EXPECTATIONS are very important otherwise we would have nothing to aim for. This is very much the case for our football clubs.

In the case of Sunderland it is in reclaiming the early momentum in the season, which petered out towards the end of 2009.

Under Steve Bruce, Sunderland started the season with determination but there has been poor attitude and clearly speculation about players’ futures means that some of the squad need to be playing elsewhere.

A realistic expectation for the Black Cats has to be midtable, even though the early start which included excellent results against Liverpool and Arsenal at home set some fans away with the belief that a UEFA place was a possibility. It is a direction they should be aiming for but it is premature, even if they were to achieve it.

For Bruce, backed by Niall Quinn and Ellis Short, it is still about building that team that can challenge the big clubs and annihilate those clubs outside of the top six. It is about bringing quality and retaining those players who have skill and ability, but also motivation.

Sunderland has so often in the past been associated with being a ‘yo-yo’ club and expectations have been more to do with staying in the Premier League and avoiding relegation. We are now at the next stage – consolidating and building for the next two seasons when the expectations then will be different.

Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe