Sunderland have capitulated in the Championship this season. And their downfall arguably comes down to just two things, or two reasons.
The Easter weekend was a mixed one for Sunderland.
Though a 5-1 defeat vs Blackburn Rovers at the Stadium of Light on Monday leaves memories of this Easter weekend, on the whole, very negative.
Mike Dodds earned his first win as interim boss with a 2-0 win vs Cardiff City on Friday but watched his side fall apart on the Monday.
Blackburn Rovers tore apart a sorry-looking Sunderland side, with poor performances from Pierre Ekwah and Patrick Roberts to name a couple.
Sunderland’s 2023/24 Championship season
The season started positively.
Albeit with a few poor results, the Black Cats were once again challenging for the top six under Tony Mowbray, after their impressive 6th place finish last season.
But the club now sits in 13th.
There’s 13 points between Sunderland and Norwich City in 6th and 11 points between the Black Cats and Huddersfield Town in 22nd.
A mediocre, mid-table finish looks to be on the cards for Sunderland, then.
This season’s shortcomings have brought owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman into the spotlight.
And journalist Phil Smith believes two particular mistakes have ruined this current season.
Sunderland sack Tony Mowbray
The first decision being to sack Mowbray.
Sunderland and Mowbray, now at Birmingham City, parted ways in December following a 1-1 draw vs Millwall which left the club in 9th.
Then after a fairly frantic managerial search, Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman surprised everybody, and disappointed most, with the appointment of Michael Beale.
He lasted just 12 games, shattering any and all confidence the players had and leaving Dodds to pick up the pieces.
The second mistake, as Smith said after the Blackburn defeat, is:
“If the answer is that they felt they could achieve what they did last season, and that was the expectation, then fair enough. But there needs to be a level of realism about the decisions that have then made that [Mowbray’s exit], so much more difficult.”
Smith added:
“Mowbray and January, for me, are the two things for me… I know they played badly in a couple of games, but this season was absolutely not destined to finish where it is now.”
Kristjaan Speakman oversees another poor transfer window
Sunderland have needed a new striker for several windows now.
They signed a handful last summer in Nazariy Rusyn, Luis Hemir, and Mason Burstow, but none have impressed.
Speakman and co continue to bring in these inexperienced and unproven players and Sunderland are now paying for a distinct lack of quality and experience in the side.
January though was a chance to right some wrongs of last summer.
But again, the club placed too much emphasis on youth, bringing in Romaine Mundle, Leo Hjelde, and the slightly more experienced Callum Styles.
Again, though, they’re three signings that just haven’t improved the team so far.
So this 2023/24 season is panning out to be one to forget for Sunderland.
Like Smith suggests, it seems like the capitulation can be attributed to two key moments; sacking Mowbray and then the January transfer window.
It’s made for an all-important summer at the Stadium of Light with Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman in particular now seeing their reputation at risk of falling off a cliff.
Sunderland return to action vs Bristol City this weekend.