The loan of Patrick Roberts to Birmingham City has set off a bit of hand-wringing and soul-searching among the Sunderland fanbase.
Oh, what a shame that one of the foot soldiers who has been with us since 2022 has been cast aside. The one who scored the goal against Sheffield Wednesday in the 2022 League One play-off semi-final, which saw us progress to the final at Wembley against Gareth Ainsworth’s
Wycombe Wanderers.
I’ll let that resonate around your brain one more time. Gareth Ainsworth’s Wycombe Wanderers were our opponents in the 2022 League One play-off final. For that, dear reader, was how far we had stooped. The same Gareth Ainsworth who attempted to persuade QPR’s board that he was a decent manager when we beat them 3 – 1 at a sweltering Loftus Road in September 2023 — which deliciously saw Jack Colback sent off early on.
Though, full disclosure, I will always hold a place in my heart for Jack Colback for him scoring against the mags in February 2014 at St James’s Park. (I know they write it St James’ Park, but look at the London Underground station of the same name. And I used to work for a magazine that was to be based at 25 St James’s Street, and we always put an ‘s’ after the apostrophe, so I’m sticking with that.)
For red-and-white fans across the globe, the fact that we got promoted last season was astonishing enough, and the fact that the club had a plan to push on once promotion was achieved was more than most could comprehend.
First, Enzo Le Fée’s loan was made permanent, breaking the existing club transfer record. Then Habib Diarra was signed, breaking our transfer record once again.
Football is a ruthless business, and the mild-mannered Régis Le Bris has shown himself to be among the most merciless. For it was he who kept saying he was waiting for his experience when asked about the burgeoning new squad. Ask yourselves a question: would you take back Jack Clarke, Ross Stewart, Tommy Watson?
Are they better than what we have now?
Probably not.
No matter how big a part last season’s squad played in getting us to where we are now, there can be no sentiment in the next stage, cruel as that may seem. I bumped into Anthony Patterson at Newcastle Airport a couple of weeks after Wembley, still buzzing after the Wembley result, but this Sunderland ownership will not stand on sentiment.
The aim is to be in the Premier League next season — and no prisoners will be taken.
