David Jones makes Sunderland blunder live on Sky Sports after Stadium of Light exit
David Jones stepped down from his role on the Sunderland board of directors in August, leaving the club in “great hands”.
The announcement preceded Sunderland’s 3-0 victory over West Ham in their first Premier League game since 2017.
The Black Cats have marked their return to England’s top flight with a transfer window spending spree, with Granit Xhaka’s £17million arrival from Bayer Leverkusen among the most eye-catching signings.
But Regis Le Bris is still expecting further incomings, after Sunderland made an initial bid for Bologna defender Jhon Lucumi.
David Jones confuses Sunderland and Sheffield United
Jones held an advisory position at The Stadium of Light for almost six years, joining when Sunderland were in League One.
And in the years since his arrival, the Black Cats have gone from strength to strength, achieving promotion to the Championship at the end of the 2021/22 season.
Jones, a lifelong Sunderland fan, said the club is “unrecognisable” from the one he joined in 2019.
“It feels like the right time to step away with the club’s journey back to the Premier League complete,” the Sky Sports presenter explained.
| Sunderland 2019-now | Finishing position |
| 19/20 – League One | 7 |
| 20/21 – League One | 4 |
| 21/22 – League One | 5 |
| 22/23 – Championship | 6 |
| 23/24 – Championship | 16 |
| 24/25 – Championship | 4 |
“Sunderland is in great hands, on and off the field. The club is unrecognisable from the one I joined in League One, and I can’t wait to see the continued progress in the weeks and months ahead”.
But that didn’t save Jones from making a blunder when discussing the Black Cats live on Sky Sports, following Leeds United’s win over Everton on Monday, 18 August.
As Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville discussed the predicted final positions of the fans’ Premier League teams this season, Jones posed a question about promoted club Burnley.
He said: “Burnley, probably slightly more pessimistic than the rest. Maybe that’s just a feature of what’s happened before for them.
“Do you think that they’ve done a bit less than Leeds and Sheffield United in the summer?”
Carragher quickly corrected the presenter, but could not save Jones’ blushes at the mistake.
Sheffield United have suffered considerably from Sunderland winner
It was mere seconds that separated Sunderland and Sheffield United at the end of the season, with the former going up and the latter staying in the Championship.
But the two clubs could now not be further apart.
The Mackems sit second in the Premier League after their opening day destruction of West Ham, whilst the Blades sit bottom of the Championship following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Swansea and Bristol City.
Jones’ mistake was exactly that, a mistake, but it will surely not be one he makes again.
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