Short Term Looks Bleak But Sunderland Signings Offer Hope

The mood at the Stadium of Light on Sunday was odd. There were 46,531 there, which is a huge number for a team going through an extremely familiar relegation battle, even when they were playing the unexpected champions elect. And, even though Sunderland lost, meaning they have won just one of their last 11 games and lie four points from safety, the crowd was supportive; there was little of the frustration that usually characterises a relegation scrap. There was some booing at the end, but it was quickly transformed into applause for Leicester.

Sunderland fans are connoisseurs of relegation battles, perhaps more so than any other in the country. They were, after all, relegated six times between 1985 and 2006 and, since their return to the Premier League under Roy Keane in 2006/07, have broken 40 points on just three occasions. But this struggle is different to the others because, however desperate the situation is, there is also a sense that things are getting better.

In the five years to the end of August, Sunderland signed 67 players. Each new manager – and there were many: Martin O’Neill, Paolo Di Canio, Gus Poyet, Dick Advocaat – brought in their own men. There was no sense of any kind of coherent structure. Ellis Short, perhaps in recognition of the chaos, appointed a sporting director in Robert Di Fanti and then, after he fell out with Poyet another in Lee Congerton, but both ended up in conflict with their managers.

The result was a shapeless squad of little coherence undermined, it’s been widely rumoured for a long time, by a basic lack of off-field discipline. Allardyce, like his predecessors, brought in his own players in January and, for once the new signings have made an obvious positive impact. The sense is that there is the core of a squad in place and that, with a little more luck, might already be out of the relegation zone. They may not survive this season but even if they don’t the long-term prognosis feels healthier than it has done for some time – depending, of course, on who stays.

Three of the four signings Allardyce made in January have average WhoScored.com ratings above seven; other than the goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who played only once, only three other Sunderland players can say that. Jan Kirchhoff, who endured an awful debut away at Tottenham, making a mistake that led to a goal and then conceding a penalty, has been exceptional, a calming influence in front of the back four, looking every inch a former Bayern Munich player. He’s averaging 3.9 tackles, 2.9 interceptions and 4.2 clearances per game and, while a pass-completion rate of 71.5% isn’t great, it should be borne in mind that he averages 3 long balls per game; he is not playing the low-tariff sideways balls many players in his position specialise in.

Behind him, Lamine Kone has formed an effective partnership with Younes Kaboul. As the former Sunderland goalkeeper David Preece observed in his Sunderland Echo column last week, Kone might be Sunderland’s first real cult player since John Kay left in 1996. His header forced the winner off David De Gea against Manchester United (meaning he’s come closer to scoring in his nine games than Kay managed in 199), he’s averaging 2.0 tackles, 2.4 interceptions, 8.9 clearances and he wins 2.9 aerials per game.

Wahbi Khazri, meanwhile, scuttling up and down the left flank in tandem with Patrick van Aanholt, has scored one and set one up, and is averaging 2.4 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per game, while also contributing 2.4 tackles and 0.8 interceptions.

Since the arrival of the three, Sunderland have become harder to beat, but they’re not making the most of their opportunities. They’ve had the lead against Crystal Palace, Southampton and Newcastle without winning any of those games. Against West Brom they had 22 shots to three and drew 0-0. Against Leicester and West Ham, Jack Rodwell missed clear shots from eight yards that would have made it 1-1. The upturn is clear, but it is not yet translating into results.

The encouragement for Sunderland is that there is at last improvement and a sense of an overall plan. If this squad goes down then, if it can be kept more or less together, it should be well-placed for the promotion campaign to come.

Will Sunderland's improvements prove to be too little too late? Let us know in the comments below