It's midweek and there is no Sunderland game in sight. Friday is far, far away. Bleak times.

We're only two games into the season and with four points on the board, things are looking great. And, just one goal conceded along the way, Sunderland seem to have a defence they can rely on to keep games close and to ensure the opportunity to win is always there.

Sunderland showed massive improvement a week on from the opening day disappointing draw against Bristol Rovers.

How much has changed since we last saw a competitive league game play out at the Stadium of Light? Based purely on what happened on the pitch today, absolutely nothing.

Although the 2019-20 season ended in disappointment for Sunderland fans, many supporters are feeling optimistic about the Black Cats' chances of returning to the Championship next May.

At this moment in time Sunderland A.F.C and many fans seem to be at odds over season tickets.

The appointment of Jim Rodwell as CEO at Sunderland has been met, generally, with a canny whack of scepticism.

Six years ago, Sunderland and Manchester City faced each other in the League Cup final. Manchester City came out on top on that particular occasion, defeating the Black Cats 3-1.

Nobody wants to talk about recent matches, so let's talk about something else...

Episode 8 and it's our first player in focus - Jon McLaughlin!