can do in the top flight.

It may be that we struggle, but the experience and a year's worth ofPremier League money wouldn't go amiss!

Paddy Hayes says..

Continuing to build on the positive momentum of the last six months would be my main aspiration.

I really believe that we're on the precipice of something special on our current trajectory. A recruitment model that's by no means foolproof has consistently identified, developed, and profited from young and exciting talent.

We have a head coach with progressive ideas and a clear philosophy and ownership whom I actually trust. The first team is bursting with hungry and ambitious players with heaps of ability, who look genuinely delighted to be sporting the famous red and white.

Granted, there are areas for improvement, but it's now about using this brilliant start and solid infrastructure as a launchpad going into the new year.

Whether we realise our Premier League ambitions at the end of this season or not, I want to have seen clear development in our players, a minimum of a playoff finish, and a buoyant end to the campaign where we give it our best shot, which I think is good enough to get us promoted.