Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony has backed Sunderland to finish in the Championship’s top six next season. The Black Cats ended their four-year stay in League One last month as they won promotion via the play-offs with a 2-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers.
Sunderland appear to be in a far better position both on and off the pitch than the last time they were in the Championship, where they stayed for just one season after suffering back-to-back relegations. In Alex Neil, they have a manager who has made an excellent impact during his time at the club, as well as an excellent track record in the Championship.
Sunderland also averaged a higher attendance than anyone in the second division last season, despite plying their trade in League One. And speaking on the Hard Truth Podcast, MacAnthony believes that with all those factors behind them, they are one of the ‘favourites’ to finish in the top six.
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He said: “[Sunderland] are top six favourites. I think they’ve got a really strong manager, I think they’ve got a core of some good young players. I think they’ve got a goal scorer in the 'Lochness Drogba' (Ross Stewart), who will do well at that level because of the physicality - he’s a physical player.
“They’ve got a nice gel, a nice mixture and because it’s a club that size they’re now on the up. And when a club that size is on the up, what usually happens is it goes fast. Do not be shocked if they’re top six next season.
“As Luton have just showed, when you’ve got the right team spirit, right camaraderie - one thing I’ve noticed about Neil since he’s gone in there, he’s made them a lot more resilient defensively. One thing we [Peterborough] learned in the Championship is you’ve got to be resilient defensively.
“They always have the advantage that when people come to their place, there’s 40,000 Mackems screaming, shouting and supporting them. That’s worth points on the board. I would put money on them finishing top six.”
