"Football is a religion up there" - Brian Deane drops clear Sunderland AFC promotion claim | OneFootball

Brian Deane has discussed Sunderland's promotion chances this season

Brian Deane believes that Sunderland can be in the promotion mix in the Championship this season.

The Black Cats have made a strong start to the new campaign, and sit top of the table after nine games.

A 2-2 draw against rivals Leeds United prior to the October international break ensured their position inside the automatic promotion places in this early stage of the term.

However, the gap to Middlesbrough in eighth is only five points, highlighting how close things still are at this point.

Régis Le Bris’ side will be hoping to put together a good run of form in the next few games to cement their place inside the top two before the November international break next month.

Brian Deane delivers Sunderland promotion verdict

Deane has claimed that Sunderland shouldn’t be ruled out of the promotion race given their promising start to the season.

He has praised the impact of Le Bris since his appointment as head coach in the summer, and believes this is a campaign with a lot of potential based on their performances so far.

“If you look at the way that Sunderland have started the season, you certainly can’t discount them,” said Deane.

“They’ve got 49,000 fans in the stadium up there and football is a religion up there.

"We have seen teams get promoted out of the Championship with momentum like they have, and if you’re a travelling team it can be very difficult with that amount of fans up there, and be very hostile!

"I didn’t know anything about him [Régis Le Bris] but he is obviously doing something right up there that is a little different up there that is working, and the players have definitely bought into it.

“The way that they are playing with enthusiasm, things are looking great for them, and it definitely looks like a campaign that they can have a lot of fun in."

Sunderland league position

Sunderland are first in the Championship table heading into this weekend’s return to league action.

The Black Cats are level on points with Sheffield United in second, but are ahead due to their superior goal difference, with the Blades also missing two points due to a deduction penalty they were handed by the EFL.

Sunderland finished 16th last season after a difficult year that saw them have three different managers.

Next up for Le Bris’ side is a trip to the MKM Stadium on Sunday to face Hull in a 3pm kick-off.

Sunderland are showing promotion promise

Sunderland are not only getting good results, but they are doing so while playing quite well.

Le Bris has made a smooth transition to life in English football, and has got his team playing attractive football quite quickly.

This is also a young squad filled with potential superstars, and their consistent improvement will be beneficial to the team’s promotion aspirations.

It will be difficult to maintain this form over 46 games, but their positive start to the season should give supporters plenty of reason to be optimistic for what can be achieved this year, as even a top six finish would be a real success after the previous campaign.