Sunderland need more than a miracle if they are to stay up

Sunderland have endured one of the worst calendar years imaginable in 2015. As if the 2014/15 season wasn’t bad enough, the Black Cats have duly continued that form into the 2015/16 season.

According to the latest stats on Sky Sports, Sunderland rank joint 89th (with Newcastle) on points per game through the calendar year out of the 92 teams that make up the top four divisions.

It really put in perspective how bad things are at the club as they averaged just 0.79 points per game during the whole of 2015, and if I know Sunderland, I doubt much will change in 2016. Maybe we’ll be higher up the rankings if we start winning games in the Championship?

Sam Allardyce looks to have his work cut out if he is to keep Sunderland up this season.

It was the first time in a long time that I’ve left the Stadium of Light, after the Liverpool game, to several people discussing how we should just accept our fate and try to look forward to life in the Championship. Sunderland leave 2015 with just 12 points from 19 games with only one team, West Brom, managing Premier League survival of the eight teams who have found themselves in the same situation at the midway point.

It is for that reason why Sunderland need another miracle for the third season running. I know three is a magic number and all that but I, and the majority of the fans, cannot see it happening this time around. The lads in red and white are currently seven points from safety with a relegation clash with bottom of the table Aston Villa coming up next. In my opinion, we are as good as down but anything other than a win at home to Villa pretty much seals our fate.

Again it is down to the lack of fight and passion that the players have for the club and, quite frankly, Ellis Short, Maggie Byrne and all their minions that have ripped the heart out of the club. Short has given false promises to several managers, mainly surrounding the transfer market, and wonders why we still aren’t performing at a higher level when we have a team full of past it players who only seem interested in picking up their wage slip at the end of the month. A club such as Sunderland needs someone who cares about the club and knows what the supporters want in charge, such as when Niall Quinn was in charge. “Keep the faith” has always been the saying on Wearside, but it has got to the point where the fans have given up trying to do so.

It is going to take a massive January transfer window to sort out the mess we are currently in. Once again we’re linked with an England international, this time Andros Townsend. I personally don’t think he would be able to sort our problems, especially when his nickname among the Spurs fans is “dross”. But, I suppose you can’t judge him until after a few games. All in all, I think we are too far gone and we need more than a miracle to stay up this season.