SUNDERLAND'S return to the Premiership is rightly cause for celebration, but while the scenes at the Stadium of Light for the last home game against Burnley were more than justified, I agree with chairman Niall Quinn's assessment of the team's position.
His support for manager Roy Keane's decision to decline the offer of a civic reception by Sunderland City Council and the team being paraded in an open-top bus was right.
The Premiership is where Sunderland should be. Enduring the highs and lows in recent years brought the club embarrassment.
Now, with Quinn at the helm and realistic opportunities for success more than just a dream, we should applaud the first stages of the team's achievement. But let's not get too carried away. We are back in the Premiership, but we have not won a top six place yet.
Too often in past seasons, Sunderland going up to the Premiership has been about survival and buying players on a shoestring budget. Consequently, the team struggled.
The vision and spirit within the club is about achieving success at the highest level. Let's put the champagne on ice and celebrate winning a domestic trophy, or qualification for the UEFA Cup.
Come on Sunderland.
Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe, Durham.
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