Sunderland
Av Attendance 2019/20: 30317
Manager: Phil Parkinson
Preferred Formation 2019/20: 3-4-2-1
Last game v City: Sunderland 3-1 Imps – 4th Jan 2020
Summer Ins: Aiden O’Brien – Millwall, Bailey Wright – Bristol City, Morgan Feeney – Everton, Remi Matthews – Bolton, Arbenit Xhemajli – Neuchatel Xamax, Danny Graham – Blackburn
Summer Outs: Ethan Robson – Blackpool, Alim Ozturk, Duncan Watmore, Jack Baldwin, Joel Lynch, Kyle Lafferty, Tommy Smith (all released)
Sunderland are, once again, far and away the biggest club we’ll play this coming season. They are punching well below their weight, but are steadily becoming part of their surroundings, rather than an anomaly. In Phil Parkinson, they have a decidedly average manager in my opinion, and yet in terms of squads, they really should be challenging at the top of the table.
Like Portsmouth, I feel the manager and expectation weigh heavily on a squad that really should be doing better. Wyke and Grigg should be 15 goals a season each, but neither have thrived under some negative tactics. Danny Graham might be knocking on a bit, but he’s already off the mark in pre-season and will add something to their attack. Having said that, Marc McNulty and Kyle Lafferty both struggled on Wearside too, but for me when five or six strikers have a goal drought the problem isn’t them, it’s wider.
That said, Sunderland have some good players for this level: Tom Flanagan, Lynden Gooch and George Dobson are all players I’d happily walk to Wearside to carry back to Sincil Bank on my shoulders. Eventually, it has got to click for Sunderland, even with the off-field turmoil and constant bickering on social media. I know the owner and Lincoln-born Director of Football are not popular, but I expect them to put up a strong promotion fight despite those setbacks, by virtue of the attacking talent they can call on this season.
Swindon Town
Av Attendance 2019/20: 7913
Manager: Ritchie Wellens
Preferred Formation 2019/20: 4-2-3-1
Last game v City: Swindon 2-2 Imps 12th Jan 2019
Summer Ins: Diallang Jaiyesimi – Norwich, Jack Payne – Imps, Tyler Smith – Sheffield United (loan), Matt Smith – Arsenal (loan), Akin Odimayo – Reading, Matěj Kovář – Manchester United (loan), Jonny Smith – Bristol City (loan), Brett Pitman – Portsmouth, Joe Fryer
Summer Outs: Keshi Anderson – Blackpool, Eoin Doyle – Bolton, Luke McCormick – Plymouth, Scott Twine – Newport (loan), Jacob Bancroft, Joe Romanski, Will Henry, Ralph Graham, Danny Rose (all released)
I had Swindon down as a dark horse for promotion, then I read this outburst from manager Ritchie Wellens. It’s a barbed pop at the owner of the club for a perceived lack of investment and for my money, it is an ominous sign that all s not well with the Robins. They will obviously have to replace the goals of Doyle and Yates, but Brett Pitman is a quality striker at this level, a bit like Danny Hylton in his ability to score and irritate in equal measure. Across the board, their incomings look good, particularly the keeper from Man Utd and Jaiyesimi from Norwich.
Part of me wonders if the Wellens outburst is reflective of something wider, but then it could just be a comment blown out of context for a headline. If it is the latter, then I still think the Robins are a good bet for a lower top half finish. If it is the former, then they might find themselves having a season much like ours last time out, full of upheaval and remodelling.