Monsieur Salut writes: I was relieved to discover no one else had jumped to attention and posted Gus Poyet‘s post-match reaction straight away last night after I’d knocked off my ESPN piece and gone to bed (which started out as ‘gone to bad’; see Ken’s comment). Not surprisingly, after the utter shambles of a second half that saw a respectable 1-1 degenerate into a 5-1 rout, that reaction was curt. But we, as supporters, have few sanctions available to us when let down as badly as this by our club. Not turning up – Pete Sixsmith has already said he will attend no further away games; we’ll be lucky if he bothers with the home ones either – is one. And Salut! Sunderland ignoring, if only by default, the head coach’s attempt at explanation until this morning is another. Pure Poyetry? Poetry in Motion? Hardly. Do not expect to learn much …
Dear Colin,
I need to choose the right words when I try and explain what happened in the game.
We struggled to find a solution for problems in the last few weeks; we’ve found it hard to turn things around, to find what it is to make the team click. They have been difficult times.
After taking the lead we needed to stay organised and make Spurs have to do something special to get back in the game, tonight I think we lost that little bit of quality on the ball that we needed.
Lee Cattermole deserves to be on the pitch all the time, but sometimes I have to change that because I need a more offensive player, but tonight he deserves credit.
He leads by example; he knows what’s needed on the pitch and he always has an opinion – something that I like in a player.
All the best,
Gus Poyet
And M Salut’s verdict at ESPN, where the article appears in full at http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/sunderland/id/3045?cc=5739
…
“As the marvellous Sunderland support kept up a wall of sound at 1-2, 1-3 and beyond, manager Gus Poyet buried his head in his hands. The singing fans, in reality, were just as embarrassed.
If Poyet looked up again when Lee Mason ended the misery of Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Sunderland, he will have seen how the players rewarded the supporters for their solidarity: just six of them bothered to go across to acknowledge them.
… he [had] warned that he would walk away from the club if he judged the players had abandoned hope. On the evidence of Monday night, that threat could easily become a reality.”
I honestly don’t care if he goes because if he does our board will appoint another inexperienced fantasist instead of the salt of the earth Alladyce or Mackay or even Mcllaren ( boo hiss) that has being needed for years to cement this club as a hard to beat premier team.
Mackay has less than a years experience in the top flight.
“…tonight I think we lost that little bit of quality on the ball that we needed.”
Are you kidding me? That “little bit of quality” has been missing in action all season.
I really have my doubts about the retention of Poyet. I realize he has precious little to work with, but these inane post-match comments are not helping: he comes across more like an ineffective cheerleader, than a head coach.
To be frank, I have not heard an intelligent sentence out of him since he arrived – plenty of meaningless cliché, which seems to go with the territory in football management, but little that makes any sense.
The garrulous tripe that he, and his immediate predecessor serve up on an almost daily basis, make me seriously doubt the capability of our Board. How do these people get appointed to high profile jobs?
When I read some of the rubbish, I ask myself, if I was a player, could I take it seriously, let alone be inspired? The answer is no.
Oh, and by the way, I hope he does walk away. He won’t though – not unless his contract is paid up!
Sir Alex Ferguson couldn’t make a team out of this lot.
A total clear out is needed, from top to bottom. I’m afraid that I include the management team in this. All out and start again. At least I had the luxury of turning off at 1 – 4 (no 550 mile round trips for me Pete – and I suspect not many more for you). Roll on Sunday and the return of county cricket…come on you Durham!
It’s the club that’s ‘gone to bad’ (sic) not you Colin.
Oops. Things can only get badder.
Dear Mr Poyet,
The right words should be based around the following sentiments…..utter shambles, gutless, pathetic, unprofessional, talentless, embarrassing.
Your lack of adequate explanation merely confirms what a good few of us are now beginning to think, we are as good as down, you are clueless as to how to get a semblance of a performance out of this squad, and they are simply not good enough.
Throw the kids in because it can’t get any worse! If the shower we had out there last night is the best the Club has then don’t expect anytime soon to be returning to the Premier League.
You are supposed to be the manager, you should be making firm statement and commitments i.e. half of the side fielded last night will never again pull on a red and white shirt, I will give youth a chance, defence wise we need to start again….lets see some plan, some thought process not just this stunned, muted and limp response to another disastrous performance under your stewardship with resources inherited.