Sunderland were looking in dire predicament from pretty much the start of the season as manager Dick Advocaat did not really seem too committed to the job, having been persuaded to stay on after securing survival at the end of the previous campaign. The squad was lacking in quality and depth and was not really bolstered in the summer too, with the likes of Yann M’Vila, Jermain Lens and Younes Kaboul not looking like the solutions to the team’s problems. Morale was low and that was clear from the start, with performances lacking desire and drive and the players looking defeated from kick-off. It meant that Sunderland were stationed at the bottom end of the table from early on and managed to get just three points from the first eight games. Advocaat made it clear that he has no wish to continue and departed the club in early October. The manager decided that an experienced manager in Sam Allardyce, someone who has expertise in keeping teams up and knows the league inside out, is the right solution for them. He pulled off a derby win over Newcastle in his second game in charge but overall the first few months were difficult for him. He was struggling to discern the players he wanted to stay with him and the starting 11 was getting changed too often. Indeed, five losses on the spin in December put the team in a very difficult situation at the start of 2016. But the January transfer window proved crucial for the club as they signed three players in Jan Kirchhoff , Wahbi Khazri and Lamine Kone. They added both steel in midfield and defence and provided a bit of flair in the attacking department. It allowed Allardyce to finally settle on a preferred system and starting 11 and in Jermain Defoe he now had a striker that was playing really well after a poor start of the season. There some good performances now but not enough good results as the team struggled to emerge from the bottom three, as hard as they were trying in every game. They claimed a big win over Manchester United in February but that was their sole league success in a stretch of 11 games either side of it. There were too many draws during that run and at times it seemed like Sunderland had run out of luck after too many lucky escapes in recent seasons. But Allardyce is a manager used to bending things to his will and his side eventually found their form for the crucial final stretch of the season. A massive win away at Norwich in a six-pointer in April gave them a good chance and they remained unbeaten for the final six games of the season. The real crucial game was at home against Chelsea with a week left. The Black Cats were losing at the break but pulled off a brilliant 3:2 win and managed to leapfrog Newcastle. They made the most of their game in hand a few days later as a handsome win over Everton secured another season in the top-flight. It was another narrow escape but Sunderland have played really well in the last few months and the manager should be congratulated for turning their season around. For them to avoid another season of struggle and battle at the bottom next year, they do need some serous investment however.
