Sunderland: Dan Neil pinpoints positive from Mick Beale nightmare | OneFootball

Last season could have been a very important one for the Black Cats despite their woes, according to midfielder Neil.

Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil has admitted that the club's disappointing 2023/24 campaign, including Mick Beale's ill-fated tenure, may have been a blessing in disguise for them.

He made these comments to the Telegraph, during what has been an excellent season for them so far.

They may have suffered a couple of setbacks, but they remain at the top of the Championship table at this stage after nine games, with Regis Le Bris' side securing enough points to put themselves in a good position to fight for promotion at this point.

There's still more than three-quarters of the season left to go at this point, but they have made a good start and will be hoping to build on that in the coming months.

The Black Cats have been on the rise in recent years, falling down to League One in 2018 but finally managing to get themselves back into the Championship back in 2022 under Alex Neil.

They were able to build on a brilliant play-off final victory against Wycombe Wanderers despite losing former manager Neil to Stoke City during the early stages of the 2022/23 season, securing a top-six place under Tony Mowbray despite not having many strikers at their disposal during the second half of the campaign.

In the end, their lack of options in a couple of key areas probably caught up with them, with the Wearside outfit also having some of their central defenders unavailable for their play-off clashes against Luton Town, a tie they went on to lose.

Sunderland's struggles during the 2023/24 campaign

Securing back-to-back play-off finishes was a great achievement despite their heartbreak against Luton and that seemed to give them the platform to go on and achieve greater things.

Unfortunately, they were unable to do that last season, with Mowbray being harshly sacked after struggling during the latter stages of his spell and Beale and Mike Dodds also suffering during their times at the helm.

Beale's tenure was a particularly poor low point and results under his tenure were a big reason why the Wearside club finished in 16th place at the end of last term.

Dan Neil's admission on Sunderland's 2023/24 season

For the Black Cats' team, last season would have felt like a step back, but Neil believes the 2023/24 campaign and their struggles under Beale could end up paying dividends for them in the longer term.

He told the Telegraph: "Look at the inside of this building, look at the style of play, look at recruitment and the commitment to bringing young players through. Each year there has been a general progression.

"Last year was a bit of a low, but I think it was a blessing in disguise.

"We did so well in our first year in the Championship, that brought people back to earth a little bit. I don’t think it was a horrendously bad thing for the players because it showed them what the lows feel like.

"Everyone can see this club has changed for the better. There is a unity of purpose here, from top to bottom."

Sunderland's lows could make the highs even sweeter for them

They have endured lows this season, as well as last season.

Their loss against Plymouth Argyle was a bit of a setback for them because the Pilgrims were struggling at the time and the Black Cats would have wanted to win that game.

They made such a long journey to get no points, but they have been able to respond to that, which shows the character they have.

The Wearside club also seem to have got over the departure of Jack Clarke, who was a key player for the team during his time at the Stadium of Light.