Every month we welcome a special guest to Wise Men Say to provide their opinions and insight. Today, it’s the turn of Sky Sports News presenter and Sunderland fanatic, Tom White!

Successive relegations, play-off heartbreak, poor signings and humiliating defeats. Sunderland fans have lived through some depressing times over recent years, and whatever people say, these things do NOT even themselves out!

Even those four seasons in a row when we survived in the Premier League with one game to spare, although we had something to celebrate in the summer, the vast majority of the season was miserable.

Before the last international break, I had an awful feeling that this campaign was going the same way, but without wanting to tempt fate, things have taken a dramatic turn for the better.

Starting with a hard fought win at home to Ipswich, we’ve gone unbeaten in ten league games. In that time we’ve walloped Morecambe and Sheffield Wednesday 5-0, and the performance of our players away at Cambridge was like a scene from “Saving Private Ryan!” They were absolute warriors that day and that was the win that has stuck out the most for me.

At times we’ve to battle for the points, and we’ve done it. But at times we’ve played the best football I’ve seen us play in my lifetime.

We now have a midfield and forward line who are just very good footballers. It sounds simple, but they can do all those things that you and I can’t. They can trap the ball, get away from their man, pass the ball to someone else in red and white and they are making sensible decisions on the pitch.

A few months ago I was feeling pessimistic, but the lads have given us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Imagine how merry and happy we’ll be in May if we can finally leave this division behind!