Sunderland have given up in the Championship this season. And their failure may be attributed to only two factors or explanations.
Sunderland’s Easter weekend was a mixed one.
Though a 5-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers at the Stadium of Light on Monday, memories of this Easter weekend are mostly unpleasant.
Mike Dodds secured his first win as interim manager with a 2-0 victory over Cardiff City on Friday, but his side crumbled on Monday.
Blackburn Rovers ripped apart a sorry-looking Sunderland team, with terrible displays from Pierre Ekwah and Patrick Roberts, to mention a few.
Sunderland’s 2023/24 Championship season
The season began positively.
Despite a few disappointing performances, the Black Cats were once again contending for the top six under Tony Mowbray, following their excellent sixth-place finish the previous season.
But the club is presently ranked 13th.
Sunderland leads Norwich City by 13 points in sixth place, while Huddersfield Town trails by 11 points in 22nd place.
Sunderland appears to be heading for a disappointing, mid-table finish.
This season’s difficulties have brought owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and athletic director Kristjaan Speakman to the forefront.
And journalist Phil Smith argues that two specific blunders have wrecked the current season.
Sunderland sack Tony Mowbray
The first decision was to sack Mowbray.
Sunderland and Mowbray, now at Birmingham City, parted ways in December after a 1-1 draw with Millwall, which left the club in ninth place.
Then, following a frenetic managerial search, Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman stunned and upset everyone with the hiring of Michael Beale.
He lasted only 12 games, breaking the players’ trust and leaving Dodds to pick up the pieces.
The second mistake, as Smith stated following the Blackburn defeat, is:
“If the response is that they believed they could achieve what they did last season, and that was the expectation, then is fair enough. But there must be some realism about the decisions that have made [Mowbray’s exit] so much more difficult.”
Smith added:
“Mowbray and January are two of my favorite things…” I understand they played poorly in a few games, but this season was not supposed to end where it is today.”
Kristjaan Speakman oversees another poor transfer window
Sunderland has needed a new striker for several seasons.
They signed a few of players last summer, including Nazariy Rusyn, Luis Hemir, and Mason Burstow, but none have impressed.
Speakman and co. continue to bring in inexperienced and unproven players, and Sunderland is now paying for a glaring lack of skill and experience on the team.
However, January provided an opportunity to make amends for some of the mistakes made last summer.
However, the team placed too much focus on youth, signing Romaine Mundle, Leo Hjelde, and the slightly more experienced Callum Styles.
However, they are three signings who have yet to boost the team’s performance.
So the 2023/24 season is shaping up to be one to forget for Sunderland.
As Smith notes, the capitulation appears to be attributable to two important moments: Mowbray’s dismissal and the January transfer window.
It’s set to be a pivotal summer at the Stadium of Light, with Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman’s reputations on the verge of plummeting.
Sunderland return to action against Bristol City this weekend.
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