SUNDERLAND is a club who have been through it all in recent years. After 10 successive years of Premier League football, from 2007-2017, the Black Cats found themselves in League One after back-to-back relegations.
It was then a slow slog for Sunderland as they found themselves stuck in League One for four seasons, before an eventful promotion back to the Championship in the 20/21 season.
They have been surging up the table ever since, and seems all but inevitable that Sunderland will be back in the promise land someday soon.
After the initial relegation to the Championship after the 16/17 season, plans to make a Netflix documentary occurred. The famous “Sunderland ‘til I Die” series was in production.
Amusingly, the show was originally meant to show Sunderland’s immediate rise back to the Premier League, but instead showed the mess of the club at the time. Their second relegation in a row was therefore documented and shown on Netflix.
The series became immensely popular and football fans would often mock Sunderland, chanting ‘we saw you crying on Netflix’.
Back-to-back relegations saw Sunderland dragged into the third tier of English football.
The Black Cat’s first season in League One ended in playoff heartbreak at Wembley, as Charlton Athletic scored a 94th minute winner to gain promotion at Sunderland’s dispense, having initially taken a 1-0 lead.
Their second season in League One was controversially cut short with 10 games to spare, and the season was decided on PPG (points per game). This meant Sunderland had to settle for an 8th place finish.
The 20/21 was seen as Sunderland’s opportunity to escape this league, having been in the top two for the majority of the season. However, a very poor run in April saw them miss out on the automatic spots, and playoff semi-final defeat to Lincoln saw more pain and heartbreak for the Black Cats.
The following season was finally the year for Sunderland; however, they still did it the hard way! A 5th place finish meant it was playoffs again for the Tyne-and-Wear-side.
A last-minute goal at Hillsborough in the second leg against Sheffield Wednesday was enough to reach Wembley. This time they made no mistake and overcame Wycombe in the final. The sleeping giant was finally awoken.
It was a successful first season back in the Championship as Sunderland clinched playoffs on the final day, but ultimately fell short.
A disappointing season followed for the North-West club as they finished 16th in the second tier.
As of May 2023, a new co-ownership model of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori took over. The billionaire pair have invested heavily into the Sunderland squad.
The talents acquired over the recent years, with Jobe Bellingham, Daniel Ballard, Wilson Isidor, as well as academy product and exciting talent Chris Rigg in the ranks, it is an exciting time for the Black Cats.
The recent acquisition of talented midfielder Enzo Le Fee was a huge statement of intent. The 24-year-old was signed on loan from Italian giants Roma in January 2025. The Frenchmen’s deal has an option to buy if Sunderland are promoted to the Premier League.
The Black Cats currently sit 4th place in the Championship table, eight points off Sheffield United in the automatic spots.
With the recent investment, ambition and size of the club, it seems inevitable Sunderland will be back in the Premier League in the next few years.
And this time they’ll intend to stay.
