Sunderland will be hoping to earn promotion to the Championship this season.
Kevin Phillips has shared his concern about Sunderland’s promotion chances by questioning whether ‘the pressure’ of the club and its fanbase will be ‘too much’ for the players.
The Black Cats have endured a number of difficult years which has resulted in them suffering back-to-back relegations as they are now trying to get back on their feet in the third tier of English football.
Jack Ross is currently in the Stadium of Light hot seat and he currently has them sitting third in the League One table, four points behind Barnsley and nine points behind high-flyers Luton Town – Sunderland do have a game in hand on their rivals.
Nonetheless, Speaking to the Jim White show on talkSPORT on 21/02/2019, club legend Phillips offered his thoughts on their promotion chances as he backed current leaders Luton to ‘run away with it’.
“You are getting to the business end of the season now,” Phillips told talkSPORT. “This is where the pressure is on. A lot of the players perhaps haven’t been in this situation. They can smell promotion. I think Luton are going to run away with it.
“They [Sunderland] are in a great position. I just hope the pressure of the size of the club and the supporters isn’t too much for these players. I think Jack Ross has done a wonderful job up there because of what the club has been through.”
One thing that is near-on certain is that Sunderland will secure a top-six finish, but they will be hoping to avoid the dreaded play-offs.
If they have to go through those matches then they will more than likely come up against the likes of Portsmouth and Charlton, who are currently sitting in strong positions.
During their last league fixture, Ross’ side secured a 4-2 win over Gillingham on home soil after previously recording a 2-2 draw with Accrington Stanley.
Nonetheless, at the weekend, they will end the month with a trip to Bristol Rovers, who are currently sitting one point outside of the drop zone.
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