Sunderland player of the year: Who are the leading candidates?
As we move further into April and with the play-offs looking like slipping frustratingly out of reach, it’s easy to start feeling reflective about Sunderland’s season.
The fact that the Championship play-offs ever were realistically within reach this season highlights the campaign as a wholly successful one. Few would have even believed it possible after the 6-0 thrashing in League One at Bolton 15 months ago.
From those dark League One days we have seen a bright, exciting and very talented Sunderland team emerge, and one we all enjoy watching. Some turnaround and long may it continue.
The player of the year award has often been almost a meaningless ‘who has irritated us the least’ kind of thing at Sunderland, but not this season. This season there are a number of very worthy candidates.
So, let’s run through some of the frontrunners.
Luke O’Nien
You’ve got to say that going into this season, there were doubts about whether or not it would be a step up in level too far for O’Nien. I certainly did, anyway, and I can’t believe I was so stupid.
In the recent game at Burnley, the move which ended in Amad Diallo hitting the bar for Sunderland was started by O’Nien playing a long pass with his left foot. It was a free kick so it wasn’t like it was forced or under pressure. He simply had it in his locker.
That is evidence of his sheer dedication to constantly improving his game and it has seen him become a key player for the club again, this time at Championship level.
Jack Clarke
I got told off on social media lately for describing Clarke as ‘frustrating,’ but it was in no way intended as a criticism and I stand by it. In fact, the fact that he can be so productive this season and yet still frustrate anyone is testament to his quality.
Clarke has played almost every game for Sunderland this season and has more goal contributions than anyone. He’s blown hot and cold throughout the campaign in terms of product, but his defensive work and work rate have been a picture of consistency.
He will be right among the leading candidates for the player of the season award and rightly so, and the best thing is you genuinely feel he can still improve even further over the next couple of years.
Patrick Roberts
There can’t have been many players at Sunderland in recent times who have been as enjoyable to watch as Patrick Roberts.
He started the season out of the side as the fall-guy for Alex Neil opting to play with two strikers in his line-up, and at that point it was hard to see how he was going to fit in.
Since Tony Mowbray’s appointment, though, Roberts has been restored to the side and has at times been absolutely sensational. He end product can sometimes be better, and that might ultimately make him an outsider for a player of the season award, but good lord has he added some joy to watching Sunderland play.
Amad Diallo
Amad looked like a really good acquisition at the time and, like Roberts, he had to wait for his chance. He certainly took it though and he has been a big part of why Sunderland have been so exciting to watch.
The Ivorian has scored some goals of serious quality too, such as those at Birmingham, Wigan and Coventry and it has been a pleasure to watch him grow from nervous shy kid to senior responsibility-taking player this season.
We have all learned to never fall in love with a loan player by now, and it is sad that his time of Wearside is coming to an end, but it’s been brilliant having him.
Danny Batth
If you were to trace Sunderland’s resurgence in the last 15 months back to its beginnings, you will find a Danny Batth scarf pic at the very start.
For all the exciting young talent that Sunderland have signed, it’s hard to remember a better signing than this grizzled old no-nonsense veteran who joined on a free transfer from Stoke. He was exactly what the club needed at exactly the right time.
This season Batth has been a vital player. Individually he has been largely immaculate for the whole campaign and his leadership as an experienced head among often naïve youngsters has been downright essential.
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