Opinion: Don't listen to Liam Bridcutt, Sunderland fans returning for Wigan clash is a huge boost for Lee Johnson

It comes from ex-players with an axe to grind, from uniformed pundits and from rival fans looking to stir the pot.

Just last month, former midfielder Liam Bridcutt launched an extraordinary tirade and accused Sunderland fans of ‘ruining their own club’...

In truth, the supporters are the best thing about Sunderland. The Coronavirus pandemic proved that. Going to games mid-lockdown just wasn’t the same without the backdrop of noise and colour that fans provide.

And if Mackems really are the problem, then why was the Black Cats’ home record in League One last season without fans worse than their previous two campaigns with fans?

You need only to look at the Lincoln City play-off semi-final second-leg in May earlier this year.

Sunderland were 2-0 down after the first chapter at Sincil Bank, but with 10,000 fans permitted into the Stadium of Light for the first time since March 2020, Lee Johnson’s men quickly levelled the scores.

The atmosphere in the ground was electric right from kick-off with 10,000 sounding like 30,000.

Yes, there was disappointment at the final whistle. But so there should have been… Sunderland had blown it again.

This weekend will see Mackems return en masse to the Stadium of Light without capacity restrictions for the first time in one year and five months… or 518 days to be precise.

And it is up to Lee Johnson and his players to harness the energy of that crowd on Saturday. To own it. Influence it. Use it to their advantage by performing. Just like they did against Hull City in last Friday’s pre-season friendly.

Ex-Sunderland legend Gary Bennett, speaking to The Echo recently, summed it up best.

“The supporters play a huge part,” he said.

“But when players come out and use it as an excuse that the supporters put them under too much pressure… that’s why you sign for the club!

“If you can’t handle that then you shouldn’t play for a big club and you should go and sign for a club where there’s only 5,000 people. But don’t blame the supporters.”

Amen to that.

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