Sunderland's first campaign back in the Championship exceeded all expectations as the club qualified for the play-offs, but it's time to dish out the end-of-season grades. The season started under Alex Neil before Tony Mowbray took over as head coach at the end of August, and between them they used 36 players across 52 league, cup, and play-off games.
Of those, nine joined over the summer - including Jack Clarke and Leon Dajaku who made permanent moves to Wearside after spending time on loan with the Black Cats last term - along with three loan signings, including Manchester United forward Amad. The Black Cats added four more players in January, including Pierre Ekwah from West Ham, and bringing in Joe Gelhardt on loan from Leeds United.
Despite losing star striker Ross Stewart for almost three quarters of the season due to injury, Sunderland ended the season by clinching sixth place on the final day of the campaign before losing out to Luton Town over two legs in the play-off semi-final. But which players have made the greatest impact? Which players have handled the step up from League One with aplomb, and which have struggled to make the grade? Here's how our Sunderland AFC writer James Hunter has graded their contributions.
