It’s been a summer of tension and excitement for Sunderland!

I can’t remember a more exciting transfer window and summer as a Sunderland fan, and the feelgood factor from our Wembley win has just continued on and on.

For the first few weeks, we were all living off the replays — “There’s lots of movement inside the box – Ballard!”— and then focus turned to the signings and being very pleasantly surprised at how the club was obviously going to throw everything we had into giving our return to the top flight a real go.

It’s made for a summer like no other for me, as I usually turn my attention to cricket, athletics, rugby and tennis.

Whilst I’ve still followed these sports, my football ‘withdrawal symptoms’ have hardly kicked in at all. A good example of this is our own Haway The Podcast, which has been recorded on a daily basis, such has been the exciting movement around the club in the close season. Gav and the team have helped me to willingly go on my morning power walk/jog, as that’s my go-to way of listening in!

I recently watched some highlights from the playoff final and it brought me back down to earth, if that’s the right phrase, as it reminded me of the fantastic achievement of those players and the club to fight our way back to the top flight — and it was a fight.

All too often of late, I’ve gotten carried away with plans for the Premier League.

We’ve bought this player or that player, and forgetting the absolute joy of that Wembley day and appreciating the depths that we’d fallen to. Watching the start of the Championship season last weekend was very satisfying, knowing that we weren’t going to be part of that absolute grind, and in my opinion, it’ll be a much harder grind this year.

Watching the Lads parade around Wembley produced a different emotion this time — and that’s that many of those players won’t see much action (if any) this season.

I think we all knew that four or five big, powerful and experienced players would be needed — especially through the spine of the team — but few of us would’ve expected the club to buy virtually a brand new starting eleven, one which even Enzo Le Fée might not get into, and it was needed.

Seeing Crystal Palace versus Liverpool in the Community Shield reminded me of the power and athleticism of Premier League players, and we need to match that. I think we’ve gone a a long way to having a fighting chance, and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and the board as a whole need to be congratulated for that.

So, to this week and the countdown to kickoff, and the excitement is once again turning to tension!

Don’t get me wrong — I’m loving every minute of following the Lads at this period in our history, but nevertheless, it is tension and the game against West Ham will answer many questions. Of course, it’s only the first game, but a bad defeat will affect everyone’s bubble, whereas a fighting draw will have us pondering and a win will give us belief.

In my eyes, one of the hardest jobs for Régis Le Bris is maintaining one of ‘the pillars’ — to use one of his phrases — of unity and identity.

It’s extremely important that the new signings gel quickly, ‘get’ the club, and want to be there for their teammates. That often comes with time, and hopefully the players from last season who are still in and around the starting eleven can bring that togetherness to the table for the new signings to buy into.

Our job as fans is to support and lift the team throughout the trials and tribulations of the coming year. I’m certain all of the new players will be blown away by the noise on Saturday, and long may it continue.