Alex Neil reckons Sunderland are back in the most brutal and competitive league in the world.
The Scot has assessed the challenge ahead of the newly promoted Wearsiders in the Championship. They will have 38,000 fans in the Stadium of Light for their return to the second tier on Sunday, and because of the historical stature of the club will be seen as contenders for the top six.
But Neil points to the parachute payment power of Norwich, Burnley and Watford relegated from the Premier League. And he sees fallen giants like Blackburn, Sheffield United and Stoke among a total of 16 clubs who think they can challenge for promotion.
So, no wonder the “realistic but optimistic” head coach says he genuinely doesn’t know how Sunderland’s season will pan out. It could veer from a relegation scrap, to being on tails of the top six “I am not quite sure,” Neil said, “We are a team who are an unknown quality coming off the high of promotion. It will be a learning curve, three quarters of the team have not played at this level.”
In the last 15 years Sunderland have spent 10 years in the Premier League but only one in the Championship the 2017-18 season - and they were relegated. Since Chris Coleman was sacked in April 2018 as Sunderland faced the drop to the third tier, they’ve had four managers, out of the 18 bosses they’ve got through in the last 20 years.
“Ridiculous really, far too high a turnover… there needs to be a period of no chop and change and see a plan through,” says Neil. Four campaigns in League One were painful, against a backdrop of ownership turmoil and cut-backs.
Neil said: “The club has been shrouded in negativity for such a long time. They feel as if they have been let down time after time. There have been different things with the ownership in the past and obviously the Netflix series - there have been a whole host of not particularly good things culminating in where we ended up.
“But last year we took a massive step to correcting a lot of those things, and we need to try and stay on that path. It’s not going to be easy, there will be people who start doubting us. Stick with us because it’s going to be a bumpy road, but I can assure everyone that these lads and myself will work as hard as we possibly can.”
The stats suggest Sunderland will be up against it. The only team in the last four years to stay up following a League One play off win is Blackpool. Of the 12 promoted teams over the last four seasons, none finished higher than 15th, and five were relegated.
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Neil said: “Sunderland is an illustrious club and a big name. Naturally people go that’s Sunderland, they should be there. But don’t take into account where we have been.
“They look at the club’s name and associate it with doing better. And that is not easy to manage. You want it to be a big club, but an element of realism. I don’t mind being judged but I want to be judged fairly.
“In the Championship you have 12-16 teams expecting to finish in the top six. That can’t work. So fans, chairman, owners are naturally frustrated because they feel they have put good money in and are not where they should be.
“16 teams into six doesn’t split, and you will get some upset teams. The Championship has the biggest turnover in managers of any division. In the Championship you can play top of the league or bottom of the league and both will fancy their chances to beat you. That is not normal for most leagues and it makes the Championship so competitive.
“The financial gap between teams are also huge in the Championship, because of Premier League parachute payments. Biggest challenge this summer? The hangover after Wembley? That was enjoyable even if it was painful! Just getting prepared for the season and getting deals done.”
Neil remains optimistic his hungry young players and core of older pros will compete fiercely, adding: “Everything goes up a level, the quality, athleticism, the moments you get damaged. The majority of the games in League One we had chances and 70 per cent possession. We will not dominate as much as we did before. We have a strategy: find the best young talent we can and develop them and a hard core of senior players. We have a sustainable plan.
“We have not got a wealth benefactor flinging money in. The owners are already making up a shortfall with their own money. I want to show people what I am capable of and to get this club where it should be. It is crucial for the area and the fans, and crucial for the players.”
