This week’s column comes from Stephen Goldsmith.
IT’S possible the collective sigh of relief on Wearside was heard above the boisterous celebrations in the Arsenal away end on Wednesday night. Possibly not, but I bet every single supporter and player felt a moment of unison with one and other as Anthony Taylor blew his whistle on Sunderland’s relegation worries.
The players’ involvement in this little quest for survival has been the most significant to me. The fans are always united in triumph – if you can call it that – but it can sometimes come despite the presence of certain players. This is the third season in a row we’ve stumbled over the line, and while this effort mirrors the Di Canio led effort more than last season’s romantically themed miracle, it’s this one that makes me want to acknowledge the work of the players the most.
It’s quite common to suggest that certain teams don’t “deserve” to stay up. We were told we were lucky when we survived at Wigan’s expense a couple of years ago, and we were told that we’d have went down last campaign if it wasn’t for Connor Wickham appearing from nowhere to pull us clear at the last minute.
You can read the rest here.
