Wes Brown says ‘more pressure’ as Sunderland player than Premier League tilts at Manchester United

Wes Brown experienced opposite ends of the Premier League at Manchester United and Sunderland

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06:00, 27 MAR 2023

Wes Brown spent five years at Sunderland after leaving Manchester United in 2011 (Image: Photo by Ian Horrocks - Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)

Wes Brown believes the stakes were higher at Sunderland than during his Manchester United days. The former Red Devil arrived on Wearside during his twilight years, having won every honour possible in English football.

Brushing shoulders with world-class players and competing in tense title races was a polarising experience to the one Brown lived through at Sunderland. Relegation scraps were the norm, with the Black Cats succumbing to the drop the year after his exit.

The financial implications of Championship football adds unique pressure as jobs are on the line. Brown was part of a Sunderland dressing room that made scraping Premier League survival - even when relegation looked a formality - their annual bread and butter.

Speaking to Fore Fore 2, the ex-defender, who has played in a Champions League final, admitted there was “more pressure” representing Sunderland. He said: “(There is) a lot more pressure because there’s a lot more at stake. Ultimately, we didn't score a lot of goals. And if you don't score a lot of goals, you don't pick up points.

“We were always on the back foot. Luckily for me, when I was there, we always got out of trouble. That was just as exciting (as winning trophies) weirdly. For three years, we just got out of it. It was funny, we’d get beat by all the teams we should have beaten then beat all the big boys near the end.”

Brown also opened up about the memorable 2014 League Cup campaign. Sunderland reached the final but were ultimately beaten by eventual top-flight champions Manchester City.

“(It was a) great little run,” he added. “It put so much pressure on the league because we probably, at one point, had six games in hand on (the) teams above. But getting into that final was good for the club.

“We went 1-0 up against City at Wembley but then they just battered us. They ended up winning 3-1 but it was a great effort from the lads, especially where we were in the league.”