In the programme notes for the game against Wolves on Saturday, Sunderlandâs chairman Ellis Short reflected on how far the Black Cats had come since the teams had last met. That game was the one match between Steve Bruceâs sacking and the appointment of Martin OâNeill. Since then, exactly half a season had passed â 19 games â in which the team had gained 31 points. If that form was repeated over a whole season, Short argued, the team would have gained enough points (62) to finish fifth last season. Whatâs more in that time, Sunderland have gone from being three points behind Wolves to 20 points ahead of them. Itâs some turnaround and Short is right that the bigger picture is one of a club on an upward curve, but look closely at the results Sunderland have gained under OâNeill and you can see they fall into two distinct parts â the first 10 games, in which the team gained 22 points, and the second 10 games (including the Wolves game) in which the team have gained just 10 points. Early momentum from OâNeillâs appointment has gone and there is a danger that that upward curve could plateau or even head into a short-term downturn. There was the hope that Sunderland could respond to the setback of a disappointing 4-0 defeat away at Everton, with a win against a Wolves side rooted at the bottom of the table following seven straight defeats. After the match, Black Catâs keeper Simon Mignolet said the players were all focused on finishing as high up the table as possible, yet there was a distinctly end-of-term feel to the game. While both teams had at least one clear chance to secure all three points neither produced a performance worthy of victory and there were boos from the home crowd at the final whistle. It left a frustrated OâNeill thanking Short for his comments while acknowledging they hadnât done enough to win the game and suggesting it had been a âreality checkâ and that reality is heâs probably taken the squad that inherited as far as he can. âPerhaps it might show we have a lot of work to do,â the Sunderland boss continued. Heâs already given youth its head with the regular inclusion of James McClean and Jack Colback in his starting line-ups and he looks set to do so again with 19-year-old Connor Wickham and Ji Dong-Won, the 20-year-old who became a hero for his New Yearâs Day winner against Manchester City, looking likely to feature in the seasonâs remaining games. However, more significant than that will be the size of the budget OâNeill has to work with during the close season and how well he uses it to supplement the players he already has at his disposal. http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p...s-needed-as-current-player-potential-met.html See what the expert tipsters at OLBG are tipping on Aston Villa v Sunderland See the full list of OLBG's free Football Tips here. Related Articles -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- » Everton Club Focus - Big-game hoodoo rears its head again in FA Cup defeat » Why Arsenal must add big names to the side in the summer » Championship Analysis - West Ham mean business as Brighton romp keeps automatic promotion hopes alive » Sunderland Club Focus - Cup exit leaves little to inspire Black Cats » Sunderland Club Focus - Black Cats continue to impress
