"I’m not advocating for a sudden shift in mentality but even games against the likes of Coventry and Leeds United seem to have carried more weight than those against Middlesbrough."
Sunderland home attendances this season:
Coventry: 41,216
Leeds: 40,531
Middlesbrough: 43,584
Only Ipswich which was the first home game of the season and the Newcastle home game got a bigger crowd than vs Boro.
Last Season:
Coventry: 40,851(opening day of the season)
Middlesbrough: 42,594
Only Blackburn (Boxing Day), Stoke (Alex Neil's return), Watford (final home game when chasing the play-offs) and Luton in the play-off first leg had a higher crowd than versus us.
If we are such an insignificant fixture for them, why do they keep showing up in such big numbers for games against us?