SA’s Essay: we deserved more than a point against West Brom

Malcolm Dawson writes…….I left the ground feeling deflated this afternoon. Partly because I wanted the Mags to get a point at Carrow Road but mostly because I wanted us to win. This was a decent performance but I can’t be as effusive as Big Sam is in his post match e-mail to M Salut. All of our players did well today. Should Rodwell have started? He has done well of late and although he has missed some decent chances he at least got into positions where he could have scored. Catts played well. Really well but he doesn’t get forward as quickly or as effectively as Rodwell. The problem is neither does M’Vila who had another effectively understated game. Kirchhoff is playing as the deep lying midfielder so none of the central players are getting forward to support Defoe. Big Sam thinks we should have won it. West Brom rarely troubled Manone it’s true but this was another game where I feel we needed to be a bit more adventurous. Anyway you might disagree and see things Sam’s way when you read what he has to say.

SUNDERLAND 0 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0

Dear Colin,

It’s hard to find the right words to describe what has been a disappointing day, but also a very pleasing one.

Without any question that was the most outstanding performance I’ve seen since I’ve been here and we’ve had some really good ones.

The second half, in terms of wanting to win and wanting to score, was just time after time and West Brom just couldn’t get out of their own half. The chances kept coming and coming but then they kept going and going.

There could have been better finishing but there was also some great goalkeeping. If we hadn’t been offside at the end and it had been a yard the other way it would have given us all the delight we deserved.

We’ve never deserved three points more than today and with the position that we’re in, it has made the result difficult to take.

I can’t give anything but praise to the players for the way they applied themselves and the way they played today.

The fans got behind them because they had so much to cheer from that performance, apart from the ultimate and that was going away from this weekend with a victory.

We still have a game in hand and with seven games to go I have to believe we will win more games than we draw or lose.

Thanks for your support,

Sam Allardyce

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