Olivia Hutchison has done nothing to deserve the pain inflicted on her by Sunderland AFC when she goes with her dad, Rob, to games, mostly away since they live in the south. Last year, you’ll recall, she even jumped out of a plane to raise funds for the Bradley Lowery fund. Yet today she was obliged to watch in horror as SAFC produced a classic second-half surrender. ‘This might be a long journey back,’ said the text. ‘As bad as it gets? Certainly since Southampton.’ Her words? His words? Jointly composed? What followed were Rob’s one-word ratings .. not for the squeamish!
Ruiter – 4 Poor
Browning – 5 Faded (MOM)
O’Shea – 3 Ageing
Jones – 2 Horrendous
Oviedo – 3 Limp
Clarke-Salter – 4 Baptism
Wilson – 4 Meek
N’Dong – 2 Abject
Gooch – 4 Puffed
Honeyman – 4 Battered
Maja – 4 Anonymous
Substitutes
Cattermole – 3 Nondescript
Asoro – 5 Energetic
McManaman – 3 Nothing
What beckons? @salutsunderland pic.twitter.com/Pkh0oSxTTR
— Rob Hutchison (@RobHSafc) January 13, 2018
That was before the match. Monsieur Salut’s reply …
Prayer time?
— Colin Randall (@salutsunderland) January 13, 2018
This performance [ and I use that word advisedly ] perfectly demonstrated how rapidly a club can go into terminal decline.
Cardiff are a very average side, but we made them look like Barcelona.
I feel really sorry for Chris Coleman, who is a top coach and manager, and I also feel for our young inexperienced players – the term ” sacrificial lambs ” comes to mind.
If Ellis Short has the slightest interest in his investment, he needs to demonstrate some support now, because without immediate reinforcement, we are odds-on favourites for another relegation.
Minimum requirements : a goalkeeper, a centre back, a creative midfielder and a centre forward – and they must be fit and ready to go straight into action.
Even assuming that sufficient funds are forthcoming, it might be very difficult to tempt decent enough players to join a club that appears to be in free-fall.
Whatever the outcome of this season, I really hope that we stick with Coleman. I believe, given time, he will turn it round. But for the rest of this season, it is only about survival.
Spot on marking IMO. Pity we didn’t have some of that on the pitch.
This squad would be rock bottom of League 1 . Hopefully between now and the point that we enter League 1 , Coleman has had some backing from Short. Short needs to act now or we’ll be down and Coleman will get a far better offer. He’d go with my blessing and thanks , why should he sacrifice his hard earned reputation when he has zero chance of success?
Absolutely horrific.
Goal keeping error for the first, hit on the counter for the second and a needless free kick given away by O’Shea for the third.
Harsh, but stupid sending off.
Short will have nothing left to sell, the sooner he goes the better and he can take Bain with him!
Third goal was also poor goalkeeping and the fourth was just piss poor goalkeeping and defence.
Cardiff were nothing special and we made them look world class with a very easy win for them.