Sunderland’s Unexpected European Chase – Thanks, Lads!
"However it pans out, I won’t be reducing my blood pressure medication for a month or two yet!” writes Mike Stubbs.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: Regis Le Bris Manager of Sunderland on the side line before the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Sunderland at St James' Park on March 22, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images) | Getty Images Being a Sunderland fan has tended to be something of a rollercoaster ride for most of the more than 50 years I have supported my hometown team. Pushing for promotion, flirting with relegation and, of course, the dreaded (until recently) play-offs have been the norm rather than the exception.
The last comfortable end to a season that I can remember – one devoid of either hope or trepidation – was under Steve Bruce in 2010/11. There were fewer European places to compete for, and it was nice to relax and settle for the kind of mid-table obscurity that Coventry enjoyed for years in the old First Division. They were rarely challenging the established top clubs but were mostly clear of any likelihood of relegation.
They were just there, in the top flight, revelling in their relative mediocrity. That was the kind of season I was hoping for, once the Lads began to show that they could comfortably compete at this level, and fears of an immediate return to the Championship receded – a nice, calm spring, no pressure. As the AFCON period came and went, and the predicted downturn in fortunes that so many of our rivals were predicting failed to materialise, the much-vaunted 40-point target was being chased down.
It should have been a rare opportunity for the modern Sunderland fan to kick back, chillax and enjoy Premier League football without jeopardy. But the footballing Gods and Régis Le Bris have conspired to take that away from us! Recent successes in Europe for English clubs and the progression of the top teams in the domestic cup competitions have opened up the possibility that finishing 8th in the Premier League may be enough to have fans booking flights to the more obscure destinations in European football next season.