THERE was exhilarating free-flowing football, the thrill of watching a host of talented youngsters improve and progress, and the never-to-be-forgotten excitement of ‘that’ afternoon at Preston. But there was also the bitter disappointment of Luton, a series of Stadium of Light stalemates and the unexpected twist of a late managerial change.

For every dazzling Amad Diallo dribble, there was the frustration of a Joe Gelhardt or Mason Burstow struggling in front of goal. For every Jack Clarke blockbuster, there was the sight of Ross Stewart prone on the turf at Fulham or Corry Evans being ruled out for the season. Sunderland started 2023 in eighth position after a 1-1 draw at Blackpool, and ended it in seventh after a 1-1 draw at Rotherham. Rarely, however, can so much emotional energy have been expended to effectively stand still.

The aim in the first five months of the year was to make the play-offs, and Sunderland just about got there in the end. A top-six finish didn’t look likely when the Black Cats dropped to as low as 12th after a home defeat to Sheffield United in the middle of March, but with Amad inspiring them, Tony Mowbray’s side clawed themselves back into contention.

Dennis Cirkin’s two goals at the Hawthorns in mid-April proved crucial, securing a priceless 2-1 away win, and Sunderland headed to Deepdale on the final day of the season knowing they needed a victory to keep their play-off hopes alive.

The final 45 minutes of the regular season were surely the highlight of the year for the travelling supporters packed into the sold-out away end at Preston, with picture-book goals from Amad, Alex Pritchard and Clarke sealing a 3-0 victory. At the same time, Millwall were unexpectedly imploding at home to Blackburn, and as the news from South London filtered through to Lancashire, so the party began. The sight of a rain-drenched Tony Mowbray and his players celebrating in front of the jubilant travelling fans at the final whistle will live long in the memory.

Sadly, the seeds of the subsequent play-off defeat had already been sown, with injuries mounting and Mowbray’s selection options reducing accordingly. A 2-1 win in the home leg, featuring yet another sensational individual goal from loanee Amad, set things up nicely, but the fear heading to Luton was how a makeshift defence would cope with the inevitable aerial bombardment that would come from the hosts. The answer was ‘not very well’. With Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts having to play as makeshift wing-backs, Sunderland’s youthful line-up couldn’t cope with Luton’s superior physicality, conceding two goals before the interval and never really looking like clawing things back in the second half.

The Northern Echo: Amad Diallo celebrates after scoring against LutonAmad Diallo celebrates after scoring against Luton (Image: Ian Horrocks)

With Wembley off the agenda, it was time to look to the future. Although events from that point onwards would also be shaped by the past. In April, news broke in Italy claiming that Sunderland were sounding out Francesco Farioli to replace Mowbray as head coach. The stories never really amounted to much, but they were also never denied by either owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus or Kristjaan Speakman, creating a tension that would simmer for the next eight months. When Mowbray spoke passionately about not knowing what the future would hold in a makeshift press room at Kenilworth Road in the immediate aftermath of his side’s play-off defeat, the previous month’s discussions were at the forefront of his thoughts.

In hindsight, perhaps it would have been better for everyone if Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman had changed head coach then. They weren’t really prepared to listen to Mowbray when it came to the transfer window, hence the influx of another batch of young, unproven youngsters even though the head coach had pleaded for some more experience and Championship knowhow. It remains early days when it comes to assessing the effectiveness of Sunderland’s summer transfer business, but the fact that the four strikers who were signed have still to score a single goal between them this season is hardly a ringing endorsement of the thinking that went into their purchase. That said, however, prising Jobe Bellingham from Birmingham City already looks like a superb bit of business and both Adil Aouchiche and Jenson Seelt have shown decent signs of progress in the last few weeks.

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For far too long, Sunderland have blundered along without any kind of overarching plan or identity. The current regime know what they want to do, and are clearly not going to be knocked off track as they attempt to achieve it. Perhaps, every now and then though, a willingness to be slightly more flexible, particularly when it comes to recruitment, would be beneficial.

While the tensions between board and head coach were never really resolved over the summer, enough of a truce was engineered to ensure that Mowbray began the season in his post. Things started rockily with back-to-back defeats, but the 5-0 thrashing of Southampton at the start of September showed what was possible.

Clarke scored in the first minute of that game, and the winger’s form in the first half of the current campaign is the major reason why the Black Cats head into 2024 in the thick of the promotion hunt. At his best, when he is cutting inside with the ball at his feet and bending shots into the far corner, the 23-year-old has an extremely strong claim to be the best player in the Championship. Holding on to him has to be Sunderland’s number one ambition for the January window.

The Northern Echo: Jack Clarke scores for Sunderland against Sheffield WednesdayJack Clarke scores for Sunderland against Sheffield Wednesday (Image: Ian Horrocks)

Clarke’s form, allied to the increasing influence of Bellingham, has papered over a multitude of cracks so far this term, but there have been hiccups along the way – the home thrashing at the hands of Middlesbrough, November’s back-to-back defeats to Plymouth and Huddersfield – and as the losses began to mount, so Mowbray’s attempts to distance himself from Sunderland’s ‘model’ became increasingly public and pronounced.

What was he meant to do when he didn’t have a striker who could score? Why was he feeling pressurised into playing a Burstow or an Eliezer Mayenda when Pritchard could do a better job, but was almost certainly not going to be offered a new contract? Why had Danny Batth and Lynden Gooch been allowed to leave when defensive injuries meant he was having to cobble together a back four?

Things came to a head with the Huddersfield home defeat, and in the wake of the following weekend’s draw at Millwall, Mowbray was gone. Sunderland’s succession planning didn’t stretch to having an immediate replacement waiting in the wings, so Mike Dodds deserves considerable credit for the way in which he steadied the ship, overseeing victories over West Brom and Leeds and a defeat to Bristol City.

Eventually, he was moved aside – although retained on the staff as part of a new beefed-up backroom unit – with former Rangers and QPR boss Michael Beale being named as Mowbray’s permanent successor. The appointment was hardly rapturously received, although it probably didn’t help that it came in the same week that Sunderland confirmed the controversial ticketing details for next weekend’s Wear-Tyne derby in the FA Cup. Handing 6,000 tickets to Newcastle fans, moving season-ticket holders from their own seats and giving up an entire area of corporate hospitality has not gone down well. The Sunderland hierarchy will claim their hands were largely tied, but having spent the best part of two years building up a large amount of goodwill, they watched a fair amount of it disappear in the space of two or three days.

All of which brings us to the start of 2024. The next year is one of opportunity for a Sunderland side that has proved it is capable of challenging for promotion, with an ambitious head coach and a board following clear guiding principles. But it is also one of danger, with a fractious fanbase, an inexperienced line-up and a star player who is a wanted man. Expect plenty more ups and downs over the next 12 months.