Dan Ballard has made a ‘hungry’ claim about the Sunderland dressing room.
Dan Ballard is one of many Sunderland players who have achieved promotion in his career, though his came during a loan spell with Blackpool in the 2020-21 campaign.
The defender joined the Black Cats after they had just reached the Championship themselves, with a long list of the squad playing a key part in getting there after a four-year stint in the third tier.
The team came close to achieving back-to-back promotion straight up to the Premier League when they reached the play-offs last term, but were beaten by the eventual winners Luton Town.
Sunderland were hopeful to give themselves another shot this season and it times it has looked like they could, but their inconsistent form under Michael Beale has left them eighth in the league table – with three wins in eight games.
Despite recent struggles, Ballard has claimed Sunderland’s experience of promotion has left them ‘hungry’ for more.
When asked about his promotion with Blackpool by Sky Sports, the 24-year-old said: “”It was an amazing achievement and a lot of this time have experienced that, getting promoted a couple of years ago.
“I think everyone’s got that little bit of experience and we’re hungry for that again and there’s a much bigger prize this time.”
How does Sunderland’s squad compare to that play-off win?
Sunderland’s play-off victory against Wycombe Wanderers should certainly benefit them in their bid for Premier League football, with many of the players showing they are capable of handling the pressure.
However, the team that beat Wycombe is very different and a lot more experienced than the one currently plying its trade in the Championship.
Alex Neil put out a team that featured the likes of Bailey Wright, Corry Evans and Danny Batth, while Dennis Cirkin and Anthony Patterson were the only players in the starting line-up under the age of 23.
The Black Cats are undeniably desperate to win promotion and play Premier League football, but when we have been relying on the likes of Abdoullah Ba and Pierre Ekwah to get us there, it is understandable that their experience isn’t quite enough to get us there.
We have always known that we need some experienced heads in the team to help guide us to success and Luke O’Nien has been doing a very solid job, but he has recently been surrounded by an extremely young squad, with some of whom have barely played senior football.
It was about getting the right balance in the squad and we haven’t really managed to do that – paired with some very dull football conducted by Michael Beale.