It has been over a decade since Sunderland were last relegated from the Premier League.
Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe, Bryan Oviedo, John O’Shea and Didier Ndong look dejected
Sunderland last fell victim relegation back in May 2006, when their season total ended on an abysmal 15 points. After securing promotion to the top flight the following season, Sunderland have spent the vast majority of their 10 year stay in the league trying to avoid the ill-fated drop.
With the Wearside club sitting at the bottom of the league and six points adrift of safety, it seems that the Black Cat’s nine lives are finally up. You will be hard pressed to find any one other than a Sunderland fan who will be backing them to beat the dreaded drop.
We take a look at the side that started in Sunderland’s 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on the final day of the 2005-2006 campaign.
Kelvin Davis
Kelvin Davis was the unfortunate individual who was Sunderland’s first choice goalkeeper that season. His side conceded 69 goals and he was between the sticks for the majority of the campaign. The three clean sheets he secured can be considered impressive feat when you take a look at the defence in front of him.
Nyron Nosworthy
Nosworthy etched himself into Sunderland cult hero status during his stay at the Stadium of Light. He was signed on a free transfer from Gillingham, initially as a back-up player, but he was thrown into the deep end early on when first-choice right back Stephen Wright suffered a serious injury. The Jamaican put in some commendable performances and was a flickering light in what was a dark season for his side.
Gary Breen
The dubious honour of Sunderland captain for the season fell on the shoulders of Gary Breen, with the Republic of Ireland international signed on a free transfer by Mick McCarthy. Breen was a crucial part of the side that helped Sunderland secure promotion to the Premier League the season before. Unfortunately for Breen, he was also a mainstay in this team that went straight back down.
Steven Caldwell
Despite his ties to Newcastle United, Caldwell was a popular figure amongst the Sunderland faithful. After being signed on a free transfer from their local rivals, Caldwell formed a solid partnership with Breen and scored the winning goal against Leciester City that confirmed their promotion back to the Premier League. He fell victim to injuries during this season and struggled to revive his best form in a Sunderland shirt.
George McCartney
Mick McCarthy gave McCartney the title of ‘Mr Consistent’ to describe the left back’s performances during their title winning season in the Championship. Despite this glowing reference, McCartney was another player to fall victim to injuries and just managed to get his appearance count to double figures for the season.
Justin Hoyte
After working his way up the ranks of the Arsenal youth academy, Hoyte was loaned to Sunderland to gain crucial first team experience in the Premier League. After making over 30 appearances and scoring one goal in the Tyne-Wear derby, he made such a good impression that Wenger had him back at Arsenal the following season. Things have not quite worked out for Hoyte who is now a free agent after being released by Dagenham & Redbridge in the summer.
Dean Whitehead
Whitehead was an ever present in the Sunderland side and played all but one Premier League game. After being signed on a free transfer from Oxford United, the midfielder was part of two promotion winning squads as well as this one that endured relelgation. It was not all bad news for Whitehead, he finished as the team’s top joint league goalscorer and was voted player of the season. Whitehead is now with high flying Huddersfield Town in the Championship.
Dean Whitehead is targeting promotion with Huddersfield Town this season.
Tommy Miller
Tommy Miller was another regular in Sunderland’s midfield. He was snapped up on a free transfer by Sunderland after impressive performances for Ipswich Town and also finished on the same number of goals as Whitehead and had a solid season for the Black Cats. Despite this, Miller was not held in high regard by Roy Keane and went back to Ipswich after the club won promotion back to the Premier League.
Andy Welsh
It was an interesting season for Andy Welsh to say the least. After starting the season as a first team regular, Welsh was loaned out to Championship side Leicester City upon finding himself out of the first team picture by Christmas. After helping the Foxes stave off relegation, Welsh started the final two games of the Premier League season under caretaker boss Kevin Ball.
Chris Brown
Brown is a product of the Sunderland youth academy and made a good impression for the first team in their promotion campaign. However, he was loaned to Hull City at the start of the campaign but recalled early after struggling to make an impact. Injuries plagued the rest of Brown’s season and he finished with one solitary league goal for Sunderland. He was sold to Norwich City the following season.
Anthony Le Tallec
A nice obscure blast from the past to finish off. Yes, Le Tallec was on loan at Sunderland from Liverpool for the whole of the season and joined Whitehead and Miller as top goalscorer. Usually this would be an impressive feat, but Le Tallec finished on just five goals for the Black Cats. He went on to become a journeyman across the French league in subsequent years but can now be found plying his trade in Greece for Atromitos F.C.
Sunderland manager David Moyes
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