Neil W

Football (@sunderlandafc) Cricket (@durhamcricket) Real Ale (@camradurham) Snooker Cycling NFL (#BillsMafia) runner. Durham City born & bred.

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

Day 3 #WorldCup thoughts. Xhaka and his Swiss team make hard work of Qatar. Vini saves a poor Brazil against a very impressive Moroccan team. Scotland scrape past Isidor and Haiti. And Australia surprise everyone in our household predictor by triumphing against Turkiye.

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

#WorldCup Day 2 thoughts... enjoyable game Canada v Bosnia, with a bit more calm in front of goal the hosts would have won.

And great to see a Mackem pop up with a goal for the USA, but a bad day at the office for our man Alderete.

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

Thoughts on day one of the #fifaworldcup
Sithole (unfortunate name) nightmare for South Africa; being at fault for the first goal (after an awful pass from the gk) & red card, & S Korea deserved the win against Czechia.

2 points in the family prediction league. Solid start.

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

@DougieCritchley Who's your dark horse to go far Dougie? I've a couple - Paraguay and Cote d'ivoire

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

Cheers Dennis lad. Best of luck to ya @DCirkin3

[WTF Sunderland Podcast @WTFSunlunPod]

Peak Cirkin moment.

@DCirkin3 | #SAFC

[Sunderland AFC @SunderlandAFC]

Thank you for writing us off...

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

Sunderland’s starting XI in their joyous, season-ending 2-1 victory over listless Chelsea cost the same as £106m Enzo Fernandez. This is no slight on a world champion, an elite attacking midfielder, full of craft and craftiness, if moody at times. This is simply a celebration of Sunderland’s exceptional recruitment, finding gems who can see - and seize - the opportunity at the Stadium of Light.

This is also a celebration of Regis Le Bris’ remarkable team-building, blending and bonding qualities which have guided a side promoted via the play-offs into seventh and Europe. For those of us who thought Sunderland would go straight back down, apologies and enjoy Europe. You deserve it. A well-run football operation deserves it. That backing from stands to boardroom deserves it. Football also deserves it: a reminder that the status quo can be challenged with shrewd planning and investment and hard work.

Of Le Bris’ starting XI against Chelsea, eight joined on the eve of the season and one in the winter window: Roefs a reported £9m from Nijmegen; Mukiele £9.5m from PS-G; Reinaldo free from Atletico Madrid; Geertruida loan from RB Leipzig; Le Fee £19.3m, loan made permanent from Roma; Xhaka £13m from Bayer Leverkusen; Sadiki £15m from Union St-Gilloise; Angulo £17.5m from Anderlecht (in February); and seven-goal Brobbey £21.6m from Ajax. Two 2025 arrivals came off the bench: Diarra £30m from Strasbourg; and Isidor £5m loan made permanent from Zenit St-Petersburg (in February 2025).

Three of the 14 involved were already at the club. The starting pair of: Hume £200,000 from Linfield in 2022; and O’Nien undisclosed but reported as £200,000 to £300,000 from Wycombe Wanderers in 2018. And the sub: Rigg from Sunderland’s academy. (The £105.5m total does not include the undisclosed loan fees).

When Sunderland won 2-1 at the Bridge in October, Le Bris’ starting XI cost only £75m (and also had the important Ballard, £2m from Arsenal in 2022). Chelsea’s starting XI was £433m.

Four miles from the Bridge, on Park Lane this evening, the League Managers Association celebrates its members’ many achievements this season. Le Bris certainly deserves a mention. Mixing old and many new players, and getting new signings to settle quickly, requires real people skills. Le Bris and his staff clearly have them.

It’s also a reflection on Sunderland’s family club reputation that so many newcomers are welcomed and assimilated so quickly. Some will move on, some will be moved on but what a journey this is across England - and soon Europe. #SAFC

[Philip West @Philip_RJ89]

Granit Xhaka is our greatest modern captain.

Régis Le Bris is our greatest modern manager.

These players are the greatest of many of our lifetimes. What they’ve achieved this season will never, ever be forgotten. I cannot believe this has happened.

[Sunderland AFC @SunderlandAFC]

EUROPA LEAGUE FOOTBALL IS COMING TO SUNDERLAND!

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

That today was simply sensational. Europa League baby!!!!!

#safc

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

What a season! One more push lads. 🔴⚪️🔴⚪️

#safc
#TilTheEnd

[Sunderland AFC @SunderlandAFC]

One more chapter to write...

'Til The End ✊

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

Still can't believe he's at our club man. What a leader. What a player. What a man. Congrats Skipper! #safc

[Sunderland AFC @SunderlandAFC]

Our captain. Our leader. Our Player of the Season.

Congratulations, Granit Xhaka 🏆🫡

[Dougie Critchley @DougieCritchley]

One player that I don't think has got enough credit outside of Sunderland is Enzo Le Fee.

11 League goals and assists is as many as Saka, it's 1 more than Palmer and Doku and 2 more than Ndiaye.

49 chances created ranks 14th in the Premier League, above Gibbs-White, Rogers and Bernardo Silva.

He's not just a flair player though, 85 tackles, ranks 11th in the Premier League, only 2 off Moises Caicedo's record.

He's an absolutely brilliant footballer, and to my (likely quite biased eyes) one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.

Still can't believe we managed to sign him when we sat 4th in the Championship!

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

This team 😍🔴⚪️🔴⚪️

[Sunderland AFC @SunderlandAFC]

THREE POINTS ON THE ROAD 😍

#EVESUN

[Rejected Manager @RejectedBook]

Happy Dan Ballard Anniversary to all who celebrate ❤️❤️⚽️⚽️

#SAFC

[Stu’s Football Flashbacks @stusfootyflash]

My word. This is sensational.

[Sunderland AFC @SunderlandAFC]

Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, our Black Cats have become Black Dogs 🖤

A symbol of the battles that so many people face every single day - often silently.

Football is family. And family looks out for each other. No matter who you are, or what you’re going through, you are never alone.

It’s okay to talk.

@livescore

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

@man_savings Ordered! Thanks for the heads up!

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

Looks class #safc

[Neil W @NeilWakelam]

@JamesCopley_ Questionable!?!? You just have to, absolutely have to score that. 6th man, we'd have been 6th!!!