Could 2020 be the year Sunderland finally begin to find their feet again?
The Black Cats were on a downward spiral towards the end of the last decade, being relegated from the Premier League and the Championship, all while seeing attendances drop.
In their final year in the top-flight, the Stadium of Light held on average 41,287 people but that’s now only 30,101 in League One.
It’s understandable considering their plight and things haven’t got much better after sacking Jack Ross and bringing in Phil Parkinson.
He’s won just four of his 17 matches in charge but things are on the up and to excuse a cliché, there is very much a ‘new year, new me’ about Sunderland.
Parkinson has credited his team with a willingness to improve, specifically in terms of their fitness and that was evident in a 3-1 win over Lincoln.
Sunderland were much improved and they have been over their last five outings, going through the festive period unbeaten.
But when it comes to fitness and a superior attitude, forward Chris Maguire has been right at the forefront of that.
He has been the beating heart of Sunderland’s recent revival, losing weight and bouncing back from a controversial period where both he and Aiden McGeady were slated after isolating themselves from the team and eating a McDonalds.
But where McGeady has been neglected by Parkinson and been told he can be sold, Maguire has remained pivotal.
The Scotsman is Sunderland’s joint-top scorer with seven and their most creative outlet with five assists. If they want to achieve promotion, they need to rely on his abilities to shine through on a consistent basis.
With the Black Cats achieving a run of five successive matches without defeat, the 30-year-old has been crucial throughout that period.
He’s contributed to five goals in four starts, only failing to muster a goal or assist in a cameo appearance against Bolton. As well as that, he’s laid on a considerable 14 key passes.
It’s the dawn of a new decade in the Premier League, but how much do you know about the last 10 years?
For both Maguire and the team, it’s been some turnaround. From where the Scot was only a matter of weeks ago, it’s been a revival worth celebrating.
Sunderland now sit a point off the playoffs and without Maguire, that may not have been possible. With the former Bury man on form, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Meanwhile, the heir to Aiden McGeady’s throne has emerged at Sunderland…
