Life doesn’t stand still though, and aside from in supporters’ memory banks, football doesn’t either. Come August, Sunderland will be playing in the Premier League again. A thrilling prospect, undoubtedly. But also one that will bring multiple challenges. At some stage soon, there is every chance that reality will bite.
This isn’t meant to be a column filled with unnecessary doom and gloom. While the senior hierarchy at the Stadium of Light will be straight back at work firming up what life in the Premier League will look like and confirming the extent of the changes that are now required, fans still have every right to bask in the Wembley afterglow.
Perhaps things will be rosy back in the top-flight. This is a young, vibrant Sunderland squad containing plenty of players who have an extremely high ceiling when it comes to the scale of their potential talent. Regis Le Bris has proved himself as an extremely astute head coach. Kristjaan Speakman and the rest of the recruitment team will be able to pursue a completely different level of transfer target with a £220m windfall now guaranteed.
Even so, a cursory glance at the Premier League standings in the last couple of seasons underlines the size of the challenge Sunderland are about to take on. We all know by now that the three promoted teams have been relegated in each of the last two top-flight seasons, the first time that has happened since the Premier League was created. This season, the final points tally of the three promoted teams was the lowest in Premier League history. By pretty much any measure available, it is getting harder and harder to stay up.
Sunderland will fancy their chances against Leeds and Burnley, the two sides promoted alongside them, but while the final standings might have been skewed by Le Bris’ approach in the final month of the season, the reality is that they finished 24 points behind them both. Which of the current Premier League teams might they overhaul next term? Tottenham finished 17th yet are European champions thanks to their Europa League success. Wolves? They’ve had a difficult year, but still boast a squad brimming with international talent. West Ham? They’ve been in the bottom half all season, but can still call on someone like Jarrod Bowen, a truly top-class performer.
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If Sunderland survive next season, they will have done exceptionally well, and while it might stick in the craw given the size of the club and its historical status, everyone associated with the Black Cats are going to have to get their heads around that reality. This is not going to be easy, and there will almost certainly be some difficult moments along the way.
That calls for a collective holding of nerve. It means there shouldn’t be a sense of panic if things start badly, or a search for a scapegoat if the autumn proves traumatic. Most importantly of all, it certainly shouldn’t mean that Le Bris’ reward for presiding over one of the most memorable seasons in living memory is the sack if his side are in the relegation places in the run-up to Christmas.
This time last year, Russell Martin was celebrating play-off success with Southampton. Come mid-December, he was receiving his P45. Of the two other promoted clubs, Ipswich stuck with Kieran McKenna, but Leicester ditched Steve Cooper before November was out. In the previous season, Paul Heckingbottom’s reward for winning an unlikely promotion with Sheffield United was to be sacked in early December.
It is often said that if you’re the manager of a mid-ranking Championship team, the worst thing you can do for your job security is win promotion. Given everything he has achieved since inheriting an almighty mess last summer, it would be an absolute travesty if Le Bris was to find himself under pressure in the event of Sunderland struggling to come to terms with life back in the top-flight in the first half of next season.
The golden moments that have been created over the course of the last 12 months have helped ease the pain of back-to-back relegations and life in League One. Now, they also have to provide emotional sustenance if things become difficult again.
Remember how you felt when Eliezer Mayenda equalised. Hold on to the memory of Watson curling into the corner. Don’t forget how you serenaded Le Bris or roared out the name of every player celebrating in front of you. They delivered. They have earned the right for some unwavering support.
