brap2 wrote: ↑Sun May 17, 2026 7:41 pm
They were in the championship last season and played us off the park.
Young side, striker who’s 24. Diarra 22. Lo Fee 26 okay but none of them a jot of Prem Experience. Exciting project with expectation.
They certainly didn't play us of the park. It was more like two teams playing dreadful turgid football throughout with a couple of glaring errors leading to goals.
Let's not forget this is the same Sunderland who have a 5 year net spend of €150m more than us, with 4 of those sitting in the Championship.
Whilst they've had an opportunity to settle and build a squad for a challenge, we (apart from the last window) have had to all but gut ours and start again; backroom and players.
It might not feel like it today but we're now an exciting project with expectation too, and apparently a healthy dose of over-expectation within the fanbase because we happened unexpectedly to sniff Europe/midtable, where two wins (equivalent to a few correct VAR calls) separates 6th and 13th.
Cods wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 10:07 pm
They certainly didn't play us of the park. It was more like two teams playing dreadful turgid football throughout with a couple of glaring errors leading to goals.
Let's not forget this is the same Sunderland who have a 5 year net spend of €150m more than us, with 4 of those sitting in the Championship.
Whilst they've had an opportunity to settle and build a squad for a challenge, we (apart from the last window) have had to all but gut ours and start again; backroom and players.
It might not feel like it today but we're now an exciting project with expectation too, and apparently a healthy dose of over-expectation within the fanbase because we happened unexpectedly to sniff Europe/midtable, where two wins (equivalent to a few correct VAR calls) separates 6th and 13th.
Wow 150m over 5 years?! What riches, what spoils.
Over-expectation? Talking like a massive loser sadly, not for me.
Just ran out of steam, the 3, 90+ minute goals on the bounce in crucial games, its hard to get back up off the floor and play at the intensity required after that. Add to that the shitty VAR decisions, marginal offside in the derby when we're flying, it was fine margins. Sunderland looked like we'd thrown the towel in mentally as a result.
But, we were touching Champs League with 6 games to go and yes we shit the bed on the run in, but... we were touching Champs League with 6 games to go! Thats a huge uptick in form. This league can and has cost teams better than us over a 6 game period, its cruel but I've enjoyed this year over all.
Happy to see him for another year, as we continue to rehabilitate and strengthen.
brap2 wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 11:04 pm
Wow 150m over 5 years?! What riches, what spoils.
Over-expectation? Talking like a massive loser sadly, not for me.
That's the point though. They've spent 4 of the 5 years *not* in the league, and *still* have had the capacity to spend 150m more than us. As had most clubs bar 3 or 4 *across Europe* less than 12 months ago. We can't even talk about the excesses that the club sitting above us on goal difference have had. Try their shoes.
There's the reality and context of the situation that's being missed here I feel.
Do I want us to make Europe? Of course. I also would like us to win the league next season.
Does what I think make a difference to what will happen?
The reality of where we are is simply that. We were all a bit suprised we tonked Chelsea and had a sniff. Problem is we forget where we were, what we were facing a few months earlier.
Finishing mid table is pretty much where I thought we'd finish, and it seems about right. If thats loser mentality then I'm not sure you get what I'm saying.
