COME ON!

Right, then. This is it. Forget what’s gone before and concentrate on what can happen in the next between now and the final whistle next Tuesday. As an ALS colleague said recently, the ten-month pre-season is over, the real stuff starts now.

Forget the recent form and remember the form that we showed prior to that.

Forget the recent results and remember the results prior to that.

Forget that we’ve finished fourth and remember that it’s our lowest league position all season.

Forget that we didn’t go up automatically and remember that in August we dreamed of finishing as high as fourth.

Forget that Frank Lampard is apparently the poster boy of the EFL and remember that nobody had heard of Regis le Bris a year ago.

Forget about our complaints about tactics, selection, and squad rotation, and resting players and remember it’s got us where we are today with a chance of being somewhere better in a few weeks.

Forget that Lampard has name-checked Rigg and Bellingham as the ones to watch and remember that Coventry have yet to face a Sunderland side featuring Le Fee.

Forget our League record against Coventry, remember that this is essentially a cup-tie, and that records are there to be broken.

Forget Ticketmaster and remember they, hopefully, have only one more game with us.

Forget the thoughts that some players might have been shying out of things and remember that they’re in one piece for the playoffs.

Forget what we’ve been doing and remember what we’ve proved we’re capable of doing.

Forget the negativity and remember what positivity can bring. We’re in this situation because it’s where we deserve to be, and we, the fans, need to back the Lads to the hilt because they deserve that backing. We need to do our bit, our best, to build an atmosphere that spreads onto the pitch, into the hearts and minds of the players, and thus into their performances. We need to show them that we care, and they’ll show us that they care. We, fans and players alike, need to go into these games determined to enjoy ourselves despite the frayed nerves. Why be negative when something positive is there to be gained? Let’s have a good time and perhaps the team will as well.

We are Sunderland, and we can do this.