Sunderland - Premiership
Sunderland Look Certain Of Premiership SafetySunderland's last two seasons in the top-flight of English football have been little short of embarrassing, with their tally of points over the seasons in question added together not being enough to have kept them safe from the drop in one single campaign.
There would appear to be precious little chance of a repeat performance this time though, with Roy Keane bringing a winning mentality to the club and the Niall Quinn consortium providing the funds to ensure that the squad will be far more competitive than that of previous seasons.
To date Keane has brought in Michael Chopra, Kieran Richardson, Russell Anderson, Dickson Etuhu and Greg Halford, with the promise of two or three more signings to come. Although the new signings might not be the most high-profile, they should be capable of ensuring that the momentum the club has built up under Keane is maintained, especially when one takes into account the excellent support that they can count on at the Stadium of Light.
Sporting Index have a Premiership Relegation Index that quotes: Last = 60pts, Second Bottom = 40pts, Third Bottom = 30pts, Fourth Bottom = 20pts, Fifth Bottom = 10pts, Sixth Bottom = 5pts. All others = 0.
Sunderland's quote on the spread is 9-12, which could be a sell. Even were Sunderland to struggle in the opening months of the campaign, Keane is going to receive further funds in the January transfer window and should be capable of steering the Balck Cats clear of trouble over the course of the season.