You could have been forgiven for believing that Sunderland under Michael Beale had turned the corner and better times were ahead after the 3-1 victory over Plymouth, which featured an endearing moment between the supporters and head coach and the crowd’s applause for Poppy in the fourth minute.
After two straight losses in less than a week, Beale is under a lot of pressure, particularly after it seemed like he blanked the Irish Cafu. Beale is out for two more days, and Doddsball is back for good. 
So where does all of this leave us? With thirteen games left in the regular season, we are currently in 10th place with 47 points, seven points behind Hull, who is in sixth place and clearly in worse form than those around us. Jack Clarke has suffered a minor injury, and we have just had our second permanent head coach of the season.
Whether you are going for it or not, the last thing you want is to be the team that fades away at the end of the season. The reasons for trying to climb higher are obvious. Beyond that, though, football momentum can be extremely potent. If we are coming off of a run of consistent success, with everyone content and pulling together once more, I believe Sunderland will be a far more formidable proposition next season.
him. Their happiness and confidence were evident on the field, especially during their furious last-minute push to finish in the top six last year. Any successful run of play we can put together at this point will pay dividends throughout the summer and beyond. The arrival of summer does not mean that the good times end.
It is admitted that it does not look very good when laid out that way. But bear with me.
This season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in the history of the Championship. We are actually only two points worse off (49 vs. 47) when comparing the table to this time last season, but that means we are two spots lower and five points outside of the playoffs! To put it in even more perspective, the top four this year would have won the table at this time last year. Four!
This obviously makes it harder to sneak into the playoff spots—not that it is impossible for us, mind you—but it also has one very big benefit, in my opinion. Whatever level of play Sunderland manages to muster for the remainder of the season will almost certainly propel us higher up the league the following year, when things will be a little less crowded (and a team like Leicester does not come down to muller everyone).
Speaking of displaying it on the field, this is yet another reason we really can not afford to give up and call the season over. As everyone knows, our team is full of young guys with a lot of promise who are eager to play senior football. Playing at half speed, believing that winning and losing are ultimately insignificant, will they learn anything? I do not think so.
Instead, I want Romaine Mundle to be free to terrorize full-backs in the Championship and score goals for Sunderland. Adil Aouchiche, Chris Rigg, Luis Hemir, and even Tommy Watson, who has shown promise for the Academy teams, are young players who require playing time and consistent high-level play if we are to gain any significant insight into them.
Of course, Mike Dodds will reiterate to the players this important lesson—nothing is decided in February. Yes, we are very much underdogs, but we only just prevailed last season from a slightly stronger position. No prophecy exists that predicts our downfall. Who knows, maybe we can still pull off a bloody good outcome? We could actually pull it off.
Nothing will stop us from overhauling the gap ahead of us and bloodying a few noses along the way as long as we enter the final stretch with a little faith, a little fight, and probably a little luck. We will either finish just short of the postseason or advance to the next season with a far stronger foundation.