Gav says…
It’s been a season like no other in my lifetime — not just a season, actually, but a year that’s gone beyond my wildest dreams.
The storyline of 2025 for Sunderland has been like no other — and it genuinely could’ve been the script of a movie. The way we’ve won big games would’ve been perfect for a Netflix series but alas, they didn’t have the foresight to stick around for the real glory years on Wearside.
I didn’t think we’d struggle this season, but I didn’t think we’d be sixth at Christmas either.
Nobody could’ve expected us to have achieved what we’ve achieved, so it’s a credit to everyone at the club for managing to get as far as we have, but the hard work hasn’t ended yet and if anything, the season is only really just starting.
I heard Alan Pardew on the radio last week talking about how as a player and manager, you don’t really take notice of the table until after Christmas, as it’s at about that point where you can see what you’re capable of achieving and what it’s going to take to get there.
We’re sixth, but we can’t take that for granted or rest on our laurels.
We’ve got to be proactive in the transfer market; we’ve got to make sure that our squad is ready to challenge for a top eight finish, and then who knows what might happen — we could be sitting here at the end of the season having qualified for Europe for the first time in over fifty years, which would be the cherry on top of what is already a delicious-looking cake.
Our festive fixtures are really tough.
Leeds are in great form and are a better team than people will probably give them credit for, and then we’ve got Manchester City who are the best side we’ve faced this season and are probably going to win the league.
If we can get through those with some positive results, the belief that we can achieve something great this season will only grow — and that would be perfect as we look to start our charge towards FA Cup glory.
John Wilson says…
Depending on one’s age of course, for many fans this will be one of the most satisfying and happy Christmases from a Sunderland point of view for a very long time — and in my own mind, only the Peter Reid days can challenge it
It’s easy to get greedy and want more but I think the vast majority of supporters will be overjoyed at our position and performances this calendar year as a whole.
I’m usually a positive person and I always knew the good times would return — I just didn’t know when. The arrival of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus was the spark that made me start believing the good times were on the horizon again, and although we achieved a long-awaited promotion back to the top flight, I didn’t expect us to perform so well this season.
What a lift and what a boost to all fans and to the region! Our long term history has always been that of a top club, but our recent history of fixtures against Cheltenham, Accrington, Shrewsbury really does hit home — not only how aboutbdark those days were, but how far we’ve come.
I’d hope we can continue on this trajectory by beating Leeds to reach thirty points by the new year, and then push on for Europe. Some might think this would be too soon but just like teams scrapping to get out of the Championship, you can’t choose when an opportunity may arise that puts your club in a favourable position.
European fixtures would require a deeper and bigger squad to cope with the rigours of midweek games, but I have every faith in our backroom staff and management. I think I would be a tad disappointed if we didn’t get a top eight spot this season, and an announcement about a ground capacity extension before the end of 2026.
Well, that’s what I’ve written to Father Christmas for, anyway!
Malc Dugdale says…
Reflecting on the first half of the season, it has to be classed as a massive achievement and way beyond the expectations and even the dreams of many.
Sixth at Christmas is nothing short of incredible for a side who finished the previous Championship season as we did, and came up via the playoffs. Absolutely amazing — and superlatives are nowhere near enough.
If we’d been asked what we hoped for when we lifted the playoff trophy at Wembley, I doubt anyone would’ve asked for a top six Premier League berth by Christmas, and those who did would’ve been laughed at vigorously by red and white pals almost as much as by the black and white ones.
That Tommy Watson goal went in only seven months ago. The progress since then has been incredible, and hats off to the owners and all the club employees working around them for getting us to this point.
The thing that stands out for me is the pre-planning and then execution of the strategy, and the size of the balls of the club’s owners to go for it as they have.
It’s like chalk and cheese compared to the sad recent past; these people are serious operators who want our club to succeed and are not here to make a quick buck.
Nobody would’ve guessed we would spend £155 million on fourteen players or that we’d replace the core of the team that got us up with such high-quality footballers, retaining the select few that clearly had enough to make it already.
Even if some fans did hope for that, could they expect the club to bring in such amazing bargains who clicked with the club as they have — players who “get what we’re about” and gel as solidly as they have? I don’t think anyone expected how this has panned out at all, and it’s bloody marvellous.
Gone are the days of the payday piss-takers. These lads would dive on a live grenade to stop a goal for Sunderland and how they’ve established this atmosphere, camaraderie, team spirit and collective positive attitude is way beyond me.
During the coming weeks, we need to stay grounded, gathering all the points we can despite the temporary impact on the starting eleven from AFCON and using this as a spell where we look at wider squad options and allow fringe players to prove they can play at this level and compete with those who’ve usurped them since August.
It’s a time for understanding if we lose a couple of games; a time to be literally fans come what may, and to avoid any poor results distracting us from where we are.
Before all of that, we can tuck into our turkey and trimmings with a big fat smile on our faces. As a fan base, we deserve that after all the crap we’ve been through.
Nobody deserves that right more than my Sunderland AFC family.
