Sunderland have a promising start to their long-awaited Premier League return.
Seven games into the new Premier League campaign, and Sunderland - newly promoted and unfancied by many - have amassed 11 points.
Victories against West Ham, Brentford, and Nottingham Forest, as well as battling draws against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, have helped Regis Le Bris’ side to a relatively comfortable mid-table perch heading into the second international break of the season, and the performances that have brought the Black Cats to this point have shown enough promise to suggest that they can make a really good go of their survival bid.
Even in defeat against Burnley and Manchester United, there were signs that Sunderland fully intend on being something other than relegation fodder over the coming weeks and months, and the hope will be that they can continue their decent form when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.
What have Sunderland supporters said about the club’s start to the new Premier League season?
But what have supporters made of Sunderland’s start to life in the Premier League? As part of our Big Sunderland Survey, The Echo has asked fans to share their thoughts on all aspects of the club, including their opinions on their recent form under Le Bris.
To that end, the fanbase was asked: “Are you happy with Sunderland's performances this season and has their start to the Premier League exceeded expectations?”. In response, some 97.6% of supporters claimed that the Black Cats are currently operating above their expectations, with a further 2.1% claiming this is roughly where they expected the club to be at this stage. Only 0.3% argued that Le Bris’ side are under-performing.
But despite their auspicious start to the new campaign, it would appear that many of a red and white persuasion are still keeping relatively modest in their goals for the rest of the season. Of those who responded to the survey, 50% claim that avoiding relegation remains the aim, while 42.6% believe that a mid-table finish must be on the cards. Elsewhere, 7.4% of supporters are allowing themselves to dream, and would like to see Le Bris and his men sneak their way in to a European qualification spot at the first time of asking.
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And speaking of the head coach, the verdict on his work is unsurprisingly and overwhelmingly positive. Having guided Sunderland back to the Premier League via the play-offs, and then inspiring them to an admirable start to life in the top flight, 54.3% of fans believe that he is doing an “outstanding” job on Wearside. Moreover, a further 44.5% are of the opinion that he is working “above expectations”.
Not everybody is swooning for the Frenchman, though. He might have won promotion, taken 11 points from 21, and been nominated for consecutive Manager of the Month awards, but 1.2% still claim that his output is merely “average”.
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