Local Bragging Rights No Longer Enough For Sunderland
There is no doubt Sunderland are enjoying their time at the top of the North East football tree and who can blame them, but it is about time they broadened their horizons.
When the Premier League season gets underway this weekend, Sunderland travel to Bolton Wanderers. It will be an early barometer of how far the Black Cats have come over the summer with Steve Bruce in charge.
Bolton are a club who can no longer compete with Sunderland in the transfer market thanks to the backing of American billionaire Ellis Short, yet they still finished comfortably above them in the league last season.
Sunderland have been spending big money for the last two years and it is about time that investment was reflected on the pitch.
I'm not going to predict European qualification for the Wearsiders this season, but they should at least offer a challenge for one of those places.
Bruce will claim mid-table security is progress in his first season in charge and he is right, to an extent. If Sunderland do not have to worry about relegation for the majority of the season it will be success of sorts.
However, this is their third season back in the top flight and for the money they have spent, a top ten finish will be their true ambition when the microphones are turned off the cameras are no longer rolling.
Bruce is too canny to mention such matters in the public arena, but he will feel his new team is capable of achieving that sort of position come May.
For me, they are still two players short of mounting that sort of campaign. Should Sylvain Distin and Lee Cattermole complete Bruce's summer shopping, though, they have every chance.
There are already - as far as I'm concerned anyway - six teams who will finish below them this time.
Stoke City are no longer going to surprise anyone and will slip backwards. Hull City were dreadful at the end of last season and have done nothing to suggest that will change.
Portsmouth are in disarray and have already lost their two best players - Peter Crouch and Glen Johnson - even before Distin's anticipated departure and will struggle.
Burnley look hopelessly ill-equipped for the Premier League having been last season's big shock in the Championship, while Mick McCarthy's Wolverhampton Wanderers and the other promoted side, Birmingham City, look little better.
When you also think Wigan Athletic have lost Bruce and probably Cattermole as well, they could be in a spot of bother, which leaves the likes of Bolton and Fulham for Sunderland to worry about.
Bolton will also be looking to progress this year under Gary Megson and this an early opportunity for Sunderland to show they really have moved up a level.
Being better than Newcastle and Middlesbrough gives them local bragging rights, but it is time for Sunderland to make a national mark. Over to you Bruce...
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Luke Edwards - is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.
Some good points Luke. While it is certainly nice to enjoy our time as the north east's number one club I've been around long enough to know that what goes around comes around so we need to focus on m oving to the next level.
I'm pretty confident of mid table mediocrity this season for two reasons. First because I think that last season we underachieved with the squad we had. Keane bought some decent players but unfortunately his boot camp approach did not deliver the team spirit we were looking for. I think Steve Bruce has already shown in his previous jobs and his early days at Sunderland that he has these important team building skills.
The second reason is of course the purchases he has made this season which are encouraging. Since you submitted your article the Cattermole signing has gone through which is great.
For me success this season and the springboard to the next level would be a top half finish. I would also like to see us pick up 4 or 5 points from the top 4 teams and not by parking the bus in front of our goal.
I can't wait.
I must admit to being surprised as to how well Bruce appears to have adopted to his new surroundings. Signing good established players with their best years in front of them is a bit of a novelty for the North East clubs. Bent, Cattermole, Cana and Campbell all fit the bill for a progressive club.
With a relatively weak Premiership Sunderland look set to potentially be a top 10 club - and given the disarray at Nufc and Boro - the North Easts top club for 2 or 3 years.
It just shows what can happen if you get the right owner, chairman and manager.
Indeed it does Andy, indeed it does...
Steve Bruce is an excellent manager and his signings are already far superior to those of his predecessor.
I can see Sunderland finishing top 8 or 9 comfortably. They could even threaten a Europa spot if Villa, Everton or Spurs don't fulfil their potential.
A couple of PL teams overperformed last season and will struggle to maintain the same level (e.g. Fulham), while the division overall is weaker with the teams that have come up (especially Burnley and Wolves).
I can only see ManU, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, ManCity, Villa and (maybe) Everton and Spurs finishing above Sunderland.
Sunderland are easily a better side - with Bruce in charge - than the other 11 teams in the division.
The more I reflect on last season, the more I realise how difficult it was to be relegated from the PL ... aside from those 8 or 9 teams mentioned above, it's a very average standard - and somehow we (NUFC) still managed to pull it off!
The only reason I can see for Luke to mention NUFC is because he writes for the rag in that town. Consideration of local rivalries must be the last thing on Steve Bruce's mind, because there are none that matter.
Until personal troubles got in the way of performing his job properly Peter Reid had the formula for success worked out and the Bruce team tactics will not be very different to those when Sunderland was last at heady heights. The formula is simple: good goal keeper (Gordon); solid back line (he has choices); ferocious core (Cana and Cattermole); ability to pass and cross the ball (Richardson + 2 from 3 others); lethal combo (Jones + Bent); and a pick to counter or take advantage of the style of the opposition (he has choices). The squad depth looks better now than in the days Reid. Keane was an amateur in his first job but will do well after another spell in the training leagues.
My guess is that exactly where Sunderland finish will depend to a fair extent whether they get off to a flying start. If there are 7 or more points on the board after the first three games a top six finish beckons, and if not between 8th and 10th is to be expected.
I do not expect the self styled “big 4” to be as big in the coming season as in recent times. Man City, Villa, Everton and Spurs have all looking a bit jaded in pre-season and probably will all disappoint to an extent. Chelsea or Liverpool will probably fight it out for top spot with Liverpool winning in the end. Below the top half could be more of a dogfight than in a long long time. Man United and Arsenal sliding to some extent is a strong possibility. The could be 2 or 3 surprise managerial departures. But I’m actually expecting Everton and Fulham to be the major sliders towards the bottom half.
It is hard to decide which of about half a dozen will be the most awful and end up joining the Toon down below in the 2010-11 season (unless Toon get relegated again and are in the same division as Pools by then). Best picks for relegation from the Premier League seem to be Hull, Pompey and Birmingham which are all "no bottle" teams. It would not surprise me if the bottom club (most likely Hull) breaks Derby's record.
Boro are the only recently relegated team with any change of a swift return to the top league. Toon fans are certainly more likely to be looking for routes to Milton Keynes and Swindon than Manchester after the dust settles. Anybody who thinks NUFC’s last season was a fluke must have been on long term medication. If Shearer were to ever get the job he reportedly craves, which now seems unlikely, the docks would need to be bursting with ‘happy pill’ ships.
If Sunderland win the FA or League Cup it will not surprise me.
Wonder if Luke has considered a new career writing about Rugby?
I think Hull were dreadful last season and only avoided the drop after their amazing start. They haven't added a great deal this season, and with the pop-eyed Oompa Lumpa in charge, are my favourites for relegation.
I agree that Burnley won't have enough. They'll give everyone a tough time at Turf Moor, but ultimately, won't be strong enough.
That leaves one place left, and as much as I would like it to be Sunderland to stop the gloating from Wearside, that won't happen. No European class signings, but typical Steve Bruce signings. Look what he did with unfashionable Wigan last year and expect a similar finish for Sunderland this time out. I think the other place will go to Birmingham. They only bought Barry Ferguson, who didn't cut it at Blackburn on his last foray into English football, as well as signing Lee Bowyer on a free and a loan move for Joe Hart. That isn't enough and as a consequence, I think, will see them crying on the terraces come May.
The Championship teams to come up will be far more difficult to predict. Newcastle won't go down again, but I think we can expect to finish mid-table (11th-15th), Middlesbrough won't come up either. Ipswich might perform well for Keane, but will they have enough?
I am going to tip Bristol City for promotion. They've been there or thereabouts 3 or so years in a row now and have a good manager in Gary Johnson. I also think Cardiff will come up. If West Brom are the best team in the Championship, then god help the others!! They were worse than Newcastle for large parts last week. So, play-offs between Sheff. Utd, Preston, Palace, QPR and Swansea with Boro and Ipswich sniffing around too.
i love all these mackems trying to be clever, by not being outwardly offensive but taking the 'damning with faint praise' approach regarding newcastle! the reason we can STILL laugh at you lot, even now when we are in a tight spot, is that we know we'll be back above you lot soon. and so do you, deep down, otherwise you wouldn't bother having digs at us! it's a sure sign of insecurity!
mackems:
"a top six finish beckons"
deluded
"finishing top 8 or 9 comfortably."
deluded
Tim
I assume your comment was directed at me?
I said I could see Sunderland finishing top 8 or 9 comfortably. I can.
Try reading my words again. Especially the last line. I am a Mag.
You should remember the position our club is in next time, before you start gobbing off like some arrogant ManU fan.
restless native...calm down son. i quite clearly picked your quote out by mistake...i was merely making the point that there is an undue sense of optimism at the stadium of sh*te, and it'll be unrequited optimism. i just scanned through the posts quickly and happened to pick out the wrong quote. apologies for my inaccuracy, but you should chill before 'gobbing off' n'all. i was not directing any sort of insult at you.
LOL fair play to you Restless for putting Tim nicely in his little box. And yes Tim it is likely that Newcastle will be back up with the big boys where they belong in the next couple of years but don't make any assumptions because this is a very cruel game.
And if pathetic digs are a sign of insecurity Tim you must still be carrying your comfort blanket around with you!
Great start for Sunderland on Saturday passing the first important test of the season. Good to see the new boys all play their part. Can't wait for Chelsea tonight, bit of a no lose situation, you would expect us to lose but we are playing them at the right time and with 3 away points already in the bag so should be in the right frame of mind.
Good win for the mags on Saturday too!
yes stuart. you've got me bang to rights. i certainly have been well and truly put in my place, in my little box with my comfort blanket. i bow to your superior intellect and razor-sharp wit!
lets see where sunderland are at the end of the season and revisit then, because all this talk of top 8 is pure nonsense...
Tim can you please explain why you think it is pure nonsense for sunderland to finish in the top eight?
We have a great new manager and some fantastic new signings which are adding a real edge to our game which could potentially catapult us up to the higher echelons of the divison.
Our best finish in the premier league in previous years was 7th so why is it a near impossibility for us to replicate that? What I can't understand is the shear snearing smugness that the newcastle supporters like to inform us sunderland supporters that we will always struggle and we will never be better than newcastle!
I really think that you need to have a look at the position that your team in is before you start going on about anyone elses. Yes you have had a good start to your championship campaign and i wholeheartedly hope that it continues as i will miss the local rivalry, but don't expect things to continue in the same vein for you.
Many quotes that have been made by smug newcastle fans have come back to haunt your supporters, continually mismanagement and confoundingly stupid errors have been made by your owners, managers and players. Yet you still think you are superior to sunderland even though you are the division below us!
If Mike Ashley stays, and lets face it it is looking increasingly more likely that he is going to do you honestly think that you will suddenly gain stability and become reall contenders to come back to the prem? The answer to that question is no.
Your club has been turned into a national laughing stock so I really think you shouldn't come on here and start stating things like you have as you really wouldn't want to end up with more egg on your face.
Tim,
Thank you for your comments on my intellect but I am just a humble soul and I make no claims in that area. Neither have I suggested that Sunderland will finish in the top 8 though of course I can dream.
darren bent flatters to deceive at premier league level. 25 goals from 79 appearances is not a good return for a prem striker. fraizer campbell managed 1 goal in 9 appearances at tottenham. lorik cana and lee cattermole are good players, but where is the craft? they are both tough, 'enforcer'-type players. they are not, as far as i've seen so far, creative talents. manager wise, steve bruce's win rate at wigan (which admittedly at wigan is a miracle!) was only 34%. not exactly top 8 stuff, is it? at a push, sunderland will finish 10th. i think it'll be more like 15th. just my opinion. you're welcome to disagree.
Well that is your opinion and you are entitled to it but as i write this i must inform you that sunderland are 1 - 0 up against chelsea make of that what you will. Oh and it was bent that scored.
Fair enough the final score does not flatter us however, bent has now scored two games in a row so that makes him 100% in a sunderland shirt! You have to admit tim that there is a vast difference in the team to what there was last season if we do not finish in the top eight then thats no real loss to me i would like a top ten finish, but to be fair anywhere around the mid table mark will be a huge improvement on the last two seasons.
mackem: "you really wouldn't want to end up with more egg on your face"
mackem: "well that is your opinion and you are entitled to it but as i write this i must inform you that sunderland are 1 - 0 up against chelsea make of that what you will. oh and it was bent that scored."
chelsea result? 3-1 defeat...
exactly WHOSE face is the egg on, fella?! ; )
May I just refer you to the post above yours Mr our local rivals are man united now
"our local rivals are man united now"
yep, they are, and you'll be royally d*cked by them, both home and away! i look forward to laughing as i watch it happen!
Well judging from the performance they put in against the migthy burnley we may actually stand a chance against them! Good win for your lot last night! Keep it up and you'll get back in the prem soon enough.
you never know, lad - you might get done over by burnley n'all! surprise package, and all that. remember reading's first season in the prem? here's hoping we do come back up, and that sunderland stay away from any possibility of relegation. things just aren't the same without the local rivalry...
things just aren't the same without the local rivalry...
Fine point well made, and one that i would imagine that most sunderland supporters will agree with.