Founded1879 caught up with Sunderland AFC fan, Andy Dawson of Athletico Mince and Top Flight Time Machine fame, to dissect whether the club is prepared for the season ahead.
F1879: How do you assess Sunderland AFC’s current squad depth and quality? What areas need strengthening before the summer transfer window closes and which are you content with?
A: As soon as Tony Mowbray departed last season, we descended into a tailspin and it’s hard to see that much has been done to arrest that as we go into the new season. It goes without saying that we should expect year-on-year improvement from the young players that have been signed over the past couple of years but the entire outfield spine of the team is still in need of strengthening.
We’ve been crying out for a deep-lying midfielder since Corry Evans got injured and Alan Browne isn’t that. He’s more of a Dan Neil type of player and one of them is probably going to be hamstrung by being asked to play a role that they’re not suited to.
Ultimately, the big problem remains up front. We haven’t spent a penny on a striker that can do a job in the first team since Ross Stewart in January 2021 (when we were still in lockdown, history fans). At this stage, it’s beyond a joke and is completely indefensible – the defining statistic of the current ownership’s inability to grasp the size of the club and run it in the manner it deserves.
F1879: What do you think of the appointment of Régis Le Bris? How do you see his tenure panning out?
A: It’s incredibly hard to get excited about someone who appears to have been the fifth, sixth or seventh choice for the job, depending on who you believe. Looking at his record of two years in management with Lorient, his first ten matches were incredible but the following 62 were rotten – averaging less than a point per game for almost two whole seasons, and ending in relegation.
I always think that you only truly judge a manager on how they act when things are going badly, and Le Bris seems to have been completely unable to sort Lorient out when things started to go wrong almost two years ago. Let’s be blunt – Peter Reid suffered from exactly the same affliction from 2001 onwards. I’m hoping Regis can get off to a flyer like he did two seasons ago but I’m not massively optimistic.
F1879: What is your assessment on whether the club have learned the lessons of last season’s failings as has been claimed? Do the players we are linked with thus far (Mendy, Norwood, Miller etc and with Browne and Moor already here) indicate this is the case?
A: Let’s not beat around the bush – for whatever reason, there is no prospect of any significant money being invested in our club any time soon. We have an astounding level of home and away support and the matchday income of the club comfortably outstrips almost every other club in the Championship. And yet, the ownership seems to be completely unwilling or unable to step up, match the passion that the fans produce, and treat the club like the jewel that it clearly is.
For me, as long as the mysterious Juan Sartori still owns a significant percentage of shares, we’re no hardly any further forward than we were under Madrox. It feels like we’re at the wheel of a supercar but the driver won’t release the handbrake. I’ve been an avid fan of SAFC since the late 1970s and all I ever want from an ownership is competence and/or ambition. We’re getting neither right now (but the new kit is nice).
F1879: It seems obvious that the Black Cats still require some experience to add to the squad in the form of a goal scoring striker, a defensive midfielder and another centre back. Do you agree? Who would you look to bring in if you had the opportunity?
A: As I said further up, the spine of the team needs proper investment if we’re not going to be bumbling around in mid-table but it would just take a couple of really sound acquisitions (and the current squad to remain fully fit) to get the team firing again. Also, I know that the transfer window doesn’t close until the end of August, but if you’re holding back from doing all of your business until then, you’re pretty much handicapping yourself for the rest of the season. This league is all about fine margins leading to great returns and although we’re not at a ‘plod on’ stage of January 2024, we’re not helping ourselves either.
F1879: Sunderland have quite a few players within the squad who are capable of playing as a 10. The ability to press and provide assists is key to our success. Yet, with 6, Alex Pritchard was the club’s highest rated assist maker by May 2024. He left in January. Do you feel those already at the club can step up this campaign in that role or would this be an area you would also look at?
A: Again, you have to hope that the rough diamonds we’ve acquired in the past couple of years are going to be polished and start to show more quality in the first team. Time will tell – let’s hope Jobe has recovered from being ran into the ground last season and can kick on further.
F1879: The club’s model is keen on promoting young talent. Are there any academy players who you think could break into the first team this season?
A: High hopes for Tom Watson – it would be good to see some cameos from the bench from him, but cameos like that are always better in a team that’s winning, so let’s hope that’s where we are.
There seems to be a lot of buzz around Zak Johnson as well – it would be great to see them both graduating from the academy into the first team.
F1879: What would constitute a successful season for Sunderland AFC this year? Do you think they have a realistic chance of promotion?
A: Unless some kind of miracle occurs, we’ve got the slimmest of chances of going up. Quite simply, we have no goal threat, and you’ll always struggle to go up if you’re not scoring goals. The Jack Clarke situation is interesting too – if we don’t attract a buyer this month (and it all seems very quiet) then he’ll have a year left on his contract at the end of this season, and no signs of an extension being agreed. That’s going to be problematic for the club and probably for the player too.
F1879: Who do you see as Sunderland’s biggest rivals in the league this season, and how do you think they compare to these teams?
A: Impossible to say – for me, the Championship is truly insane and the best league in the world because of it. Ultimately though, the clubs that invest well will prevail and that’s going to be the parachute money clubs. As it stands, I can’t see us finishing higher than mid-table, and even that will require a big improvement in results from the last six months of last season. Are we genuinely equipped to do that? Hard to say.
Thanks to Andy. Follow him on X
