Sky Sports pundits Wes Brown and Steve McLaren have revealed that they were impressed by Sunderland during their 1-1 draw with Derby County on the opening day of the Championship season this weekend.
Following the financial troubles and squad overhaul following relegation from the Premier League last season, many questioned whether Sunderland will do well in the Championship this season, with some even touting the club as one of the possible relegation candidates.
Former England manager McLaren however that he thinks that the Black Cats were excellent against the Rams and said, “I thought Sunderland were excellent throughout.
“What can they improve? I think they need a bench, because after 60-65 minutes they were flat out and Derby started to take control and started to create opportunities and looking at their bench there wasn’t really anything they could change and they need to improve that.”
Brown was also full of praise for his former club Sunderland and said, “They started the game very well – Lee (Cattermole) in particular.
“He was a very good captain today, he put all the passion into it and it rubs off on the players. They started well and had a goal against the run of play against them.
“They managed to get back into it and kept on going but as Steve said they did get a little bit tired but they didn’t stop. I think Lee was the best example of that.
“They had a couple of opportunities to score but probably should have let one more in as well from Chris Martin at the end but all in all they played really well. The fans were happy and they gave a lot today.”
Black Cats manager Simon Grayson will be realistic about his team’s chances for this season and will know that direct promotion back to the Premier League will be difficult this season.
