Season was a bit behind last season: knock on fro the WC no doubt.
This is the table when everyone had played 36 matches:
link
Sunderland were 5 points off the playoffs with a GD equal to the team in 6th.
Admittedly, we haven't played 36 yet, but best case scenario is we win our game in hand and we're 7 points off 6th with a much inferior GD (yeah, I know things can change before we play our game in hand).
Sunderland made it by their fingernails last time; 2 more points to make up would have broken them.
I think it's a bridge too far.