PRE-2026 THOUGHTS FROM NI

The days are getting colder and Christmas 2025 is around the corner. 2025 has been a special year in its own making for us, culminating in scenes of absolute unbridled mayhem under the arch at Wembley to the best Christmas present less than a fortnight ago(Cheers Saint Nick). It's hard to believe in some cases that this is really happening to us but as they say, good things come to those who wait and we're at the moment reaping the rewards.

It certainly is a grand time to be on that magic carpet ride with SAFC for sure.

FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR

It has to be admitted really that the first half of 2025 was a contrasting emotion, but when it comes to supporting the Lads we wouldn't have it any other way would we? The Lads will always give you the highs coupled with the lows in equal measures every season, it's how the cards fall when the chips are down on the table of football poker. Safe to say, the Lads certainly limped themselves into the play-offs with a sequence of five consecutive losses that had the fourth estate thinking that our botte had gone and Coventry City would easily shatter any promotion hopes we harboured. Aye OK, master Regis had a plan all along…

What they and "Fat Frank" Lampard certainly didn't think about was the Lads motto, something that has been well instilled in the fabric of our Club for a while now, "'Til The End". It has such a resonance that it encapsulates everything SAFC stands for. Wilson Isidor put us ahead with one of his trademark angled drives across boyhood Lads fan Ben Wilson and even though Rudoni equalised within a couple of minutes, you knew we had something left to give. With the Sky Blues pushing forward, their Dutch right-back Van Ewijk sold a back pass short and Eliezer was the coolest man in the CBS that night to finish like a season pro to give us that slender advantage.

The second leg had Coventry again throwing the kitchen sink at the Lads, and before ninety minutes were up: Ephron Mason-Clark had cancelled out our advantage and started to look like the side more likely to be going to Wembley for the second time in as many seasons. Yet in extra time we found a second wind that had Frankie on comms thinking "Uh-Oh!" as we started to cause them problem after problem. Yet we couldn't break through until the motto rang true loud and proud in SR5, Enzo with the corner, Big Dan B with the header and bedlam. 

The final against Sheffield United saw the Lads on the back foot for large portions, losing LO9 to a very early injury, conceding one and VAR ruling out a second Blades goal all in the first 45. Then Reg the scientist produced his finest magic trick with just 17 minutes left: replacing Dan Neil and Romaine Mundle with Isidor and Tommy Watson. When Enzo and Paddy Roberts linked up to provide Eliezer with the equaliser, again you had that feeling something was a brewing and that motto might just have yet another say. Kieffer Moore, who must be a Mackem in disguise, passes to Watson who takes it on and calmly strokes it beyond Cooper. Bedlam again. Not even seven more added-on minutes could halt us. We were back in the big time with some parting gift from TW.

NERVOUS EARLY THOUGHTS

So, we were back in the Premier League since the nightmare of the 2016-17 season. Having seen many a promoted side struggle with the jump up. Let's face it, Burnley are perennial yo-yos at the moment and you could honestly be excused if I was apprehensive with thoughts of what will the Lads do here. We would need a bit of surgery on the team though because if we were going to go with the team that got us up then we'd probably be chewed and spat out like eating dodgy kebab.

Then I looked at our fixture list once it was released I thought that this isn't too bad of a beginning really and we had a few chances here and there to get a few points on the board. A reasonable amount was maybe 17 or 18 by the halfway point and maybe see 2026 as a springboard to reach that so-called magic cut off line of 40 points and survival. I was looking at 17^th all the time, anything higher would be a Brucie Bonus. We just needed a team to compete...

RECRUITMENT HAS BEEN EXCEPTIONAL

I have said it time and time again and will continue to say it until I go blue in the face: the summer transfer window was one of the best windows that the Lads have had for a long, long time. If you were grading it like a school report then you would definitely award it an A so kudos must go out there to Mr Speakman, Ghisolfi and co. for finding players that really want to buy into the SAFC philosophy and take the Lads to the next level indeed.

Everyone who has come in has contributed to the cause and not come here on the back of thinking it's an easy way out of my club and the new employers have overpaid for me. Alderete is central defender that has a superb all-round game that complements Big Dan, Mukiele never stops smiling through games and is such a popular figure, Roefs is a commanding keeper that reminds me of Van Der Sar in his pomp, Sadiki never stops going as if he's powered by a long life Duracell battery... However, getting Granit Xhaka in is the big one. He could have stayed in Germany but as soon as Kyril told him about our project he was and still is invested to make it happen. He's just quality. Signing of the season for sure I tell you all. Disagree? Tell me a better signing...

FANTASTIC RESULTS SO FAR

As I put this together, the Lads have played almost half of their fixtures and currently stand on an amazing 27 points. We’re lying sixth in the standings and it's only a two point gap to fourth placed Chelsea. It's totally beyond everybody's wildest expectations and I know I am not the only person thinking that. Let's be realistic here, it could even be more and few would actually begrudge us if it wasn't any higher.

Some of the results themselves have been outstanding. We have taken a point off last season's Champions (Liverpool) and Runners-Up (Arsenal), beaten the World Club Champions (Chelsea) on their own patch and also put the barcodes in their place in the latest Wear-Tyne derby fixture. Throw in excellent points against teams such as Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, both who are playing in European Club competitions as well, then what we are achieving is nothing short of outstanding. We might have lost to both Manchester clubs but the most positive thing is that we aren't being absolutely hammered out of sight game in, game out. We do belong here, and you'd better start believing that this fairy tale has no plans of saying "The End" yet.

Ha'way the Lads!