The 2001-02 season was a pretty hopeless one for Sunderland fans after a couple of years flirting with European places. Two seventh-place finishes had inspired supporters to dream of dizzier heights in the Premiership, but with a lack of investment in the squad, things swiftly became stale rather than spectacular.
On paper, the spine of the team was still strong. Thomas Sørensen was in goal, with Emerson Thome, Gavin McCann, Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn still playing their part. However, that didn’t
paint the full picture. Quinn was now nearing the end of his playing career, with simply getting himself through the season and into the Republic of Ireland squad for the World Cup becoming a major motivation. Alongside that, the waning influence of Phillips meant the team was no longer as lethal as it had once been.
There were also murmurings of discontent from our Danish goalkeeper towards the end of the previous season, when reports emerged that Manchester United were preparing a move for the shot-stopper. Sørensen did little to defuse the situation when he openly expressed his interest in a move to a club competing at the top end of the table while away on international duty.
“I dearly want to be with a club who are playing in Europe and I hope something can be sorted out in the summer.
“I want to be playing at the top end of the Premiership, challenging for the title if possible, and certainly for a place in Europe at least.”
Months later, however, everything appeared rosy again on Wearside for the Dane after Peter Reid got his way in the transfer market and made a number of new signings.
In came Stephen Wright, Matt Piper and Phil Babb, but most of the excitement surrounded the arrivals of striking duo Tore André Flo and Marcus Stewart, both of whom came with strong reputations.
A rekindling of Sunderland’s strike force was certainly necessary and, with Flo getting off the mark in our 1-1 draw against Manchester United, things appeared to be looking up for the team – which, in turn, made our goalkeeper very happy.
In what was becoming something of a theme, Sørensen spoke to the media again while away with Denmark, but this time he had plenty of positives to say.
“The two signings lifted everyone’s spirits, including those in the dressing room. The crowd was fully behind us and it made a real difference. We are positive now.
“The manager has brought in a few new players and they have impressed. We have made a decent start to the season.
“The introduction of Flo lifted the crowd, but there is also Phil Babb, Stephen Wright and Matt Piper who have come in and done tremendous jobs.”
Sørensen was certainly in a positive mood, but he clearly wasn’t an oracle, with the team going on to suffer one of the most disastrous seasons in Premier League history.
Nineteen points, three managers and a hammering in the Wear-Tyne derby ensured it was a year to forget for fans and players alike.
Sørensen didn’t get his dream move to Old Trafford, but Aston Villa certainly wasn’t a poor alternative. After Sunderland’s relegation was confirmed, the Dane moved on to Villa Park, bringing an end to his time on Wearside.
Perhaps, given everything that followed, his optimism from those early weeks of the season makes his comments all the more amusing to look back on. Sunderland fans had every reason to believe things were finally looking up – none of us could have known just how spectacularly wrong we were.
