Dean McDonald says…
I’m looking forward to the challenge and I think the assumption from opposing fans that we’ll go down due to European football is a very lazy one — the last team to go down whilst playing in Europe was Ipswich in 2002.
As others have pointed out, we still need to add to the squad and improve our depth, which we will.
A mid-table finish and a good run in Europe will do me this season, although we know the club will be aiming for much more, which is what makes it so exciting to be a part of.
Ian Bendelow says…
The old chestnut of “the Premier League is the be all and the end all” will no doubt be trotted out at some point in the season. And that’s fair enough, because that’s where the money is. But it isn’r where the history is — for Sunderland at least.
So for one season only, let’s just go for it in Europe: who knows when we may get another chance? Seventeenth position, six points off the Visitors and a run deep in Europe would be more fine in my book (can you imagine saying that three years ago?!).
Really, though, it boils down to the quality of recruitment — as it always does no matter what your aim. So if Florent Ghisolfi et al get it right, then there should be no worries either way.
John Wilson says…
One thing that is obvious to me is that we would have had to strengthen the squad come what may — Europe or no Europe, and the fact that we brilliantly secured a Europa League spot just further emphasises that fact.
I think the Premier League will always be the main target of the club, and not just securing survival but knowing the ambition of our owners, to continue to drive standards and push for further uncharted waters.
That said, I think the crowd’s reaction alone will demand a serious attack on the European competition. Support will always grow the further the team goes both in the FA Cup and the League Cup, but I expect a full house right from the off in the Europa League, and that’ll get a reaction from the team and club.
The squad needs to be large enough and flexible enough to adapt and cope. Not many players (if any) will be used all the time and there won’t necessarily be a team for this and a team for that,but there will be frequent rotation.
Because of the uniqueness of Europe, I’m sure many fans are extra excited about games in Europe, at the Stadium of Light, under the lights. I have every faith in our recruitment process and team unity to cope on all fronts.
Bring it on!
Jon Guy says…
I’ve just been told by a Tottenham-supporting friend he can see us going down next season due to our European adventures. Given he followed that up with the fact he thinks they’ll be top four next season, I treated it with the contempt it deserved.
I think we’ll need to add to the squad simply because we’ll effectively have two games a week from September.
There’s more quality to be added and we have to brace for injuries and suspensions, but I trust the board and management to get it right and I think we will have the squad needed to navigate the challenges next season.
A solid league finish and Europa League champions for me this season!
Mark Ryan says…
Two things that are often said about Régis Le Bris is that he likes a small squad and he’s adaptable.
Well, for Sunderland to thrive this year, he’s going to need to adapt away from liking a small squad. The club needs to splash some cash on a right winger but beyond, that I think five to six £15-20 million players and/or Thomas Meuniers for depth are preferable to three Tarik Muharemovićs.
The core of the team only got rest because of injuries last season and there were matches in which it was obvious some of them were knackered. Between the Premier League, Europe, cups and the often-forgotten international duties, Le Bris has got to find rotations that will keep players fresh and recruitment may need to prioritize quantity to give him the options he needs.
All that said, I’m quite bullish on our chances.
We’ll be one of the best-funded clubs in the Europa League; the three promoted teams are weaker than last year’s and three of our middle class competitors are also in Europe and dealing with the same issues.
I believe in Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Florent Ghisolfi and Le Bris, and I believe in the returning squad’s quality and the young players’ ability to improve.
It’s an exciting time.
Matthew Donne says…
It was only two seasons ago we were playing Championship football, where our total amount of games equals that of the Europa League group stages, and we’vd got bodies in the building who have played this amount of games before — Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele, Reinildo, Luke O’Nien, Trai Hume, etc.
This shouldn’t be seen as a “new challenge” as fundamentally, it isn’t.
Yes, there’s the travel to factor into it but the sheer amount of games shouldn’t worry fans — especially if the club’s current transfer policy is anything to go by, as a lot of the newer players have got European football under their belt and this experience with it.
Paul Lee says…
If I was planning the club’s transition to European football, I would’ve smoothed the curve, lowered the risks and perhaps waited a season or two. But I’m not, and life’s short, so let’s grab it all with both hands.
On the face of it, it’s an easy equation: squad quality and depth, astute recruitment, rotation. Consistency over a larger number of games. This is predicated on the quality of the leadership team and the head coach. This is a first test for them and I have faith and confidence in their ability.
For the squad, build on last season and lots of lessons learned.
Granit Xhaka staying is very important, as is the retention of as many players as possible. Experienced players like Thomas Meunier coming in will also be a positive, especially for squad depth and experience.
For the fans, it’s more important than ever to build on the momentum of last season, to be consistent and be the twelfth man.
So, yes, let’s go for it, but with more quality recruitment to reinforce what we have already.
Wadey says…
I’m confident we can cope with the increased match schedule.
Many of our players have European and international experience and others from our EFL campaigns were used to playing a forty six-game season. Maybe the travelling will be more of a factor rather than the game schedule itself? It’s unlikely they’re going with easyJet, though, so maybe not as big a problem as it could be.
We do still need additional squad members to make sure we have cover everywhere but I see these European games as a great opportunity to throw a few young lads in without having too much pressure on them. I’m looking forward to it!
While the lure of winning a Europa League trophy is tempting, I think the priority will understandably be Premier League as maintaining our top flight status is crucial.
I see a mid-table finish and I’d love to think we can hit the top half again.
Will Patterson says…
It’s going to be a very different season.
Within the Premier League, mediocrity has been the norm for us — certainly for as long as I can remember. Last season was incredible and as a fan, even subconsciously, your expectations are raised.
For most of us, European football is unknown. One of my pet peeves in football is when clubs rotate to a massively weaker side in Europe and fans almost complaining about it due to league results.
We’re all so incredibly privileged to get this, so I don’t care about how we do in the competition — I just want to be competitive and enjoy every moment.
As for the league, the increased workload will have an impact on the players. The transfer window hasn’t really got going yet, and we’ll see how our squad gets fleshed out. There are positions where depth is an issue and they’ll need addressing to safeguard the progress we’ve already made.
I don’t expect our league position to be as good as where we ended up last season but we should expect to be competitive. For me, lower mid-table and a decent run in Europe would absolutely suffice.
One part I’m really excited about is that players will be given more opportunities to shine.
The likes of Chris Rigg, Habib Diarra, Nilson Angulo and Jocelin Ta Bi can all expect more minutes. As they do so, they’ll become more known quantities to Régis Le Bris, and I can only think of that as a positive.
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