How did Cheer Up Peter Reid go on from there? ‘…. when a saviour’d come our way.’ The Sunderland chairman, Ellis Short, avoided the word, preferring instead to talk of the “track record, experience, commitment and passion [that] make him the right man to take us forward”. It remains to be seen who will need cheering up most come the end of the season …
Salut! Sunderland extends a hearty if nervous welcome to Gus Poyet, newly appointed as head coach of SAFC on a two-year contract.
If he does in 31 games what Paolo Di Canio managed in seven and keep Sunderland up, he will have more than earned the second year and perhaps an extension.
It is difficult to know, looking up from rock bottom, seven points short (because of our ghastly goal difference) of a non-relegation place, who could have taken on the challenge with real confidence. Every manager or head coach, even when young with limited experience, must have some, maybe a lot of, self-belief. The job at Sunderland involves, in large measure, transferring that to the players.
Poyet starts, as all those taking charge of Sunderland AFC should, with our support. Even most of those of us who had misgivings about the baggage that came with PDC gave him the benefit of the doubt once the club sorted out its dismal initial handling of the appointment and issued that famous statement on what Di Canio was and was not.
The Uruguyan arrives unencumbered by that sort of history. Like PDC, he also arrives without Premier experience on management, good as both were as top-flight players. He therefore faces a steep learning process as he attempts to replicate the success he had at Brighton, before it all ended in tears, at the higher level.
There’s a press conference later and we’lhttp://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/sunderland/id/2212?cc=5739l hear what Poyet himself makes of the task ahead.
Pete Sixsmith has already set out his immediate roadmap and I have reproduced it in a piece written for ESPN – – http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/sunderland/id/2212?cc=5739. Essentially, it is this: forget the awful luck SAFC have had with the fixtures list – all but two of the first eight home games against top six contenders – and concentrate on the winnable next three matches, at Swansea and Hull with Newcastle at home in between.
It is no use relying on the supposedly easier run of home games that starts with Norwich at home in December. The season could well be defined by how many points we manage from that little cluster before Man City, Chelsea and Spurs arrive looking for easy away wins.
Here’s an extract from that ESPN article:
New managers/coaches can have a magical effect. Peter Reid staved off relegation to an even lower division back in 1995 and turned a modest squad into Premier-bound champions in the following season. O’Neill fired up Bruce’s troubled team in 2011 to take the 19 points from nine games that ensured survival despite a later slump. Even though only seven league games have so far been played, Poyet has to show he, too, has a magic wand.
And now over to you, Gus, to put a smile on our faces …
Join the Salut! Sunderland Facebook group – click anywhere along this line
And follow us on Twitter: @salutsunderland … click along this line
Fancy leaving a comment? Not sure what you have to say fits this post? Go to the new feature – https://safc.blog/2013/07/salut-sunderland-the-way-it-is/ – and say it there.
Hopefully he keeps us up and fantastic if he does. We’ve dodged the bullet for three seasons now and if the worst does happen I hope Mr Short gives Poyet the chance to bring us back up . It’s the changing of managers coupled with their collective and compounded mistakes in the transfer market that have got us in this mess. Also we will have had sufficient time to see if our Director of footballs contacts are worth their salt and review he’s position.
Just a quick nod to Bally. He has given the team the missing ingredient….momentum. This makes Poyet’s start much easier than it could have been. The LPool and ManU games were better than their results suggested. We’ll miss Fletch but still should be able to garner points. Catts has made a big difference and seems to playing with more maturity. Credit should be given…..suspect Bally impressed upon him the need for leadership without the reckless challenges… Well done Bally
Would have been nice had he manged to eek out a point though…only saying
Well, I’m just happy cos it could have been a lot worse.
He fits the model we’ve created and MUST have had it made clear what his precise role is. After all that’s happened in the last couple of years, we’d have to be absolutely stupid and incompetent to a staggering degree to land ourselves with another coach who a) didn’t understand the financial constraints, b) didn’t want to work with a Director of Football and c) wanted to be a tinpot despot.
This season can be turned around, so let’s start doing so.
Settle for fourth bottom now. Hopefully there are funds available in January so we can add QUALITY and hopefully stave off relegation then add more quality next season. Massive question mark if we can stay up. Complete mis management on every level including the players. We just have not added quality to the squad when we have had the opportunity. This must stop for us to progress as a club. Be happy with mid table mediocrity every season anywhere around tenth personally I would be happy with. We have all experienced relegation as a Sunderland fan and unfortunately I can smell it again all the signs are there. Worried.
I fear we will have to stick with the players we have until next summer. It is notoroiously difficult to add QUALITY in January, especially if relegation is a possibility. It will also be extremely difficult to offload any of the dross signed on big wages by the PDC regime. Di Fanti has a lot to answer for, yet we have recruited a new manager supposedly on his recommendation. Bizarre.
Can we look forward to Gus’ guff – or Poyet’s ponderings?
I thinks it’s more like ‘welcome to the nether end of the creek Mr Poyet, I hope you have several paddles!’
Hop on the bus, Gus.
Make a new plan, Stan. [ the old one certainly didn’t work ]
To echo Colin’s sentiments let us offer a Laurel and Hardy welcome to the new sheriff. Hopefully get the new portrait finished, framed and flogged by teatime.
A gamble. He did good things at Brighton but lacks experience at PL level (albeit he served at Spurs for a while as coach).
I’d really hoped that Short would have gone for a tried and tested high level manager, but the reality is that I don’t think there were any out there that fit the bill.
I read about Ellis Short being knocked a bit but I think its unfair. He’s put money into the club and tried to make the right decisions. It was right to get MON, it was right to sack him at the time he did, he got PDC in to do job and it was a brave move. He was right to sack PDC too.
I’d rather have Short as owner compared to Ashley at Ncle.
Oh well, time to get behind the team and hope for the best. Two or three wins and the whole picture can change.
Man City easy away fixture for them?….I think not,they have nightmares about Sunderland.
Joking aside I’ll go with Napolean’s view on generals…never mind if Poyet is a good general is he a lucky general?