Why you should subscribe to We Are Sunderland for £1

The departure of Tony Mowbray with Sunderland teetering on the edge of the play-offs. Mike Dodds' impressive first interim spell in interim charge, to Michael Beale's appointment. Derby disappointment in the FA Cup and play-off hopes fading into the distance. An injury list as long as your arm and Beale's subsequent departure. Six defeats on the bounce and Dodds' recent revival. It's not been dull in our first few months covering the Black Cats. Actioned packed, you could say.

We Are Sunderland officially launched ahead of the clash with Newcastle United, having worked behind the scenes to build a backlog of content from the beginning of December. The first game of our new era covering the club ended in disappointing fashion as the Magpies progressed through to the next round of the competition. The Black Cats didn't lay a glove on their arch rivals, much to the disappointment of the red and white faithful.

A lot, has happened since then. You may still be getting accustomed to seeing us pop up on your socials with coverage from games both home and away, Sunderland press conferences and statistical jargon that has taken over the modern game - something we've broken down so you can explain it to your mates down the pub. As those of you who have already subscribed to We Are Sunderland may have seen, we're doing things differently to those who have come before and those who are still covering the club.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: Win a pair of Sunderland season tickets in the Black Cats Bar

The reaction and feedback over the course of the last four months has been hugely positive and encouraging, whether that be interaction on our Morning Briefing's or comments on our other social media platforms - even though results haven't been going well and we can find ourselves going over old ground - like the lack of experience in the Black Cats' squad or Sunderland's lack of firepower up front.

Every now and then a comment, or tweet pops up along the lines of, 'Why should I have to pay to read the article?' Or 'Behind a paywall, no thanks.' I get it. I understand it. I don't agree with it, but it's a question worth answering.

Our main aim at We Are Sunderland is to provide a wide range of content with something for everyone. Some supporters thrive on expected goals and on-ball value; others would prefer a trip down memory lane with a striker from the nineties or learning what's inspired Kevin Phillips on his own managerial career. We will always try to balance our in-depth analysis pieces with exclusive interviews with players past and present and long reads on just about everything Sunderland AFC.

Five of our favourite articles:

We know that asking you to pay for our content by taking out a subscription may be seen as a big commitment, but we hope that most, if not all of you who have subscribed so far, feel it is value for money. After all, it's just £2.99 per month at our full price - less than what you'd pay for a coffee a month. I hope that the content myself (@MattyJHewitt) and Joe Ramage (@JoeRamage_92) produce speaks for itself, along with the regular offerings from our contributors.

Our data partnership with StatsBomb gives us an exclusive insight into the metrics which many football clubs refer to in the modern day. Sunderland are almost the perfect club to deep dive into tactically, given their data-driven approach under Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' tenure, with Kristjaan Speakman also regularly citing 'the data' when he's explained decisions at the club this season. At We Are Sunderland, we're able to give you the insight and data behind the club's ambition to reach the Premier League.

We Are Sunderland: How Sunderland compare to their Championship rivals in terms of expected goals. How Sunderland compare to their Championship rivals in terms of expected goals. (Image: StatsBomb)

Whether it's how Sunderland compare to their Championship rivals in terms of expected goals - like the image above - or how Jack Clarke compares to the rest of the Championship (below) we've got it all.

We Are Sunderland: How Jack Clarke compares to the rest of the Championship. How Jack Clarke compares to the rest of the Championship. (Image: StatsBomb)

That being said, we're not just a bunch of guys that sit and crunch the numbers. We want to tell the stories that matter most to supporters. Like Chris Rigg's rise from grassroots to Sunderland's first-team, or Ellis Taylor's emotional rollercoaster of a year after losing his father. You won't find any clickbait on our website. We want to focus on quality over quantity.

We will take as long as is necessary to craft engaging, thought-provoking, informative articles that Sunderland supporters want to read. Whether you're a long-time subscriber or a curious newbie, we want you to see something that makes you think, 'This is well worth my time and money'.

We Are Sunderland isn't about what this pundit, or that pundit - with limited knowledge of the club - has said about the Black Cats. We want to provide insight from those who know the club best. Former Sunderland star Kieron Brady has a weekly column, as does James Hunter who covered the club for over 20 years during his time at the Evening Chronicle, while Wise Men Say also contribute weekly to our website through Richard Easterbrook. We want to leave no stone unturned.

When you compare the price of buying a paper every day of the month to the £2.99 monthly subscription fee (based on the full-price package), we truly believe we provide value for money - especially at the moment with current deals including six months of coverage for just £1 or 12 months for £12, we see that as great value for money. Especially when, at the time of writing, you can win season tickets in the Black Cats Bar for the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

We have a free-to-download app for Android and iPhone which makes your consumption of our content much easier. The app is easy to navigate, quick to load, and advert-free as well. You can easily adjust the text size, bookmark articles you want to revisit or read later, and there is also an audio option allowing you to listen to the articles if required. Additional features are also being worked on in the background.

As well as our vast array of written content, there are regular videos on YouTube and Facebook in which we reflect on matches, look ahead to upcoming games, or simply discuss the burning issues affecting Sunderland. The vast majority of these videos can also be consumed as podcasts. On top of that, you can sign up to receive the 'Everything Red and White' newsletter, dropping into your inbox daily at 7am, with all the latest Sunderland stories, without the clickbait

We've covered a lot in our first four months, and there are a lot of projects in the pipeline and a lot more still to come from us. We'll be with you every step of the way for the rest of this season and beyond as Sunderland target a return to the Premier League. We are always keen to hear from those who subscribe and read our content - be it comments, suggestions, topics you want us to cover or just about anything, do get in touch.

Thank you once again to those who continue to support We Are Sunderland and enjoy our content - and if you've ever considered subscribing, you can do so right now for just £1 for six months to get a taste of what we offer.