Avoiding the Drop

Last Year’s Record: 9 wins, 9 draws, 20 losses for 36 points and 16th place in the Premier League

Transfers (In): Lorik Cana (Marseilles, £5m), Paulo Da Silva (Toluca, Mexico, undisclosed), Frazier Campbell (Manchester United, £3.5m), Darren Bent (Tottenham, £10m)

Transfers (Out): Dean Whitehead (Stoke City, £5m), Michael Chopra (Cardiff City, £4m), Greg Halford (Wolverhampton Wanderers, £2m), Peter Hartley (Hartlepool, free), Nick Colgan (Grimsby, free), Dwight Yorke (free) David Connolly (free), Arnau Riera (free), Darren Ward (retired)

Season Outlook:

Sunderland are currently a team who appear to be ready to turn the corner and become mainstays of the EPL’s lower half.  After numerous years bouncing back and forth between the EPL and the Championship, the Black Cats have put together three straight seasons in the top flight and now believe they have a manager- Steve Bruce- who can keep them out of relegation danger for the foreseeable future.  The key players in any success that Sunderland may have are Craig Gordon, Kieran Richardson, Anton Ferdinand, Paul McShane, and Andy Reid.  Unfortunately, all of these players are on the fringes of their national sides and these sides are all still in the midst of World Cup qualification.  Luckily for Sunderland, only Gordon (once he is healthy) is a lock to be on his nation’s roster for these matches.  The recent signing of Darren Bent from Tottenham is also sure to help the team’s fortunes as the season begins.

Perhaps the biggest job facing Steve Bruce is movitating a team whose performances last year could kindly be called “uneven,” and more honestly labled “uninspired” and “heartless.”  The idea of getting “stuck in” seemed to have been lost on the squad as the season came to a close.  Bruce’s biggest help in doing this will come from captain Lorik Cana and veterans like Steed Malbranque and Teemu Tainio.  They will have their hands full keeping the noses of players like Gordon, striker Kenwyne Jones, and Ferdinand to the proverbial grindstone.  Leadership from Bruce and the more experienced players will also be the key to  getting the most out of promising young players like Grant Leadbitter and Frazier Campbell and ensuring a solid foundation for the club’s future success.

The wildcard in Sunderland’s deck is Ellis Short, their billionaire American owner.  Should Sunderland need a mid-season boost to ensure that they stay in the EPL, or even a boost to get them into a more respectable position, only the Big Four and the newly rich Manchester City have a bigger warchest from which to draw.  The question is what it will take for Short to open it.  Thus far Short has chosen to remain in the background more than the three other American owners in the EPL- the Glazer family at Manchester United, George Gillett and Tom Hicks at Liverpool, and Randy Lerner at Aston Villa- and a big signing during the January transfer period might be just the way for him to have his own coming out party.

The experts here at the site have predicted a finish between 10th and 18th place for Sunderland and this seems about right.  The wide range is typical of teams in the lower half of the table where one good or bad break can make a huge difference in a club’s position.  Rest assured, however, that all that really matters in the end is that Sunderland fares better than Newcastle.  Sunderland staying up- no matter how slim the margin- and Newcastle staying down would be considered the best kind of success on Wearside.