The whole Salut! Sunderland team owes our old mate Jeremy Robson a huge apology. He was one of the first out of the blocks to submit an end of season review (you can read the rest by following the link below Jake’s image) but somehow it got lost in the ether. Putting things right, here is his slightly amended contribution edited to reflect events at Stamford Bridge and Dick Advocaat’s subsequent decision not to stay – both of which occurred after Jeremy’s review was written. MD
End of season review time again. There’s no point in recanting the events of the season per se. We were all there and saw what happened, so I won’t. Most of it is best forgotten anyway.
Comparing this season to the previous one might simply read as follows. “Couldn’t manage a point for weeks on end” and “couldn’t do much other than draw for weeks on end.” There’s a line from Boy and Bear’s “Old Town Blues, which is “Shadow of the carving knife, is not the danger but the warning sign”, which sums up this season’s tedious and faltering start and the incredible number of draws. Optimists consoled themselves with the satisfaction of not losing. Realists recognised that a defeat followed by a win would be a more accurate sign of progress. The truth is that there wasn’t any progress. Failure was simply wearing different clothes.
The previous season had seen us lose regularly but not heavily. This was also to change. A capitulation of mammoth proportions away at Southampton knocked ten bells out of the goal difference, and we witnessed one of the finest strikes on goal this season from a SAFC boot. Vergini’s finish was sublime. Unfortunately, it was past Mannone and not Forster. If only Messrs Wickham, Fletcher, and Graham (you can only dream Jozy), could muster such a thing at the right end.
As memories of a League Cup Final appearance faded to distant memory, goals were becoming a rarity. It looked as if the goal drought might be over for Fletcher as he netted twice in November away at Crystal Palace. Apart from his hat trick for Scotland against the Isle of Lundy (sorry Gibraltar – which isn’t even an island), the goal well remained dry until the fat lady was giving her rendition of “Oh Sole Meo”.
Freshly back to the UK having become fed up watching Raptors games and hitting the town with Drake, hopes of ending the goal scoring embargo saw Mr Defoe arrive in a swap deal for the lumbering and hopeless Altidore. Remarkably, many Canadians think they got the sweet end of the deal. Laugh? I thought my pants would never dry. Defoe’s return has not been high but his contribution has been significant, even when playing out of position.
By the time Defoe had arrived, many of our fans were sensing déjà vu, with Gus Poyet sounding increasingly like Steve Bruce in his later period as manager. Eager to criticise everyone other than himself and unable to see the glaring limitation in his tactics, style and team selections. Remarkably and against all odds, we saw the return of Danny Graham from a loan spell at Wolves which was cut short. They weren’t terribly impressed by Danny at Molineux, yet here he was. Not only back in the fold but even more remarkably back in the team, where he more or less stayed. Disastrous home performances and results of which the lowest ebb was the first half collapse against Aston Villa, ultimately saw Poyet leave with only 8 games left.
Enter the Little General. Contracted to the end of the season. We can only assume that Lee Congerton was responsible for this coup (so thanks a bunch Lee!). The most accomplished manager to ever arrive at Sunderland AFC in my life time had come to try and save us. Most fans had more or less given up the ghost. We were as good as relegated. Except of course we weren’t. All of a sudden there was some cohesion, organisation and a much more attacking formation which might actually pose a threat to the opposition. Dick Advocaat knows that to be successful, you have to score at least occasionally. Having said that we were also stronger defensively and that was down to the manager having the courage of his own convictions, dropping the likes of Vergini, Revelliere, and Alvarez on the final run in. A more positive outlook from the team saw our luck change as we got the two penalties at home to Southampton and the two fluke goals away at Goodison. What was it that Napoleon said about his Generals?
When our own Little General arrived he was probably not looking beyond the end of the season. Would he want to stay if we went down? Would we want him to stay? How would he feel if he saved us from relegation? Putting aside Dick’s comments about Mrs Advocaat not wanting him to carry on working, it would seem from his comments and behaviour that he did reconsider. When he burst into tears at the end of the match at the Emirates, it raised the possibility that this was the end of the road for him and his assistant, Bert Van Lingen. The two men have worked side by side for almost three decades. We asked the question, was Sunderland to be the final staging post on their joint careers which had taken them to league titles and World Cups? Avoiding relegation would have been a strange way for Dick Advocaat’s career to end. Was it, we wondered simply the end of the closing chapter to a longer story yet to be written? Some of his comments suggested that he realised what needs to be done at Sunderland, and how to make those changes. In a very short time he established a bond with the players, many of whom he knows are nowhere near good enough, and with the tens of thousands of Sunderland supporters with whom he has found a special place in their hearts. Personally I never warmed to Gus Poyet, but took to Dick Advocaat very quickly. But he’s made his decision and again we find ourselves looking for someone new.
The most significant difference between this season and either of the two previous seasons is that Ellis Short seems to better understand not only what is needed to put this club where it should be, but what mechanisms need to be put in place for that to happen. I’m delighted for Ellis Short, as I’ve been very critical of some of his dealings in the past, and particularly his transfer policy etc. When he took ownership of the club, he must have thought that owning SAFC was a great idea, but not being a football man at all, he really wasn’t sure what that idea was about. There’s a sense that he now comprehends the issues and has made some strides towards finding solutions. The first part of this new jigsaw has to be finding a replacement for Dick Advocaat. Someone with a similar philosophy and feel for the game. Someone who will fall in love with the club and get the team onside. Someone who will be here for the longer term and produce the longed for stability we all crave. If he’s successful in doing that difficult task, then we will have good reason to look forward to the coming seasons with much more optimism than for many a good year.
Well. If the betting odds are to be believed, it looks like Sean Dyche of Burnley will take the helm.
I live in Kettering, and he comes from here. Please don’t blame me when it all goes wrong.
Actually, this guy may be a good match. He was close to keeping Burnley up, and seemed to be doing a decent work there.
I think as long as he is allowed to transfer in as Dick Advocaat suggested we will be ok. Nottop ten for sure, but safe.
In reality we should be top ten.
He changed the defence though William; getting Reveliiere and Vergini out. Coates came in when Brown was injured so he was lucky with how that turned out, but you are dead right. He applied common sense and look how well that worked. Poyet was just full of his own importance and too stupid and obstinate to see what forty odd thousand could see week in and week out.
Dick Advocaat will/has become Sunderland legend, and good luck to him. In truth however, I seems to me that what he did was apply common sense [ in football terms ] to a situation which had been devoid of that commodity all season.
Firstly, he consigned Poyet’s failed playing style to history. Rather than encouraging the players to pass the ball aimlessly around n their own half, he told them to get the ball forward as quickly and often a possible, with the object of getting some attempts on goal. Two penalties in one game, and two deflected goals in another, demonstrates that anything can happen if you attack with some intent.
He also, very rapidly decided who, amongst a poor squad, were best equipped to scrap for the dozen or so points we needed to survive in the PL.
That is why Danny Graham was brought back. Whatever his perceived deficiencies, he is the only player in the squad who is remotely capable of consistently holding up the ball, and passing it to someone in same shirt [ Fletcher, Altidore and Wickham had all failed to do that ]
Sensibly, DA didn’t mess with the defence, other than to bring in Jones, to reinforce the attacking emphasis.
His master stroke, it seems to me, was bringing in Coates, rather than Virgini, when Wes Brown was ruled out of the last few games. I think he was immense alongside O’Shea.
Advocaat is clearly a great man manager, as could be seen in the determination and belief our team showed in those critical few games. This, above all, in my opinion, led to our PL survival.
Precisely Derek, and that’s the whole point. What is he directing exactly? The simple fact that people are constantly talking about this “overseer” role indicates that confidence in him is not all that high.
Well, we are close to the Dutch shorelines. And I would like to see Dick Advocaat given a different role within the club. Something less stressful than the manager, but an Overseer in some way. He would be useful as an internal advisor for sure.
He knows, I know, you know, we all know. Something Better Change = “The Stranglers” in way back then.
Overseer! Sounds like Director of football to me!
It’s always surprised me that we haven’t had more Dutch players. Zenden and PVA in recent times and Zoetebier some time ago. There’s something about the Dutch that might just fit at our club, certainly less flighty than the Italian we had and perhaps less dogmatic than the Uruguayan.
Mr Advocaat was unquestionably the right man just sadly ten or fitteen years too late for us. It’s a crying shame. It really is. Unfortunately we are likely to return to the pedestrian sort of appointment that will leave us in what’s now become a familiar position come the end of next season.
All we can do, is hope that’s not the case and that things will change and improve. Old habits do die hard unfortunately. Had Dick stuck around for another season then there would have been something of a cultural change within the club and more importantly perhaps in the perceptions of others. Men of his calibre are hard to find, and the next appointment is crucial, not least because we have seen a glimpse of the possible during Dick’s brief tenure.
Some imagination is going to be needed, and I would hope that Dick has been consulted on who he thinks a worthy successor might be. From the recent press releases, that’s not the impression that is being made. I was incorrect is crediting Lee Congerton with bring in in DA. Apparently that credit goes to Hans Gillhaus. It’s a shame, because it was giving me a sense of what Congerton’s role actually is. Presumably it’s going to be more than signing players of dubious quality which hitherto seems to be his specialism. We’ve had managers who can sign rubbish without help from anyone else. We don’t need to be paying somebody else to help the manager do that.
Given that Hans Gillhaus is part of Congerton’s team I don’t think it’s unreasonable that he should be given credit for listening to him!
Well worth waiting for Jeremy. If only we can attract a manager with either the attributes of ,or the potential to be like Mr. Advocaat. At least he will always be remembered affectionately and should he ever return to the SOL ,even as a spectator I’ll lead the chants and singing. What a terrific appointment and I’m really sad he was too old to take us on.
LOL HE WASN’T TO OLD HE JUST HAS A WIFE WITH A FIRM GRIP ON HIS FUTURE PROSPECTS.
THAT WAS WHY HIS EYES WERE WATERING
I just wonder if the Dutch mentality and approach to football is what suits us best.So maybe the recent links to Cocu at PSV who also worked with Dick might be worth pursuing.
It also transpires that his assistant is Frank Arnesen’s son in law – the plot thickens!