The Athletic FC

Welcome to the Athletic FC podcast with me Ayur Akimwalere.

Sunderland are enjoying a dream start so far in the Premier League.

Their win over Chelsea takes them into the top four after just nine games.

So what can they achieve this season?

All right, with us today, we have Chris Weatherspoon with this jubilant Sunderland hat on and hopefully Phil Hayes bringing us back down

to earth with his journalistic balance as well. Right, Chris, we have to get into this, right? Because

we did a pod, what,

after Sundayloom were promoted in May, asking if they can stay up in the Premier League.

I mean, you must be pinching yourself at the start they've had so far. Yeah, I mean,

I think, I think the answer at the time was that, let, do we have to talk about that now?

Can we not just enjoy, can we not just enjoy the promotion? But yeah, I mean, I guess what happened not long after that podcast was the fixtures came out. I think a lot of summon fans, myself included, and just a while Bob observers looked and thought, you know, well, a decent run of fixtures, there was a chance there to kind of hit the ground run. And that's exactly what they've done.

I think Saturday down at Stanford Bridge was, you know, everyone had pinpointed that, that's when the fixtures turn. And if you look at the fixtures between now and Christmas, they aren't the nicest on paper, but they just keep surprising us. It's been a remarkable six months, really. ever since that Dan Ballar goal went in in the last minute of the playoff semi-fire,

we kind of not look back.

Phil, I mean 17 points from their opening nine Premier League games is the best return, I think,

of a promoted club at this stage of a season since whole city back in 2008-9 season.

How impressed have you been watching Sunderland?

Well, if we're going back to that podcast from me, you remember we had Leo Pelman

on one of the producers of Sunderland Till I Die, and he said quite openly, I think we'll

surprise a few people next season. And I don't know whether I said this on air, but I certainly

thought it. My reaction was give over.

As if everybody who comes up, gets relegated in a matter of months. And I wasn't, I certainly

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