So, with Sunderland competing for a playoff spot I thought I’d give my opinion on the matter.
DID I EXPECT THIS?
If you had told me at the start of the season that Sunderland would be in a playoff charge, I would have been shocked. We finished fifth in League One last season, so I didn’t think we would adapt to the Championship as well as we have. Especially after what happened in 2017/18. However, this new team has stepped up really well and there is clearly a lot of talent within our ranks. The recruitment team deserves credit for that. I initially predicted us to finish 16th, so this season has exceeded my initial expectations.
THE REST OF THE LEAGUE
Personally, I think the Championship is in a weak state, I completely over estimated it. At the moment, it looks like a graveyard for poorly run ex-Premier League clubs. I’d even argue that the division is more comparable to League One than it is to the Premier League. Although the top two look to be Burnley and Sheffield United (Middlesbrough have a small chance), the playoff race is wide open. Norwich and Watford have been really underwhelming, Blackburn are constantly hot and cold, and West Brom are slowing down again. I’ll make exceptions for Luton and Millwall because those clubs are operating on a much smaller budget. At the moment, Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough look like the team to beat. We will have to see if they last.
WILL WE GO UP AND WILL WE STAY UP?
I would love nothing more than Sunderland to win promotion, it would be a truly amazing turn around. Even if you don’t think we are ready, the Premier League money is far too lucrative to turn down. Worst case scenario we get relegated and come back down as a parachute team. However, if we did go up I’m confident our recruitment team would provide us with a squad that is capable of competing at that level. Not to mention, we have a lot of young talented players currently at the club, who are getting better each day.
There are multiple examples of clubs that have won the playoffs and survived, some examples are Brentford, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, and it looks like Nottingham Forest will stay up as well. So, do I think we will go up? Not this season. We could but I’m not getting my hopes up. If we finish in the playoffs then that would be a great first season. Tony Mowbray has done really well so far, and has side have been a joy to watch this season.
