Sixer on Swansea City v Sunderland: the tables are turned

Hang on. We ask the questions, not them. Seriously, though, Salut! Sunderland never minds being asked to reciprocate when someone agrees to a Who are You? interview. One reason we never mind is that Sixer is invariably ready to do the honours. This is how he dealt with some questions from the SCFC2 fan site

SCFC2: Are Sunderland fans disappointed at the way this season has gone or did you expect it?

Pete Sixsmith: We are disappointed – nobody wants to be ensconced in the bottom three, but many of us saw it coming. The summer recruitment was poor with little coherent thought behind it and it clearly cheesed Dick Advocaat off. Too many poor players were signed and the positions we were weakest in were not addressed. Consequently, we started badly and lost the first two games heavily. It picked up a little bit when we drew with you, but we fell away again and Advocaat threw the towel in.

Are you surprised by the way in which Swansea have struggled this year?

Yes, but it appears that there were some deep-seated problems at the Liberty Stadium. Some players maybe feel that they have gone as far as they can with the Swans and, with hindsight, you may have been better changing the manager in the summer. It’s a fickle game though; Garry Monk usually came across well.

What did you make to the appointment of Sam Allardyce? What is the fans view of him at the moment?

He was the only appointment we could have made. He has the experience and the mindset to drag the club forward should we survive this season. Like the city, he is down to earth, has no airs or graces and works hard. Having said that, he has the devil of a job on his hands. I would liked to have seen what Mourinho could have done with a group of players like ours. On second thoughts, no I wouldn’t; it would have signalled the end of my football watching.

Swansea were rumored to looking into Gus Poyet to replace Garry Monk. What would Sunderland fans have made to that appointment?

I quite liked Poyet, but he lost his way badly last season and blamed everyone but himself for things not working out. He tried to play like Chelsea without having the quality of players that Chelsea had. He would have worked hard at Swansea but maybe you need a grizzled old pro to step in – a bit like Alan Curtis, who we should have signed in the late 70s.

See our questions to them at the Swansea City ‘Who are You?’: https://safc.blog/2016/01/swansea-city-v-safc-who-are-you-we-love-an-in-form-ki/

Would you swap Jermain Defoe for Bafe Gomis?

Surely not a serious question. Defoe is a natural goalscorer; Gomis reminds me of Jozy Altidore.

The Swans fans loved Fabio Borini, how has he done since he returned permanently to you?

He has not set Wearside alight and was, in the eyes of many, an unnecessary signing and one to appease the fans. He has grabbed a couple of goals and he works hard, but some straightforward chances have been missed. He has a great attitude and wants to do well but I think we could have spent the money more wisely. We live in hope though……

What’s to blame for Sunderland consistently dancing with danger over the last few years in the Premier League?

A succession of managers who have underachieved and who have spent the owner’s money on below-average players. An owner who is well-meaning but who moves from one plan to another and then panics every spring and brings in a completely different type of manager and changes the plan. If you believe Steve Bruce, (thousands don’t) blame the fans for expecting too much. We are caught in a cycle of disappointment which is now turning into a vortex which could well see us at Huddersfield, Blackburn and Reading (yuk) next season.

What was the best signing you made last summer?

Yann M’Vila without a doubt. He has looked a really good player throughout the trials and tribulations of this season and will not be with us next season. We have borrowed him from Rubin Kazan, via Internazionale and Dinamo Moscow and there will be bigger and better clubs than us eyeing him up for next season.

Which two players should we keep a close eye on during our game?

Watch M’Vila as he sits in front of the back four and works with Lee Cattermole. He rarely makes a bad pass. I hope your central defenders take their eye off Jermain Defoe so he can nip in and score. He is a class act.

What does the future hold for once Swans fans favourite Danny Graham?

He has no future at Sunderland and may well be at Blackburn Rovers by the time you read this. He has done his best but that is nowhere near good enough. Few of us can work out why Martin O’Neill signed him and four subsequent managers have used him sparingly, if at all. He is a hard worker and a decent man but the Championship is where he belongs. Sorry.

So is this a season too far for you guys or do you think you will stay up again?

It is too early to say but if we have a bad January, you can write us and Villa off. We need to beat you and Bournemouth to give us a possibility of staying up. That’s not much to ask is it?

Do you take any comfort in the fact that Newcastle are struggling alongside you?

Not really. I would rather be laughing at them from the relative comfort of the top half of the table. They will go down as well – I hope.

What are the fans’ views on having to travel to Swansea on a Wednesday night? Is this just ridiculous or one of those mad “I’m going and I will get in the car” fixtures?

In some ways it is a sensible decision as many would rather have a shortish trip to Manchester or Merseyside on a Saturday. In fact, the geographical balance of the Premier League has changed so much in the last five years that most away games are a long haul for us. The timing, so soon after Christmas, is not acceptable though as players are physically and mentally tired as well as after having played four games in two weeks.

There is a suspicion that the Premier League have stuck this set of fixtures in because there is so little football on in Europe that they will be able to sell the TV rights. I will be at the game because my brother is in Swansea on business and he offered to take me with him if I promise to be a good boy. I went to the Vetch once in 1979 (lost 1-3) and have been to The Liberty twice – once to watch us (a miserable 0-0 draw on a glorious summer’s day) and once when you beat Brighton in a League Cup tie when I was doing some ground hopping. I had a very good breakfast in an Italian cafe the day after.

Interview: Jim White