In the harsh glare of 2023/2024, Sunderland found themselves stuck in a stagnant rut.

As I descended the steps of the North West corner after the match on Saturday, the sight and sound of over 2,000 jubilant Sheffield Wednesday fans celebrating, coupled with their players visibly relieved and falling to their knees, stirred a peculiar feeling in me—jealousy.

Peculiar? Maybe. But witnessing their elation at securing their Championship status after what seemed like a hopeless battle against relegation felt like a “lightning in a bottle moment,” a sensation we once experienced but have long since lost. Still, it was hard to begrudge the dedicated traveling fans or the commendable Danny Röhl their well-deserved moment of glory.

They knew what needed to be done, and they did it and then some, with a 0-2 win that was thoroughly deserved, and the barely-believable three point difference between ourselves and the Owls in the final league table told a story in its own right. Wednesday’s owner may not be universally popular, but he struck gold with Röhl and was rewarded and then some.

As for Sunderland?

Saturday was a fitting end to a season that nobody will file away as one for the ages- unless, of course, you’re putting together a case study in just how badly things can go wrong when flaws in your plan are allowed to go unchecked and a lack of adaptability is passed off as faith in what you’ve currently got at your disposal.

Graffiti-stained bricks, a redecorated bar and the sight of Michael Beale snubbing Trai Hume at St Andrew’s were some of the most abiding images of this season, and they were a far cry from August, a packed stadium and a 5-0 win over Southampton.

Perhaps most damningly, it didn’t have to be like this. It shouldn’t have been, and that makes all the more unpalatable.

Our season-ending form has been frankly scary and the fact that ahead of Saturday, only Rotherham had banked fewer points than us in 2024 is a stark warning of what might’ve been.

Of course, those of a positive persuasion might say we only finished thirteen points shy of last season’s total, but on every other metric, the backwards steps have been colossal rather than minor.

If you’re looking to apportion blame for what’s gone on in recent months, your options are plentiful and for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, under whose ownership things have gone badly wrong recently, this is arguably his biggest test since arriving at Sunderland.

Kristjaan Speakman, the beleaguered sporting director with whom the misguided phrase ‘obsession with progression’ will forever be associated, is probably the main target for criticism, but behind him lurk Mike Dodds and Michael Beale, two coaches pitched into a role that it’s become glaringly apparent they weren’t cut out for, and in some ways the victims of a deeply flawed process that simply can’t be repeated.

The Tony Mowbray-Dodds-Beale-Dodds shuffle led to upheaval in the dugout, with the season eventually taking a terminal nosedive as a result, and from what at one stage looked like a realistic playoff push, a sixteenth-place finish was an ignominious outcome.

Beale, just as we were warned, wasn’t suited to leading a club of this size, whereas Dodds was a man promoted to a position way above his station, and the fact is that the reliable presence of Mowbray in the dugout earlier in the season, and the results he oversaw, went a long way to ensuring that we retained our Championship status.

Could players be blamed for the exposed flaws in coaching and succession planning during the 2023/2024 season? That’s a debatable point, but what’s certain is that players can only perform as well as their environment allows. Since Mowbray left, taking stability and leadership with him, many players seem lost and lacking confidence.However, it’s important to note that despite recent setbacks, there’s still hope for Sunderland. They have a talented squad capable of competing in their league, especially if they make strong transfers in the summer. Yet, since Mowbray’s departure, they’ve been forced to play in a style that doesn’t suit them. Lately, especially at home, they’ve seemed clueless tactically, except for Chris Rigg who seems to grasp how to influence games within the current tactical setup.

This team has often been poorly managed, leading to inconsistent form. Jobe has been overused to the point of negligence, Dan Ballard’s tough experience in the FA Cup match with Newcastle seems to be affecting him, and even Jack Clarke appears to be fatigued recently.

Combine this with a midfield that’s spluttered in Dan Neil’s absence, the struggles of our strikers, a right side of our attack that’s lacked consistency, and a defence that’s often looked worryingly shaky, and the outcome was almost inevitable. Can these weaknesses be repaired in one summer without the club’s decision-makers showing the kind of flexibility for which they’re not currently known? No.

Starting next season without a functional strike force and a strong midfield anchor at the very least is unthinkable, and that’s before you get to the thorny issue of potentially replacing Clarke. Again, it begs the question: are they fully ready for what lies ahead?

Frankly, I think a top six push is off the menu for next season. So much ground has been lost this season, and with the premise of a very top-heavy Championship for 2024/2025, I can’t see us making a colossal leap forward, which brings me onto the next glaring issue.

Looking to the future, I firmly believe that now is not the time for Sunderland to experiment when it comes to the appointment of a new head coach.

The former Reims manager Will Still remains highly regarded, and there were recent rumors linking René Marić to a move to Wearside. However, in my view, what we really need is a commanding presence in the dugout; a head coach with a strong personality and the ability to inspire a seemingly lost group of players during what appears to be a transitional period this summer.

The reality is that despite a few positive moments, this season has been a disappointment, and before we can even think about challenging for a playoff spot in 2024/2025, we must figure out how to get back on track.

After the excitement of 2022/2023, we knew a challenging second season was possible, but this was more than just a challenge—it was a complete disaster, and the sense of disillusionment among the fans is all too familiar.

The contrast in emotions at the end of Saturday’s match was striking: Yorkshire fans celebrating their miraculous escape from relegation while thousands of Sunderland supporters faced the aftermath of a bitterly disappointing season. It didn’t have to end this way, but it did, and those in charge must be prepared for the criticism.

However, there’s still a chance to turn things around. It’s imperative that we do so, and the actions taken in the coming weeks will show whether the leadership is ready to confront the issues head-on or if they’ll continue without addressing them.

For the long-term success of our club, we must choose the former approach.

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