Our service could be a bit delayed tomorrow. Not only has Pete Sixsmith to get home, he’ll probably have to compose himself before he can compose his report. And if he does manage to send it early he will find we’re all otherwise engaged.
But we will get there in the end, which is what our team appears to be doing according to Pete’s post-game seven word text:
Oct 23 Doncaster Rovers 0 Sunderland 1 (0) Winning ugly is just fine by me.
Oct 20 Shrewsbury Town 0 (0) Sunderland 2 (0) A comfortable win that just oozed professionalism
Oct 6 Bradford City 1 (0) Sunderland 2 (1) Great win but Power made it difficult
Oct 2 Sunderland 2 (1) Peterborough 2 (0) Good point but spoiled by woeful refereeing
Sept 29 Coventry City (0) 1 Sunderland (0) 1 Fair result that could have been worse
Sept 22 Sunderland 4 (3) Rochdale 1 (0) Fifteen minute purple patch wrapped this up
Sept 15 Burton Albion 2 (2) Sunderland 1 (o) Weaknesses horribly exposed in a deserved defeat
Sept 8 Sunderland 1 (1) Fleetwood Town 1 (1) Huffed and puffed against very difficult opponents
Sept 4 Sunderland 0 (0) [4] Stoke City U21s 0 (0) [2] *Decent workout for young guns and recoverees
Sept 8 Sunderland A (a) Fleetwood Town B (b)
Sept 1 Sunderland 1 (0) Oxford United 1 (1 ) Poor first half, dug in well second
Aug 19 Sunderland 3 (3) Scunthorpe United 0 (0) Iron pummeled as three lusty blows delivered
Aug 16 Carabao Cup: Sunderland (0) 0 Sheffield Wednesday (1) 2 Result disappointing but plenty to enthuse about
Aug 11 Luton Town (0) 1 Sunderland (1) 1 Played well in patches against solid opposition
Aug 4 Sunderland (0) 2 Charlton Athletic (1) 1 A great day for club and academy
July 21 St Mirren (0) 0 Sunderland (2) 6 * Cracking results like this will suit fine
July 17 Grimsby Town (0) Sunderland (1) 1 *Gooch’s header from Maguire’s cross settles matters
July 14 Hartlepool United (1) 1 Sunderland (0) 1 Yet to see anything to inspire confidence
July 10 Darlington (1) 1 Sunderland (0) 0 Embarrassing
I think (some) people should stop giving Honeyman and mcgeouch so much stick both online and at matches.
I have a question for them. Do you think Henderson should be in the Liverpool and england teams? Different level, but many england and Liverpool fans constantly criticise.
If Ross/Klopp/ Southgate always play these guys in amongst the stars maybe the critics are missing something?
I think the pairing of McGeouch and Cattermole is a cause of negative comments but I’m happy with it as an away game tactic. Absorb pressure while the home team is ‘up for it’ in the first half and don’t concede. Ross seems to be coming adept at gauging our substitutions to make marked changes in our tactics as the game advances. Notably the introduction of Gooch and Honeyman for fresh legs when the Shrewsbury big lads had 50-odd minutes of running around getting nowhere. Last thing they wanted to face was a bit of pace. I’m tired of the term ‘it’s only division one’ being used to negatively override anything we do. We are where we deserve to be. We’ve started from scratch and the teams in our league are our peers. What is pleasing is a squad of 16-17 players all ‘up for it’ and well capable of contributing to each game with a core of 5-6 players as ‘first names on the sheet’. I’ve grown out of my long held habit of groaning when substitutions are made because, for the first time in a few years, they are making a difference.
So, back to the McGeouch/Catts pairing. I think we can be more expansive in home games with players like Power (if he ever learns), O’Nein (who will develop, a bit of a slow-burner), Gooch, Honeyman and McGeady but their options as substitutes is a comfort. But it is a good pairing to start away games.
We’re light up front and nothing we can do about it. Nobody sells goalscorers in the January window so the solution is within the club.
Pleased with the options of creating our back four. Baldwin and Flanagan look good. James, Hume and Matthews aren’t giving us nightmares. The bench looks decent.
I do think ‘Book Cattermole’ is on the Ref’s tick list for each game just after ‘Count the players on the field’ and ‘Blow the whistle to start’ and ‘Press watch’.
So far, so good for me.
I was also amused by a comment on a Doncaster fans forum which stated ” Sunderland showed what millions of pounds of parachute payments can do for you”.
So much came to mind but all I could do was smile and wonder if the last six months was a dream.
A tight game as predicted, they were only a point behind us and the potential to take a big scalp. Two scares the first half, but nothing much to threaten us with in the second.
Can’t beat getting three points away from home from teams who are up for it because its Sunderland.
Can’t understand all the negative comments on social media regarding McGeouch, he did what was necessary and whilst not spectacular it was effective which is just what we need.
Ref blew hot and cold, 9 yellows was a bit much. Mind you the Doncaster players and fans were a moaning set of B’s.