For the first three months of the season, Sunderland appeared to be a sinking ship. Failed new signings, decreasing attendances and top players leaving, all meant change was needed. Steve Bruce was sacked and replaced by Martin O'Neill and it proved to be an inspiring decision.
Flashback to Saturday November the 26th and Sunderland's board of directors and their fans feared the worst after a 2-1 defeat at home to Wigan. Their defence looked incredibly shaky that day and with just three months into the season, Sunderland resembled a wounded animal. One of the things that really frustrated a great deal of Sunderland fans was that all of the pre-season hope had simply faded. The sales of Jordan Henderson (£20 million) and Darren Bent (£24 million) meant that Sunderland were able to spend a considerable amount of money on the likes of Craig Gardner, Sebastian Larsson, John O'Shea, Wes Brown and Ji Dong Won yet the squad was simply taking too long to gel together.
Eventually, the club's American owner Ellis Short decided enough was enough and sacked manager Steve Bruce.
As soon as the news broke, Martin O'Neill was the name almost everyone was suggesting to take over. After the decision to give O'Neill the job was made public, Sunderland were a club rejuvenated.
In O'Neill's very first match at the helm, a late Sebastian Larsson free kick was enough to give Sunderland the three points against Blackburn. Since this vital victory, the club have gained some impressive wins, such as a 1-0 win against Manchester City, a 4-1 win away at Wigan, and a 1-0 win at one of the premier league's toughest stadiums to play at, the Britannia stadium, the home of Stoke.
But what has caused Sunderland's miraculous turn in fortunes? While Steve Bruce was manager, Sunderland couldn't seem to find any consistency or confidence. An interesting fact is that the Mackems didn't win consecutive matches in the season's first three months under Bruce. When Sunderland produced a spectacular 1-0 victory over Manchester City back in January, their next result was an equally impressive 4-1 demolition of Wigan.
Some would point to the fact that Martin O'Neill grew up supporting Sunderland and this was made clear from the start. This knowledge instantly endeared the Northern Irish man to the people of the city and the stadium of light was considerably fuller at O'Neill's first game against Blackburn than it was during the frustrating and tiresome days of Steve Bruce's reign. Did this inspire the players to dig deep and find a late winner?
But if you were to think of Sunderland's key players since early December, you'll most likely come up with the following players: Stephane Sessegnon, Nicklas Bendtner, Sebastian Larsson, James Mcclean, David Vaughan and Craig Gardner. The thing that relates all these players is that they've all improved or at least been of the same quality as they were under Steve Bruce. They're all a lot more confident as well, and O'Neill's motivational skills have clearly come into play here, much like they did at Aston Villa. Villa were in a similar situation as Sunderland were in when O'Neill took charge and each player improved massively and the club soon became a much more feared entity.
Despite O'Neill clearly still having his feet placed firmly on the ground, it's understandable to see the sense of excitement around Sunderland at the moment. The improvement has been so vast and happened so quickly. Next season will be one filled with pre-season hope for the club's fans and the fears after losing Jordan Henderson and Darren Bent are slowly extinguishing. Indeed, it is a very exciting time to be a Sunderland fan.
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