Alex Neil says a strong sense of team spirit has seen Sunderland develop a rare 'selfless changing room' which paid dividends in last season's promotion and into the new Championship campaign. The Black Cats have fashioned a squad made up of homegrown academy graduates, imported young talent, and some experienced pros.
Neil believes Sunderland have got the blend exactly right, and says that is crucial if the club is to continue moving forward. "There are very few times in your career as a player where you can honestly look around and find yourself in a selfless changing room," said the head coach.
"I played for 14 years or so and maybe it only happens for three or four years in that length of career, say, or maybe if you are extremely fortunate and land somewhere that is on the up for a length of time, a few more years. But you need that selfless changing room where guys who aren't starting are there for the team and there for the group and everyone is pulling in the same direction.
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"That doesn't happen on a regular basis, it is really, really, difficult because football is a really selfish game, isn't it? When you look at the riches attached to football, everybody wants their bit.
"So to try and create a selfless culture where everyone is doing their bit for the betterment of the team, rather than the betterment of themself, that's hard. But, thankfully for us, we have got that and it's something we hold really dearly and we don't want to dilute it in any way, shape, or form, through recruitment, through behaviours, through any of that sort of stuff.
"We [the coaching staff] set the standards, but it's driven by the players."
Sunderland's squad includes players such as Dan Neil, Anthony Patterson, Elliot Embleton, Lynden Gooch, and Jack Diamond, who have come up through the ranks on Wearside. They have been joined by young players like Jack Clarke, Dennis Cirkin, and Daniel Ballard, who have been brought in from elsewhere.
And they operate alongside senior men such as Bailey Wright, Danny Batth, Corry Evans, and Alex Pritchard, who provide the experience and the knowhow. The academy graduates are an essential part of the mix, but Neil says there are no 'free passes' for homegrown players - only those that are good enough will make the grade.
Neil said: "The club has arguably been guilty in the past of trying cherry-pick players, putting them together, and expecting the team spirit to cultivate. That's extremely difficult to do.
"If you look at the best teams, the Arsenals, the Chelseas, Manchester United over the years, they've had guys coming through the youth academy that understand and know the club, and they feel responsible for everything that happens on and off the pitch. That's what we've got, and the club deserves credit for that.
"What we're trying to do is bring young lads through, and get as many academy lads in as we can. But at the same time, if they are not capable they won't be in the team.
"They don't get any free passes because they are a young kid and they are from Sunderland - that's not how it works. But if they are capable and they have the determination, the best interests of the club at heart, then I think that's what you see from our team at the moment.
"It's great for me, and it's a great environment to come in to. The balance of the squad at the moment, albeit we want to recruit and strengthen, is tops at the moment."
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