Opinion Evolving the model, keeping the spirit!

Whoever appears, regardless of price or renown, simply prove that you deserve to wear the clothing.

The 2019 League One playoff final aired on Sky Sports a few nights ago. It wasn’t an enjoyable experience—Jack Ross 1-1 with Charlton on the touchline, Alim Öztürk and Tom Flanagan in the heart of our defence, and Will Grigg and Charlie Wyke up attack.

To top it all off, the team wore the dreary all-black Adidas away kit. That day, I was at Wembley.

My two sons and I made the long journey south, only to return home disillusioned and depressed. Luke O’Nien filled in at right-back and sustained his usual injury, finishing the match wearing a black headband to match his strip. He is the only survivor from the team that played that day.

As terrible as it was to relive the experience, there were players on that team who truly cared about the organisation and its fans. Lee Cattermole and Grant Leadbitter are examples of players who ‘played for the badge’ in midfield. Leadbitter had just played in the semi-final against Portsmouth, suffering over the death of his mother.

Aiden McGeady was another player whose dedication was undeniable; only pain-killing injections kept him on the pitch in the second half at Wembley. The standards surrounding him may have slipped, but his never did.

Photo by Mark Fletcher/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

It was a difficult time to be a Sunderland fan, but there was a core of players – O’Nien, Catts, Leadbitter, and Geads – who truly understood what it meant to wear the famous red-and-white shirt, who properly felt the connection between the team and the supporters, and who could honestly be described as fit to wear the badge, even if some of those around them clearly did not.

Unfortunately, it took too many years before we could truly say we had a full team that shared their outlook.Kristjaan Speakman and Stuart Harvey deserve enormous credit for identifying individuals who, in the intervening years, not only had the quality that should be expected at our club, but also became invested in what it meant to play for Sunderland. Régis Le Bris’ appointment has completed the jigsaw. The studious, careful Frenchman evaluated the players at his disposal and immediately benched those who did not fit the approach that he desired.

Pierre Ekwah is undeniably skilled, but his sluggish style lacked the commitment that Le Bris demanded of his midfielders.  Adil Aouchiche was given an opportunity and failed to convince his fellow countryman that he deserved his place in the squad.

Instead, Le Bris provided opportunities to young players who demonstrated the work ethic he demanded – Jobe was given a permanent spot in the middle of midfield, Eliezer Mayenda was brought in from the cold after a disappointing loan spell in Scotland, and Chris Rigg had his manager’s entire confidence. And, as it turned out, Le Bris handled the delicate issue with Tommy Watson admirably.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Within the group that defied expectations to defeat Coventry over two legs and then triumph at Wembley, there was a sense of unity, belief, and team spirit that had been lacking at our club for many years.

Players like Leo Hjelde, who was typically on the outskirts of the team, were in the centre of the celebrations. There was a sense of purpose and cohesion among our local custodian, defenders such as Dan Ballard, Trai Hume, and Dennis Cirkin, midfielders Neil, Jobe, and Le Fée, and the aforementioned Mayenda and Isidor.

This gets me to where Sunderland AFC is now. Club transfer records have already been shattered, we’re being linked with players from all around Europe, and ‘the model’ is entering its next phase. I am truly delighted about the quality of players we are currently affiliated with. Furthermore, our acquisitions and targets are primarily young players who have yet to realise their full potential.

But, if Sunderland is to remain in the Premier League next season, we need more than simply exceptional players; we need players who understand that putting on those iconic red-and-white shirts is a privilege that we fans would kill for. We endured the years where players saw our club as being a place where they could pick up an easy pay cheque – yes, I’m talking about you, Jack Rodwell, and the coterie of former Everton players who arrived under Moyes.