Sunderland once again find themselves in a precarious position early in the season following a poor string of results.
Sunderland have struggled for years to find consistency within their squad. You could argue that the parade of managers that have come and gone at the Stadium of Light have not helped, but either way they just cannot find stability. Their yearly routine of pulling a string of results out of the bag in order to survive is becoming less and less shocking, and the pattern mirrors another former Premier League side – Wigan Athletic.
For years Wigan would seem certainties for the drop before eventually flicking a switch and going on a phenomenal run of victories that saw them clinch survival. It was bizarre how they would seem to suddenly start playing top quality football in the latter months of the season, however it was a formula that continued to work.
Now, it appears as if the Black Cats have followed down that same route. Fans of the North East side have come to expect a poor start and a strong finish in terms of their campaigns, with this year once again marking another season where they failed to pick up a victory in August.
With such an experienced manager in David Moyes, it would not be surprising to see another miraculous turnaround come the end of May. The problem is, the constant last-gasp nature of Wigan’s successes eventually came to an end and led to their relegation.
That is a very real possibility within this Sunderland squad, especially given that Moyes could end up getting the boot before he gets a chance to change their fortunes. The increasing quality and determination of sides in the relegation battle to pull something out of the hat is a big worry, and fans of Sunderland are almost expectant of their team not to let them down when it comes to the final stretch of the season.
The pressure at the Stadium of Light is higher than it ever has been before as they continue to try to find a way to ensure a fruitful future in the top flight.
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