Five points clear at the top of the league. Nine points clear of sixth placed Blackburn Rovers. Nine points better off than we were at this stage last season. It feels good doesn't it? We're allowing ourselves to dream. Despite what fans of Middlesbrough, Leeds and Luton may suggest, we are indeed allowed to celebrate when winning games of football! It's what it's all about, isn't it?
Saturday's win and performance at home to Oxford United was a dominant and very professional one. Sunderland never looked in any danger and in all honesty the scoreline could have been more emphatic. Between the sticks, Simon Moore only really had one save to make during the game; a routine one at that. I think we will need each and every one of our players over the season, and Regis Le Bris was complimentary about Moore in his post game analysis, saying that he has been more than ready to step in when needed.
It was hard to pick a man of the match on Saturday, as there were so many strong performances once again. Anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows exactly what I think of Patrick Roberts. He is absolutely back to his best. In fact, I'd go as far as saying he is playing his best stuff in a Sunderland shirt. He's showing so much more consistency in his game and it is wonderful to see. What I noticed on Saturday was that he played with a smile on his face. Even when he and Chris Rigg tried little intricate things that didn't quite come off, they smiled at each other on more than one occasion. The togetherness in this side is there for all to see and you can see the confidence flowing through this Sunderland team at the minute, and nobody seems to be benefiting from it more than Roberts. It was another brilliant display from a player who is becoming something of a talisman, and a fantastic reaction to being taken out of the team at Luton, albeit for tactical reasons.
Jobe Bellingham turned in another monstrous display in the middle of the park, and in terms of a man of the match performance, for me, he edged it. He capped off his display with a stunning header, and the curling shot that clipped the crossbar in the second half would have been a goal of the season contender too. It was an incredibly effective and mature performance from a player who is heading right to the very top. A special mention also has to go to Dan Neil, who was methodical, calm and measured in that deeper role that he is rapidly growing into. He divides opinion occasionally, but Sunderland's captain now has three assists in his last three appearances for the club. Long may it continue.
We can't discuss the game without again mentioning Wilson Isidor. He has already shown that he can score all types of goals, from close range inside the box, to his marauding run and quite frankly impudent finish at Hull, to the stunning volley on Saturday. Sunderland look to have finally found a striker with the dynamism, movement and pace to replace Ross Stewart. Time will tell as to whether we have unearthed a genuine upgrade on the Loch Ness Drogba, but the early signs are hugely promising.
I have always been someone who tries to avoid looking at the league table in the early stages of the season. Twelve games in is usually when things start to settle down and that is now where we find ourselves. I am still certainly not going to get carried away, but Sunderland keep being presented with huge tests of different varieties and well, they keep passing them. Nine wins from twelve games is a phenomenal return and we have played sides that I believe will firmly be in the mix at the top end of the table in May. There won't be many, if any tougher games to play than our trip to Kenilworth Road last week, and in all honesty, I'd have snapped your hand off for a point before the game. To come away with maximum points from three games in six days is absolutely massive. It has convinced me that we are the real deal.
What we will have to inevitably prepare ourselves for are days where things don't quite go our own way. What matters is how we react and recover from adversity. RLB did say whether he thought the dynamic of the group would be broken after our defeat to Plymouth, but the players responded by beating Middlesbrough at home in the next game. This team look to have more steel, endeavour and resolve than the one of last season. The team spirit is there for all to see. This league is a brutal and ruthless one, but Sunderland have shown just how brutal and ruthless they can be themselves. RLB has got the players concentrating on the next game and the next game only. He hasn't got carried away when we win, and he doesn't get too disheartened when we lose.
There is a long, long way to go, but Sunderland possess all the tools in their armoury to fashion what could be a hugely special season. It feels different this time. Hoping and dreaming. Sweet dreams? I'll look forward to finding out!
