Franklin Delano Roosevelt is fondly remembered for leading the USA through the Second World War. Before that, he steered the nation during the Great Depression that followed the Wall Street Crash of 1929,
while implementing two ‘New Deals’.
These were plans to kick-start capitalism in America once again, by supporting the unemployed and getting the economy firing once again. His second New Deal was seen as even more controversial than the first and included policies that would increase taxes and distribute wealth across the people.
In February 2021, Sunderland announced 23-year-old Kyril Louis Dreyfus as chairman. Two years later, and in the Championship at this point, the club publicly said that there was a five-year plan from when KLD first took over to get Sunderland into the Premier League. Similar to FDR’s first New Deal, eyebrows were raised by onlookers and skeptics who were doubtful that it could work.
However, also like the 32nd President of the USA, Kyril’s plan has been successful. Sunderland returned to the top flight with a year to spare, finishing in the top six of whichever division we were in on three occasions out of four and winning at Wembley on two occasions.
Five-year plans are rarely successful in sport, and they are usually bold statements to make. When, in May 2023, the club first publicly spoke about the five-year plan to get to the top flight, even after a positive first season back in the Championship, this seemed like a tall order. A year later, when we finished 16th, this felt almost impossible.
However, the club held its nerve and made the right appointments and signings to make sure our third straight Championship season wouldn’t turn into a fourth. With this box ticked, a thought worth considering is whether we have a second five-year plan, and if so, what does it consist of?
The objective for this season is to stay up. Anything above a 17th-place finish is a huge success and would be the first tick in the box for this next phase of the plan. The bare minimum for any promoted club should be to avoid relegation in their first season up, something that the last six promoted sides have failed to do.
The gap between the Premier League and the Championship is arguably the biggest it’s ever been, and bridging that is no tall order. Any team that does this, whether that be Sunderland, Burnley, or Leeds, deserves the plaudits. If more than one does it, they need to be studied by the promoted sides of the years to come.
It’s important to look ahead, but also at the same time not too far ahead. In the next five years, I’m sure the aim for this club is to be an established Premier League club. Avoiding relegation this season will be a big step forward in this, and you’ve only got to look at the likes of Crystal Palace and Brighton as good examples of what can happen when you get up and stay up.
Sunderland AFC is being run like a well-oiled machine these days, and the successful completion of KLD’s five-year plan is evidence of that. However, it feels as though it can only be set in stone as perfect if we avoid relegation this season, and we’re giving ourselves a great chance of doing just that so far.
The next chapter of the club will be mapped out on charts, diagrams, and spreadsheets in offices around the Stadium of Light and Academy of Light. We can dream of becoming a club that regularly finishes in the top half, one that challenges for trophies and hell, even European football, because after all, we could hardly be football fans without having a dream or two, right?
The club’s hierarchy will, of course be a lot more grounded, but ambitions of becoming just this will be whispered. This is far from jumping the gun; it’s more about being ready for what we believe is possible as a football club.
