Games like this help supporters keep the faith
Prior to Sunderland’s impressive4-0winover Crystal Palace, the club’s media department made a very brave decision.
They uploaded a video entitled “Unity is strength #KeepTheFaith”. The footage was excellently compiled and the combination of motivational speaking alongside a montage of our great escapes made for inspirational viewing.
Unfortunately, it was set against the backdrop of a series of poor results and performances and whilst the video received positive feedback, a defeat at Crystal Palace could have made it look out of touch and little more than a clichéd marketing campaign.
Thankfully, entirely the opposite happened and we turned in our most clinical display of the season, which in turn was a massive victory for the club’s PR campaign. Suddenly, the world seems a better place, and if Saturday is anything to go by unity is far from a problem within the Sunderland ranks.
From the full-time scenes of players throwing their shirts into the crowd and celebrating with the travelling red and white army, to the substitutes bench rejoicing as one after each goal, it was a special day to be associated with the club.
This could be seen equally as important as the victory itself. The City of Sunderland as well as the surrounding towns and villages which make up much of our traditional fan base thrive on hard work, togetherness and community spirit. So, to see this reflected in the football club is a great sight for any Sunderland supporter.
Towards the back end of last season, there was a feeling of great momentum around the place which helped generate two of the best atmosphere’s in recent memory again Chelsea and Everton.
Sadly, due an unfortunate set of circumstances this has been all too rare this season with the lads all too often succumbing to comprehensive defeats both at home and on the road.
But once again, when the pressure was at its most intense, we dug deep and put ourselves right back in the mix to avoid relegation. Saturday’s result will have also come as a relief for David Moyes, who, after coming in for some criticism over his media image and transfer dealings had his name sang loud and proud during the second half and at full time. Of course, this is just a start and there will be plenty of ups and downs to come before the end of the season.
But if we can build on this result and continue our new-found momentum, with players coming back to fitness there is no reason we can’t pull off yet another great escape.
Keep The Faith.