Features The Beautiful Game: Frankie Francis, Frankie & The Heartstrings - Sunderland AFC

If you’re anything like DIY, you’ll have spent last week finely tuning your Fantasy Football team ready for the new season. Now, with all the major English and Scottish leagues underway, it’s time to take a balanced look at just what’s in store. We’ve asked a bunch of bands, artists and music industry types to let us know exactly what they expect from their team in 2011/2012. Anyone for a Bovril?

When it comes to Sunderland, there’s only one place we could turn. Unfortunately Kate Adie wasn’t available, so we had to ask Frankie instead.

I believe Sunderland go into this season with their best chance of bringing European football to Wearside since we had a brief appearance in the Cup Winners Cup in 1973-74 season.

Although he continues to divide opinion here in Sunderland, I am a fan of Steve Bruce. I think the relationship he, Niall Quinn and owner Ellis Short seem to have is an integral part of the club’s ambitious outlook as we start another season in the Premier League.

The last two seasons, although ultimately finishing 10th last year, have been of two halves: first half brilliant, second half, not so. Last season I think a lot of that was due to the departure of Darren Bent and some very bad luck with injuries. This season, with what I think is a very well strengthened squad, is our best chance to give it a good go. Hopefully, Wes Brown and John O’Shea will be the leaders on the pitch that we have lacked in the last few seasons. Their experience and class will be very evident and hopefully it’ll rub off on the other players in the squad. Im very keen to see what Conner Wickham can offer this season as he came with a big price tag and a lot of promise.

Providing we can stay injury free for the majority of the season and perhaps acquire another striker before the end of the transfer window, this season could be Sunderland’s best since we finished seventh under Peter Reid in the 90s. I’m sure supporters of all clubs start the season with very similar grand anticipations but looking at the teams that finished around us the last couple of seasons, it’s my belief that we the have better players, squad and approach to the game than the teams of similar profile.

Having said all this I’ll be as happy as anyone if we beat our old neighbours twice, finish above them in the league and blast last season’s disastrous appearance at St James’ Park (or whatever it’s called now) into oblivion.