DARE TO DREAM

AM I ALLOWED TO DREAM?

We are now in the month of December, and it's the month where games come more thicker and faster than ever. It's usually the month where a lot is defined, but as supporters of the Lads then it's a month where we can move ever closer to that magical 40-point mark which usually signifies survival. We're incredibly on 22 from 13 matches played which is one of the best records ever for a newly promoted side to the Premier League and it's been well earned and deserved much to the chagrin of the non-SAFC fan clubs. There are a few reasons for the excellent showings...

RECRUITMENT HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING

What newly promoted teams need to do when moving up a standard is to invest in new personnel; players will that keep them in the elite and not reliant on the ones that got that there as that could spell an immediate return to the Championship. Therefore, our recruitment team have delivered quality and quantity to make sure that doesn't happen. Upgrades in every position made. Serious money paid out in transfer fees. The biscuit tin has been well and truly opened up and the purse strings inside it, firmly loosened. It's like The Lads have gone out there and bought a brand-new team that's more than equipped for the huge challenge ahead. One which stands head and shoulders above all...

GRANIT XHAKA. WHAT A COLOSSUS!

If Carlsberg did top notch football signings, then Granit Xhaka's signing for the Lads would typify it in spades. When you need that experienced figurehead at the helm of your ship, the captain that will keep you in calmer waters when choppy seas are ahead then Xhaka does that to a tee for the Lads. He's not just the captain, he makes his team-mates accountable for what they are to do on the pitch, pulls the strings, conducts the orchestra. He embodies leadership and respect. Whatever KLD said to him to join the SAFC revolution needs to be bottled and sold in the Club shop. It's a real Mastercard moment; you know this: Average price of a pint - £5, my weekly shop bill - £70, Seeing Granit Xhaka strut his stuff in the red and white of the Lads - priceless. For everything else, there's Mastercard! Granit Xhaka's signing this season is the steal of the season. Prove me wrong.

HOME FORM HAS BEEN IMMENSE

One of the things that has underpinned everything is our home form. There have been seasons where the home form has been wretchedly awful and the away form has been the one that made things look better. Whilst the away form has been decent, the SoL has yet to be see an away side run off with a win and leave us disappointed. Long may that reign for a while yet. It's like the players embrace the energy of the SoL crowd and it spurs them onto a new level. We have the mantra "Til the End" and by gosh, we're making ourselves believe it. We just don't give in. Just ask the Arsenal, and now Bournemouth. Teams are coming to know that we have not come into the Premier League just to make up the numbers. We are there on merit and have no intention to be one season wonders, we're ambitious and want to bring the best to Wearside. Which isn't a bad thing, is it?

CAN WE SUSTAIN IT?

That's the big question on everyone's lips to be fair. With trips to Anfield and the Etihad coming up next on the horizon, we can take an even bigger leap towards that magic number. Those matches may seem like a novice climber looking to ascend Mount Everest, impossible, especially the game against City. But we have a belief in our ranks that we can compete against whoever and anyone is there to be toppled. I mean, nobody expected us to win at Stamford Bridge and even less expected us to get a point out of Arsenal. We can go into both games, and to be fair: every game with belief. What we have achieved so far is fantastic, we have the ability to reach even greater heights with the squad we have at the moment. If Palace could win the FA Cup last season against the odds last season, then there's no reason these guys in the red and white striped Hummel jerseys can match that and take it further. Nothing is impossible.