Editorial: Hope is all we’ve got... so let’s hope Sunderland are well-rested!

I don’t know about anyone else, and I feel a little bit bad for saying this, but... I’ve really enjoyed the break from watching Sunderland this weekend.

The last three months have been an absolute chore to be a supporter of the Lads, and the March international break represents the first time we’ve had a proper rest in ages.

Let’s be honest, the players and Mike Dodds needed it. We’ve been stretched recently and the mixture of injuries and suspensions to key players hasn’t helped us whatsoever. We arrested the slide with a draw last time out, but it wasn’t pretty and I doubt anyone felt more confident having seen the way we played against QPR - it was rubbish.

But, this is where the break can be good to us, because by the time Friday rolls around I imagine for most of us that we’ll be looking optimistically towards the Cardiff game.

The U21s played at Eppleton on Friday night and it allowed Bradley Dack, Aji Alese and Corry Evans to get important minutes under their belts — hopefully, all three can play their part during the Easter programme and will give us the much-needed experience the side sorely lacks at present. In the case of Evans and Dack I think it further highlights how desperate things are right now that we’re longing for their return to the fold, but this is the hand we’ve been dealt and they can both play a huge part in the next six weeks.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

With Alese, it’s been a big week for him personally, not only because he’s returned to the pitch for the first time since January but also because he signed a new contract, extending his deal with the club until 2027.

He’s had a nightmare year or so really and will be desperate to prove to everyone why the club were right to show faith in him, and I’ve got hope that he’ll do just that. The worry is that he struggles to stay fit, but I’m still really optimistic about what Aji can achieve at Sunderland.

There’s Premier League potential there — his ability both at left back and centre half is top notch and the only thing standing in his way of making it to the top eventually is his fitness.

I’ve seen people question the decision to give him a new deal on the basis that his injury record is poor, and I agree that it’s a legitimate concern, however I take a lot of hope from what the club have done here and feel it’s probably an indicator that he’s over whatever has been holding him back over the last year or so. The club have to be smart with their decision-making at all times, and I guess you could say that there’s no better time to get him tied down than right now when his stock arguably hasn’t been lower.

It won’t take long for him to start winning people back over, providing he can stay on the pitch.

Photo by Harriet Massey/Newcastle United via Getty Images

Dack’s return is an intriguing one also given our issues up front. I watched him for the U21s on Friday, and whilst we have to caveat this by understanding it was a game against a bunch of youngsters, I’ve got to say that he impressed me. The new haircut has taken a few years off him, he looks like he’s lost weight and he was pressing the ball well from the front. Oh, and he got himself a goal, which puts him straight into Mike Dodds’ thinking for Friday.

I’d start him. What have we got to lose? Rusyn’s injured, Burstow is a waste of time and Hemir probably isn’t ready yet - so Dack in a false nine sounds like our best option at the minute. Let’s give it a go. His experience as a player and goalscorer at this level is arguably what we are missing at the minute, so I don’t think there’s much of a risk there.

Getting Evans back on the pitch and in the dressing room is arguably the most important thing to happen to us from a playing perspective in quite a while. Not that I think he’s a world beater or anything, but he was probably playing his best footy in a Sunderland shirt right about the time he got injured last season, and I don’t think we’ve actually replaced him since. Nobody else in the squad is as good as he is at protecting that back four, and like Dack he’s got crucial Championship experience that we’ve missed for months.

I’m sure Mike Dodds is glad to have all three men available to call upon, because he’s looked lost and out of his depth for a few weeks now and is desperately seeking answers to our problems. The break, the return of a few players (don’t forget about Luke O’Nien, whose ban is now up) and a hectic Easter Weekend could just be the tonic we need to get Sunderland pointing back in the right direction at the tail end of the season.

I hope, anyways. Hope. It’s all we’ve got at the minute!