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Sunderland’s remarkable Northern Irish Synergy inspired turnaround

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A 10th place finish last season, on face value, was an improvement for Sunderland: it marked the third successive season that The Black Cats had climbed up the Premier League end of season standings, having finished 13th in the 2009/10 campaign and 16th the season before.

With their Premier League status well and truly consolidated and going into their fifth consecutive season in the English top flight with a whole host of new signings, a top half finish was expected and when, thirteen games into the season, Sunderland were within two points of the relegation zone, former Sunderland defender told BBC Radio 5 live that “everybody’s expectations were for the top 10 this season and we are nowhere near that.”

However, considering that Sunderland had lost Darren Bent, Danny Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan up front, as well as the continued injury-inflicted absence of Frazier Campbell, and furthermore, Jordan Henderson departing for Liverpool having had a barnstorming second season in the first team, contributing with three goals, five assists and appearing in 13 clean sheet results, was a top half finish as elementary as some would have led us to believe?

Well maybe not, yet Steve Bruce’s return was simply not good enough: his win ratio had become pitiful, averaging at 30% over his entire Sunderland stint, but dropping severely to just half of that figure at 15% for the 2011/12 season, with just two wins in Sunderland’s first 13 games. Falling within two points of the relegation zone was enough for Ellis Short, club owner and chairman, to change the manager at The Stadium of Light and Steve Bruce was sacked having lost to the club he left Sunderland for just over two years ago: Wigan Athletic.

Martin O’Neill was instantly made the odds-on favourite to replace the former Wigan manager and three days later the ex-Villa boss was at the helm of his childhood English club and the passion was immediately displayed, galvanising a wallowing Sunderland side that imminently climbed the league in an impressive run of results, including the 1-0 win over league leaders Manchester City.

O’Neill’s return to management, little over a year after leaving Aston Villa, has been as romantic as it has rewarding and as seductive as it has been successful: they’ve dropped just seven points in the Premier League since the Northern Irish boss took charge in Wearside and then, they’ve only been dropped to the top four’s Tottenham and Chelsea and David Moyes’ Everton. Furthermore, his success with fellow countryman James McClean, signed by Bruce in the summer transfer window for £350k, has been pivotal in Sunderland’s turnaround.

The synergy of the Northern Irish manager and his compatriot has instigated Sunderland’s turnaround, which at current places them in 8th place on 30 points – about as high as they could be expected to ever be right now, considering the gap to 7th stands at seven points. McClean, aged 22, has already repaid his boss for breaking him into the first team with a goal and two assists, as well as his part in three clean sheets. However, Martin O’Neill expects much more of the like to come from the former Northern Ireland u-21 international: “He has come in and given us a big lift.

He has brought enthusiasm and freshness to the team, as well as a lot of ability down the left-hand side.” His performances, particularly in January, having broken in to the starting line-up in the latter half of December, very timely for the Black Cats, “at the very worst, he has made sure that there is no need to rush out and bring someone in to play in that position,” before establishing that he’s well and truly holding his own destiny: “He has a place in the side now and he can go on and make it his own.”

However, whilst McClean is rightly starting in O’Neill’s prudent line-ups, set up to exploit the oppositions’ weaknesses, fully utilising Stephane Sessegnon in the hole, with the Beninese having hit three goals in three games, as well as laying on a further two, the arrival of Wayne Bridge may have a knock on effect on McClean’s playing time.

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Budding Football journalist who blogs at www.maycauseoffence.com/ daily as well as writing here for ThisisFutbol and on www.onehellofabeating.com/ the England fan's page. Outside of writing is more football. I work at Southampton F.C and I manage a men's football team on Saturdays.

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