From transfers to takeovers, manager to style, SSN's Keith Downie assesses how Sunderland will try to escape League One next season...
Saturday 13 June 2020 07:01, UK
With the League One season curtailed, Sunderland have finished in their lowest-ever league position, missed out on the play-offs by a whisker - and now face a tricky rebuild during an uncertain summer.
The Black Cats' eighth-place finish was confirmed earlier this week when clubs voted to use the points-per-game system to determine the final league placings in the division due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Agonisingly, victory in their final match before the lockdown at mid-table Bristol Rovers - rather than a 2-0 defeat - would have been enough to see Sunderland into the play-offs on the points-per-game basis.
But that near-miss counts for nothing, and now boss Phil Parkinson is facing up to the challenge of finding the Black Cats a route out of the third tier at the third time of asking.
With his players still furloughed, 11 first-teamers out of contract at the end of June, and chairman Stewart Donald having looked to sell the club earlier this year, it will be no easy task.
Here, Sky Sports News reporter in the North East Keith Downie - who interviewed Parkinson on Friday - assesses the situation…
Keith Downie: "I got the impression from speaking to Parkinson that he had seen it coming and I think they've known for two or three weeks now that the season wasn't starting again and ending as it was. The fact certain teams who were in the play-offs were back in training and doing testing already and Sunderland weren't showed the clubs knew what was going to happen.
"He kept trying to look to next season. I think he's accepted it and knows he needs to move on. But there's that grey area of when they'll be able to move on because Sunderland's players are actually furloughed just now.
"So when does he get his players back? When can he start making signings? When can he talk to the players who are going to be out of contract? When can they get back to training? And when will the supporters return to football? There are so many unanswered questions just now.
"Parkinson is disappointed, he's annoyed he's not been able to get them back up. But it's a very unusual situation. They were right in the mix.
"I was at the Gillingham game before the defeat at Bristol Rovers, where they were 1-0 up and 2-1 up and they were coasting but lost two goals to long throw-ins which they defended badly. Afterwards, speaking to Kevin Phillips and a few other former players, they had a real feeling that could come back to haunt them and obviously it has.
"Those last few games have cost them. They'd actually been on a really good run after Christmas. But there's nothing to say they would have gone in and steamed through the play-offs anyway. They'd been so up and down all season. Their form has been all over the place for the majority of the season."
Keith Downie: "I got the impression from the way Parkinson was speaking - talking about contracts, possible signings - that he's confident from his discussions with chairman Stewart Donald and chief executive Jim Rodwell that he will be at the helm next season.
"I think a number of Sunderland fans might want the club to go down a different direction. It has been obvious for a while now they've wanted Kevin Phillips as the manager. He was overlooked earlier in the season when Parkinson was brought in.
"There's an issue with money for the club - they've already sacked Jack Ross this season, if they were to sack Parkinson I don't think they could afford to do that - but I do think from within they feel he was beginning to get it right and it looks as if he's going to get a second crack at it.
"It's difficult to fully, fully judge Parkinson yet, when he wasn't given the opportunity to finish the job that he'd started but there have been some poor results there that need to be held up against him, too.
"It sounds as though he'll be in charge next season."
Keith Downie: "Parkinson said to me he's not been told anything about the takeover. It seems that has essentially been shelved while coronavirus is here. As far as Parkinson is concerned it's business as usual.
"The owners, a couple of months ago, brought in a chief executive for the first time since Donald has been in charge - Jim Rodwell - so they've brought someone in at that level to deal with the financial side of things."
Keith Downie: "Parkinson has got a lot of players out of contract. Sunderland will need to submit their retained list in the next week or two and then Parkinson will need to get to the task of bringing players in.
"He reckons they'll get a better quality of player for similar money in the next transfer market, given the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic on football. He's been talking budgets with Rodwell and it sounds as though he's targeting Championship players and perhaps even players coming out of the Premier League who are maybe going to be released and looking for a club.
It sounds as though Sunderland will be targeting Championship players and perhaps even players coming out of the Premier League who are looking for a club.
"He thinks wages will have come down, which means they'll be able to attract a better standard of player moving forwards in this upcoming transfer window especially.
"A lot is up in the air at the moment but I suppose the advantage they'll have over those clubs playing in the play-offs is they'll have a bit more time to try to get to work in terms of bringing players in.
"Sunderland is always going to be a huge attraction to any player, given the size of the club, the support, and the wages on offer are the highest in League One. So even though they've had two poor seasons, they'll have that advantage, attract players.
"It sounds from what he's saying that he will have funds at his disposal."
Keith Downie: "Parkinson feels he deserves a season from the start. He said he's excited to get the players back in and building them up to pre-season.
"One thing that was noticeable when he took over from Jack Ross was the players became fitter. Ross had a different style of football, it wasn't up and at them, in their face, chasing the ball down, it was more using the ball and bossing the game that way. But Parkinson has been about front foot style and getting high up the pitch.
"He admitted himself he didn't think the players were at a high enough fitness for his style. So, he's looking forward to having the pre-season under his belt to get them into the shape he wants for a third crack at League One - which seems unbelievable to say for Sunderland.
"He seems confident. But he knows he needs to get off to a flyer. They can't have a slow start to the season.
"It was last summer Charlie Methven, the former director of the club, put the target of 100 points on the team this season. They got to 59 points. They got nowhere near it. But Parkinson knows it will be a failure next season unless he gets Sunderland up."
