Sunderland will, when the curtain falls on the Championship season at the start of May, just write this campaign off as a misstep on the way to greater success down the line.
Mike Dodds has failed to reinvigorate a group who were down on their luck already managed by Michael Beale, with the interim boss almost a certainty to step down at the end of the season having overseen a poor mid-table finish.
The team, looking at the future, could well be moulded around the exploits of 18-year-old Jobe Bellingham going forward, who has still managed to excel with seven goals in the Championship despite his team's dire standing in the division.
Staggeringly, when Sunderland were competing with the top dogs in the Premier League, one horrendous flop was earning nearly four times Bellingham's wage even whilst firing blanks for the Black Cats.
Ignacio Scocco's record at Sunderland
Signed under the tenure of Gustavo Poyet – who would only pick up 23 wins from his 75 games in charge – Ignacio Scocco undoubtedly goes down as a major dud from this period that did initially raise eyebrows.
The Argentine attacker would join for a bumper £3m mid-way through the 2013/14 campaign, joining the Wearside outfit alongside fellow flop Jozy Altidore who struggled to settle in his new surroundings much like Scocco.
Sunderland made a mistake signing flop who would've cost £16.4m in 2024
Sunderland dropped an almighty clanger signing this disastrous flop back in 2013.
