http://www.theguardian.com/football...-league-2014-15-preview-sunderland?CMP=twt_gu
Premier League 2014-15 preview No16: Sunderland
After last seasonâs remarkable escape act, does Gus Poyetâs side have the firepower to avoid such drama this time around?
Guardian writersâ predicted position: 12th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylorâs prediction but the average of our writersâ tips)
Last seasonâs position: 14th
Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker): 5,000-1
There are two Sunderlands. Off the field there is the commercially savvy, socially responsible, club which has just announced a trans-Atlantic partnership with Washingtonâs DC United and is carefully cultivating a fanbase in southern and west Africa featuring Nigeria as its latest expansion zone.
Back on the pitch, the other Sunderland currently looks a little less sure-footed, not quite as dynamic and a whole lot more complex and contradictory. Take the peculiarities of last season. Courtesy of a late winning streak, featuring victories at Chelsea and Manchester United, Gus Poyetâs side ended it by staying up with a game to spare after being seven points adrift of safety with six matches to go.
Along the way Poyet â who succeeded the unlamented Paolo Di Canio in October â led Sunderland to a League Cup final defeat against Manchester City but, at times, became increasingly depressed as his players spent the vast majority of his tenure mired in the bottom three. Rarely have football teams proved greater chameleons than this âwhen weâre good weâre very good but when weâre bad weâre frightfulâ Wearside ensemble.
Sunderland fans swiftly became resigned to seeing a team capable of doing a brilliant double against Newcastle United last term stumble horribly against less than formidable relegation rivals.
There was a point last spring when Poyet seemed ready to throw in the towel but, having been talked into staying by the owner, Ellis Short, the ambitious Uruguayan swapped a disastrous experiment with five at the back for a much more attacking mentality and proved that miracles really can happen before extending his contract.
Big on philosophy Poyet should benefit from having had a full pre-season to implement his possession-based, controlled passing mantra but his squad remains flawed in certain departments and could have done without the underrated left-footed midfielder, Jack Colback, defecting to Newcastle United on a free transfer.
If Phil Bardsley and Craig Gardner will not be missed so much, Billy Jones â a free transfer from West Brom and Bardsleyâs replacement at left back â has much to prove, although Jordi Gómez â acquired on another free, from Wigan â represents a smart piece of recruitment on the part of Lee Congerton, Sunderlandâs new sporting director.
Wiganâs player of the year last season, Gómez can not only put Poyetâs passing vision into practice but comes with the added bonus of possessing an ability to score from midfield. An overall lack of goals is a potential problem and much hinges on whether Fabio Borini, a loanee hit last season, finally agrees to the £14m transfer from Liverpool which has been âagreed in principleâ for several weeks now. Then there is the threat of Connor Wickham, who scored five goals in six games as Sunderland pulled off their great escape but is stalling on signing a new contract, departing for significantly higher wages at West Ham.
It helps that Steven Fletcher, injured for most of last season, is finally fit again but the Scotland striker will need better support than that currently offered by the poor manâs Emile Heskey otherwise known as the United States centre forward, Jozy Altidore.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Sunderlandâs player of the year last season, the former Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone, is now confronted by stern competition from Costel Pantilimon, newly arrived from Manchester City.
Another City old boy, Jack Rodwell, is an extremely welcome £10m, marquee, addition to midfield â well at least providing this potential England regular can stay fit and keep those hamstrings out of the treatment room â and it is to be hoped Italyâs Emmanuel Giaccherini will confirm that the glimpses of his rich talent seen at the end of last season were not illusory. But defence raises concerns.
Granted, Patrick van Aanholt, the 21-year-old Holland left-back acquired from Chelsea, has impressed in pre-season and appears an excellent addition who injects much needed pace to the team but further back-four reinforcements are necessary.
While Santiago Vergini, at right back, John OâShea and Wes Brown in central defence and Van Aanholt represents a more than competent obstruction and destruction unit, OâShea and Brown are not getting any younger. Brown, especially, has a history of knee trouble so serious the club attempted to persuade him to retire last summer.
A move for Manchester Cityâs unwanted but talented Micah Richards or the arrival on loan of Chelseaâs abundantly gifted Kurt Zouma would not go amiss. There had been hopes Swanseaâs Ashley Williams would have long since arrived to offer OâShea and Brown competition but, when Williams penned a new contract in south Wales, it became apparent he had merely been using north-east interest to provoke better terms from his current employers.
As an arch-politician himself Poyet â who knows precisely how to manipulate press coverage in order to get what he wants from his own bosses â will have appreciated the stance but he is also learning that Wearside can sometimes be a hard sell for footballers.
With the Stadium of Light boasting a near-50,000 capacity and the supporters as committed as they come, this famous old club â âa proper, big, football clubâ, as Sir Alex Ferguson once told Roy Keane â remains a sleeping giant boasting immense potential. Re-awakening it from decades of general doziness will not be easy but few jobs offer similar scope.
Poyet resisted spring-time interest from West Ham and Southampton, not to mention the temptations of gentler southern winters, because he knows establishing Sunderland as a top-eight side would virtually guarantee him the sort of prestigious posting â think Chelsea â that he ultimately craves and believes his ability demands.
He has already won a behind-the-scenes power struggle to exert increased autonomy over assorted departments â most notably, the academy â and his mission to imbue the club with a clear identity and a defined brand of play bodes well.
There is always the danger the South Americanâs usually well controlled but impossible to ignore, volatile streak could result in him hurling his toys out of the pram and everything ending in tears but, on balance, the future looks bright.
It is probably unlikely to be a long-term relationship but, right here, right now, Poyet and Sunderland have the capacity to be very good indeed for each other ⦠and both parties know it.
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After the BBC one the other day predicting us to get 10th
Now the Guardian predicting us to get 12th...seems like a few of the media have seen how we can play last season and expecting us to do well this season
Whilst myself would take 15th now with Gus staying for some stability its nice to see the amount of optimism around the club!
Premier League 2014-15 preview No16: Sunderland
After last seasonâs remarkable escape act, does Gus Poyetâs side have the firepower to avoid such drama this time around?
Guardian writersâ predicted position: 12th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylorâs prediction but the average of our writersâ tips)
Last seasonâs position: 14th
Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker): 5,000-1
There are two Sunderlands. Off the field there is the commercially savvy, socially responsible, club which has just announced a trans-Atlantic partnership with Washingtonâs DC United and is carefully cultivating a fanbase in southern and west Africa featuring Nigeria as its latest expansion zone.
Back on the pitch, the other Sunderland currently looks a little less sure-footed, not quite as dynamic and a whole lot more complex and contradictory. Take the peculiarities of last season. Courtesy of a late winning streak, featuring victories at Chelsea and Manchester United, Gus Poyetâs side ended it by staying up with a game to spare after being seven points adrift of safety with six matches to go.
Along the way Poyet â who succeeded the unlamented Paolo Di Canio in October â led Sunderland to a League Cup final defeat against Manchester City but, at times, became increasingly depressed as his players spent the vast majority of his tenure mired in the bottom three. Rarely have football teams proved greater chameleons than this âwhen weâre good weâre very good but when weâre bad weâre frightfulâ Wearside ensemble.
Sunderland fans swiftly became resigned to seeing a team capable of doing a brilliant double against Newcastle United last term stumble horribly against less than formidable relegation rivals.
There was a point last spring when Poyet seemed ready to throw in the towel but, having been talked into staying by the owner, Ellis Short, the ambitious Uruguayan swapped a disastrous experiment with five at the back for a much more attacking mentality and proved that miracles really can happen before extending his contract.
Big on philosophy Poyet should benefit from having had a full pre-season to implement his possession-based, controlled passing mantra but his squad remains flawed in certain departments and could have done without the underrated left-footed midfielder, Jack Colback, defecting to Newcastle United on a free transfer.
If Phil Bardsley and Craig Gardner will not be missed so much, Billy Jones â a free transfer from West Brom and Bardsleyâs replacement at left back â has much to prove, although Jordi Gómez â acquired on another free, from Wigan â represents a smart piece of recruitment on the part of Lee Congerton, Sunderlandâs new sporting director.
Wiganâs player of the year last season, Gómez can not only put Poyetâs passing vision into practice but comes with the added bonus of possessing an ability to score from midfield. An overall lack of goals is a potential problem and much hinges on whether Fabio Borini, a loanee hit last season, finally agrees to the £14m transfer from Liverpool which has been âagreed in principleâ for several weeks now. Then there is the threat of Connor Wickham, who scored five goals in six games as Sunderland pulled off their great escape but is stalling on signing a new contract, departing for significantly higher wages at West Ham.
It helps that Steven Fletcher, injured for most of last season, is finally fit again but the Scotland striker will need better support than that currently offered by the poor manâs Emile Heskey otherwise known as the United States centre forward, Jozy Altidore.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Sunderlandâs player of the year last season, the former Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone, is now confronted by stern competition from Costel Pantilimon, newly arrived from Manchester City.
Another City old boy, Jack Rodwell, is an extremely welcome £10m, marquee, addition to midfield â well at least providing this potential England regular can stay fit and keep those hamstrings out of the treatment room â and it is to be hoped Italyâs Emmanuel Giaccherini will confirm that the glimpses of his rich talent seen at the end of last season were not illusory. But defence raises concerns.
Granted, Patrick van Aanholt, the 21-year-old Holland left-back acquired from Chelsea, has impressed in pre-season and appears an excellent addition who injects much needed pace to the team but further back-four reinforcements are necessary.
While Santiago Vergini, at right back, John OâShea and Wes Brown in central defence and Van Aanholt represents a more than competent obstruction and destruction unit, OâShea and Brown are not getting any younger. Brown, especially, has a history of knee trouble so serious the club attempted to persuade him to retire last summer.
A move for Manchester Cityâs unwanted but talented Micah Richards or the arrival on loan of Chelseaâs abundantly gifted Kurt Zouma would not go amiss. There had been hopes Swanseaâs Ashley Williams would have long since arrived to offer OâShea and Brown competition but, when Williams penned a new contract in south Wales, it became apparent he had merely been using north-east interest to provoke better terms from his current employers.
As an arch-politician himself Poyet â who knows precisely how to manipulate press coverage in order to get what he wants from his own bosses â will have appreciated the stance but he is also learning that Wearside can sometimes be a hard sell for footballers.
With the Stadium of Light boasting a near-50,000 capacity and the supporters as committed as they come, this famous old club â âa proper, big, football clubâ, as Sir Alex Ferguson once told Roy Keane â remains a sleeping giant boasting immense potential. Re-awakening it from decades of general doziness will not be easy but few jobs offer similar scope.
Poyet resisted spring-time interest from West Ham and Southampton, not to mention the temptations of gentler southern winters, because he knows establishing Sunderland as a top-eight side would virtually guarantee him the sort of prestigious posting â think Chelsea â that he ultimately craves and believes his ability demands.
He has already won a behind-the-scenes power struggle to exert increased autonomy over assorted departments â most notably, the academy â and his mission to imbue the club with a clear identity and a defined brand of play bodes well.
There is always the danger the South Americanâs usually well controlled but impossible to ignore, volatile streak could result in him hurling his toys out of the pram and everything ending in tears but, on balance, the future looks bright.
It is probably unlikely to be a long-term relationship but, right here, right now, Poyet and Sunderland have the capacity to be very good indeed for each other ⦠and both parties know it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the BBC one the other day predicting us to get 10th
Now the Guardian predicting us to get 12th...seems like a few of the media have seen how we can play last season and expecting us to do well this season
Whilst myself would take 15th now with Gus staying for some stability its nice to see the amount of optimism around the club!
