Is Jobe Bellingham coming back to Sunderland?
Sunderland director Leo Pearlman has delivered a passionate message ahead of a daunting Premier League run
Sunderland non-executive director Leo Pearlman has issued a passionate message to fans on LinkedIn as the club prepares for a daunting run of fixtures in the Premier League.
Régis Le Bris’ side are set to face a series of top-flight heavyweights in the coming weeks, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool all on the horizon – alongside high-flying Bournemouth and the small matter of a Wear–Tyne derby at the Stadium of Light.
Pearlman, a lifelong Sunderland supporter and executive producer of Sunderland ’Til I Die, reflected on what the next six weeks represent for the club and its supporters, urging perspective, belief and pride in how far the team has come.
He wrote: “Over the next six weeks, Sunderland face the kind of run that defines what it means to be back in the Premier League. Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, four of football’s perennial heavyweights, plus surprise package Bournemouth, all occupying the top five spots in the table. And then, of course, the one that means more than any other: Newcastle at the Stadium of Light, easy 3pts that one, if memory serves me correctly.
“We shouldn’t be overawed by any of it, though. Realistic, yes. But also confident in the team we now have, the foundations the club are now building & positive about what’s still to come this season, whatever the results. Because let’s be honest, when you dream of a return to the Premier League, it’s not for the six-pointers against other teams fighting to stay up. You dream of nights at Anfield & afternoons at Stamford Bridge, of welcoming Arsenal & City to Wearside, just for the chance of one of those rare, glorious victories against the very best.
“Those are the moments that sustain you through the defeats to Lincoln & Luton, all the years of heartache & heartbreak that most football fans learn to endure, but understand to be the inevitable. And so this Saturday, as we head to Stamford Bridge to face the Club World Champions, a team assembled for close to £2billion, with two midfielders each worth as much as our entire squad, let’s enjoy every second of it. After all, miracles do happen. Remember 2014? A Borini penalty, a 2–1 win at the Bridge, ending Mourinho’s 78-game unbeaten home record.
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“I’ll be standing in the away end this weekend with my two sons, my brother and my cousins. My boys weren’t even born when Borini slotted that penalty home, but we’ve been watching it on repeat all week. Because standing there with family is what it’s all about. Passing the songs, the stories, the hope down the line, that's what makes this journey so magical.
“Win, lose or draw, they’ll remember being there & so will I. For all of us who spent years travelling to League One grounds on wet Tuesday nights, this is our reward. Not the trophies. Not the glory. Just the feeling that we’re back where we belong. One City. One community. One family. Together.”
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