John McCormick writes: Regular visitors will be used to Paul Summerside’s thoughts popping up on the site. He’s here often enough to have his own tag – A view from the Avenue – and he always has something interesting to say. Today is no exception as he takes the opportunity to look back over the summer and the season to date.
This being a short piece, Paul posted it on our facebook page first but it’s good enough to go up here and it’s important enough to be read twice. So thanks, Paul, for letting us move it across.
A View from the Avenue…Reality kicks in!
As I begin this post, a glance at the league 1 table sees us lying 4 with 15 points and unbeaten. Most would say a decent start to the season, but some fans are already queing up to stick the boot in.
Widespread criticism of our inability to start games well, set piece vulnerability, even team selection in some quarters.
As a self confessed critic, I find this criticism very harsh indeed, and totally unnecessary at this stage in the season. I liken it to witnessing your child’s arrival into the world, with all the joy and emotion that brings, and then being disappointed when he/she isn’t walking within a year!
Four months ago we were within an inch of going out of existence, with massive debts, and no hope.
All that has gone…. …A new hope.
The reality is that we are a League 1 club, with League 1 owners, on a League 1 budget, with a League 1 manager, and a League 1 squad.
We have a big house, with lots of rooms, but very little furniture.
We have massive potential, and like every newborn, we are still finding our way in the unforgiving world of football. Just because we have 30000 home gates and sell out away, we have no God given ‘Divine Right’ to success. A play off place, promotion place or the title will have to be earned, and hard earned at that.
At a recent talk in with Kevin Phillips he reminded me..
“If you thought the championship was a tough league, wait till you see League 1, it’s brutal. But Sunderland do have a great chance because of THAT ..”
and he pointed towards the SOL.
I guess what he was implying was that it may come down to the support of the fans, and I agree with him.
So come on lads and lasses, the Fleetwood game was a draw with another decent well organised unbeaten League 1 side, not Armageddon!
Try to keep focused and see the big picture, and above all else, as Super Kev says, support the club.
Well said Paul.
As you say, we are a League 1 side with a League 1 budget but unfortunately still some Premier League expenses. Another £6 and a half million gone on fees owed for Djilibodji and Ndong who despite not being paid must still have their massive salaries included in the budgeting until the whole messy legal situation is sorted out.
Cattermole, McGeady (who is nearly back to full fitness and word on the street happy to see out his contract) and Oviedo are all players that will contribute to the squad but detract from the budget and impact on financial fair play restrictions.
We have a squad most of whom didn’t know each other at the start of the season and then half of them unable to play for the first month of the season.
And we are still unbeaten. My dad used to say empty vessels make the most noise and some people are quick to see the negative side of things.
Yes we could easily have had another 6 points in the bag but equally we got three from games where we might have got diddly squat and two from the Charlton game we wouldn’t have had if the ref had blown two minutes earlier.
I still think we’ll go up this year but it will be no walk in the park and if we don’t then there’ll be no shame in that if the lads play they way they have been. There are some street wise teams in this division who are no push overs.
“We have a big house, with lots of rooms, but very little furniture….” Perfect!