Football Season Review

Sunderland suffered a devastating second straight relegation as they finished bottom of the Championship with just 37 points. It was a pretty bleak campaign from start to finish for the Wearsiders. They started with Simon Grayson as manager having recruited him from Preston but just when things became apparent they were not working, he was sacked and replaced by Chris Coleman. Big things were expected of Coleman, despite the size of his task, but he never looked like dragging Sunderland to safety. Lewis Grabban had been a big player for Sunderland in the first few months of his half-season long loan from Bournemouth. He scored 12 goals in only 19 matches for the Wearsiders before he returned to Bournemouth and then moved to Aston Villa. That was a huge blow to Sunderland's chances especially as replacement Ashley Fletcher never looked like getting going. No players can really come out of this season with any credit. Veteran defender John O'Shea won player of the year but only because he was better than some other players. Sunderland's dreadful home record of just three wins is one of the major reasons for this season's failure. There is optimism though with a takeover of the club finally going through. They need to find a new manager first to help turn the club around.

Player of the Season: John O'Shea