“If you won’t change the whole team, don’t bother getting promotion”- English former professional footballer Wes Brown fires Sunderland promotion warning ahead of play-offs as they look to return to the PL since 2017
Wes Brown reckons a promotion for Sunderland would mean more for the fans than the club – but reckons it would mean “a tough season ahead.”
The ex-Black Cats and Manchester United defender believes securing promotion back to the Premier League would mean so much, especially to go up against rivals Newcastle United in the Tyne-Wear derby.
There hasn’t been a league clash between the two sides since 2016. The two teams drew 1-1 in the Premier League, ending a run of six straight wins by Sunderland. However, the rivals did meet in 2024 in the FA Cup third round at the Stadium of Light, with the Mags winning 3-0.
Speaking to AOS, Brown said: “It would be massive if Sunderland were promoted back into the Premier League. I think it’d be huge for the fans, who are absolutely brilliant and turn up to the games week-in, week-out.”
“There’s nothing better for them than getting back into the Premier League, going up against the biggest teams in England, and having at least two derbies against Newcastle in a season.”
He added: “I really hope they do it, but those play-off semi-final games at Wembley are scary. It all comes down to which team turns up on the day.
“While I back them to get through the play-offs, sometimes it’s a complete coinflip; crazy things can happen in these kinds of games.
“They’ve done really well this season but it feels like they get to this stage often and don’t get the job done. Hopefully, this time around they can get it done.
“If they did manage to secure promotion, they’d need to change the whole team to have a chance at staying up. Obviously, they’d be one of the favourites to be relegated back down, because the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is so big.
“The club would have to make a decision. It’s a gamble to spend a lot of money to bring in quality players because you’re in a bit of trouble if you go straight back down. So maybe there could be a plan in place to spend wisely and accept it’ll be a tough season, but look to be promoted again in a couple of seasons time.”