With what feels like an 18-week international break on our hands and nowt else to write about, let’s take a closer look at this season so far. They say the closer you look at something the worse it gets but let’s have a gander anyway...
After our spotty run of form from 2025 so far, it’s time for a bit of perspective. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, they say, but it ain't free. Time is a great healer, there's another one for you. The main cause of frustration most of our fans have felt this season is founded by our excellent start to the season because the bar was set very high from the get-go. We held on to top spot with our best start to a league season in 99 years. We'd even held Forest to a draw in pre-season. Look at them now.
We have only lost one game at home this season and we've had 16 different goal scorers (in the league). LO9's maddest moment was when he was (very) briefly our top scorer. It’s easy to put the blinkers on after seasons gone by. Although our last match was devastating, I hate to say I wasn't surprised. Coventry smelt blood and took their chance. While we'd been due a convincing win, which we'd got in the form of a 2-0 over Luton, I had a feeling we were due a pasting too. I don't want to sound like I’m being hard on the lads, but it is what is. Both Paddy and RLB sounded wounded in their post-match interview after the Sky Blues game.
All that being said, we're still fourth, we still have some players who are getting better and we're still set for a shot in the playoffs. Given how we've performed against teams around us (except Coventry), as opposed to teams way under us, I'd say we're in with as good a chance as any.
Jobe has been an absolute rock this season, he's been by far our strongest player. When he's one on one challenging for the ball, my money’s on him to come out on top. Bellingham has been a bellwether for our team, if he's playing well, we play well. He has a habit of dropping too far off the ball at times, but whether this is a tactical choice, or not, remains unclear. It doesn't seem to help us though. He also likes to make powerful runs into the opponent’s half only to pass back twice the distance he's run. If there's some logic behind this I am missing, then fair enough, but again I've yet to see it work for us.
It's fantastic to see himself, Rigg and Dan Neil keep the umpteen-million-pound rated Enzo out of his favoured position in the middle of the park. Jobe played here, there and everywhere last season so it's good to see him finally find a position he's been able to get his teeth into. The passion he showed during his celebration when we scored against Cardiff alone showed he has the fire in his heart any club would kill for. Wilson has made a big name for himself in Sunderland folk law, his permanent signing has been another highlight of the season. The big, daft and loveable Frenchman has brought his personality to the club on and off the pitch. 'I don't care if I don't score, I just want us to win', say no more big un.
Back when the season began, our refreshed tactical approach seemed to plug all the gaps that hindered us last season. A better press, better set pieces and better control of the second ball. Happy days. Sadly, we've struggled against high balls into the box and the spaces behind our high flying fullbacks has left us caught out on at least a dozen occasions that seemed to lead to a goal. I feel like I'm being harsh, but at the same time I know I'm not fibbing either. So here we are. As the season has gone on, particularly of late, the promising fundamentals we began with have dwindled. I think this can largely be put down to injuries and some squad rotation that caused a player being thrust in before they were ready. An example of this was when Tommy Watson was given a chance to step up but he had to play out on the right rather than the left. When he did play on the left, he did so well before injury and before he almost left us in January.
Now onto the best and arguably most overlooked plus this season: Regis Le Bris. Where we've scrambled in previous seasons, RLB has brought our most consistent football in years. No, it’s not been perfect and in an ideal world the best way to get promoted would be to set a new league record for points and blow every other team out of the water. Been there, done that in years gone by. He corrected our tactical misgivings, got Jobe into his best position and found a balance in the squad when injuries occurred. His presses are balanced and composed, no doom and gloom or used car salesmen speal. He has admitted the longer English season has taken some adapting to on his part and that, much like his squad, he too has room to grow and learn.
Overall, I'd give us a strong 7/10 for the season. Not one team has walked all over us or left the pitch without a sizable amount of respect for our formidable young uns. Regis has made some big changes. Our recruitment left some gaps in January, but not by much if you consider the Enzo coup. Fingers crossed we go up and he stays. For now, we wait till our season resumes. Hopefully, this break will be everything we needed before the final push. If we come out the gates the same as we did at the beginning of the season we'll be flying. Watch this space.
