Pure Poyetry: Recreativo de Huelva 0 SAFC 1. Boss hails Mika winner


That was the tweet from Boulogne’s finest, Mikael Mandron. Great to see such desire from the 19-year-old forward whose penalty decided the first of an unfamiliar-looking Sunderland’s friendlies in Portugal. Here’s what the boss made of it in his customary post-match e-mail to Monsieur Salut and one or two others. Malcolm Dawson asks the delicate but pertinent question in Comments: what is the explanation for the boss’s repeated use of players most of us would have considered at best on the the fringe of his first-team squad? ….

Dear Colin,

It’s pre-season and it’s important that the players get fit and well and are in shape, but it’s also nice to be winning games.

It’s nice for the fans as well; they want to see us play and it’s good that they can enjoy what they see.

It was a very tight first half and then the game opened up. It was apparent that the team who scored the first goal would win it.

It was pretty much end-to-end stuff, we hit the crossbar they hit the crossbar and then it was a penalty that decided the game and was a good finish from Mika [Mikael Mandron] from the spot.

It was important for Liam [Bridcutt] to get a run out tonight and Alfred [N’Diaye] got more minutes on the pitch so that was good for him. It was nice to see Liam back.

Thanks for your support,

Gus Poyet

2 thoughts on “Pure Poyetry: Recreativo de Huelva 0 SAFC 1. Boss hails Mika winner”

  1. You’re right Malcolm, he doesn’t seem to have much choice. We are facing the same old problems which are partly caused by the clubs unswerving reliance on the loan system. There can be no continuity of the good things if the best performances are coming from players who have no intention of being there the following season. One or two may be ok to cover for injuries or sudden departures but it’s gone way too far especially when you add to that the number of out of contract departees.

    Gus has made his case very clear in the Echo saying that he has set a deadline to bring in 4 of the players he wants within the next 7 days. What happens if they haven’t arrived when the deadline rolls by remains unclear.

    There has to be some sort of bridging approach, thinking/strategy (call it what you will), and this was another major point that GP made last season. The development squads and first teams would be closer. He’s right about this because there’s no such thing as reserve team football any more. There should be, because the bridge that I was talking about was there. Certainly it seems that some of the young lads are giving it a real go and good for them.

  2. What do we read into this team selection? It seems obvious that it is a reflection of the fact that we really only have one starting eleven and Gus doesn’t want to play it two nights running. The Echo suggests that by sending for the Development Squad he is dropping a less than subtle hint to those searching for new players and those in charge of the finances that they have to get their collective fingers out.

    It can surely do the youngsters no harm to know that the manager is looking at them personally and that places in his squad are up for grabs. Even if some of them are not ready yet, it must do a lot for their confidence and for developing an ethos at the club of the kind that Poyet suggested last season was badly needed.

    Gus must be getting frustrated by the time it is taking to bring players in and for me strengthening the centre back positions must be the priority.

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