This going behind early’s getting to be a bit of an issue but at least we can come back from it this season, which is just as well. The bigger question is – will we do better as our injuries abate and players get fully up to speed? We’re still unbeaten and in the top 4 but I’d like to see us keeping clean sheets and popping in a few more goals. On paper, the teams we’re putting out look capable enough of winning but on the pitch maybe they are just not quite there yet.
I imagine the 29,000 spectators who were at the Stadium of Light this afternoon will be harbouring similar thoughts. Pete Sixsmith was one of them and we’ll know for sure what he thinks when he sends us his match report tomorrow. As a taster here’s the seven word text he sent as the final whistle blew:
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
For Brian the glass isn’t even half empty.
We had two players starting for the 1st time…Hume was excellent. More products of our youth system than i can recall in 50 years of watching SAFC. We will get better as the season progresses.
I thought Looven had a decent game against a decent Nos 9. Ched Evans is a good player and was restricted to few efforts.
The crowd stayed positive which helped as in both halfs we were clearly the better team as the half progressed.
We looked fit and passed the ball well. A little more quality in the final third and we could have won at a canter.
Barton’s comments smack of insecurity IMO. I suspect we’ll turn them over at their place and finish higher in the league come May
Come on Brian….see the silver lining and not the cloud
Considering that, towards the end of last season, the club was facing oblivion, I find the fact that we’re unbeaten in seven games remarkable. A happy, well run club has been achieved in weeks. And yet because we’re not turning up and beating so called lesser clubs 5-0 every week, some people still whinge.
Someone on another site said something about the opposition knowing we have been useless at defending set pieces for years completely ignoring the fact we have a totally new set of players in defence, a new manager and coaching staff. JR has already said he sees this as an area to be worked on but I guess some people will always see a half empty glass.
We are seven games into the season. We are unbeaten. We have the strength of character to come back from losing early goals. We have players who are still adjusting to this league and a new club. We are the big fish in a medium sized pond. We are a target for smaller and less well resourced and supported clubs.
We also have people who who support the club who seem to take great pleasure in running everything down about individual players, managers, the people who own the club and probably the lady who makes the sandwiches at the Academy.
Come back at the end of October, Brian and see if things are looking any better. If not, you may be right. But 7 games in? Do me a favour.
Uriah Heep aside, we have plenty of time for further improvement, I am actually surprised that we are doing as well as we are.
There are still issues to sort, but we now have what we have so lets make the best of it.
Oh dear. I don’t see things as pessimistically as Brian but don’t intend to elaborate point by point. In our last season in this division I seem to remember we were 16th at the end of October and yet won the league comfortably. There’s clearly work to be done and I’m confident that Ross is by no means as poor as suggested.
Why is it the likes of bowyer and barton appear to be able to make their players play like men possessed from the get go and hours come out of the tunnel with all the verve of a cheech and chong sketch?
Some observers would have us believe ross is a maater motivator and an apprentice Ferguson.
Other than maybe baldwin and McLaughlin the other incomings are sicknotes or crap.For all their talk maguire and power are loose cannons doing their utmost to curry favour with the fans via social media instead of letting their football do the talking.
We have the biggest and best squad we are told by our owners and other clubs alike. Why are we not doing more with it? Are some of the players too complacent?
Is ross too nice for english football?
Our defence is all over the place.
How many variations on the back 4 are we going to see turn out. The foundation of any team is a strong uncompromising defence.
Loovens WAS a good player. Sadly he is now as slow as s trump supporter and injury prone. Its foolish to make him a cornerstone of our defence if we cant depend on some resilience and regular presence. If baldwin sustains an injury we are up guano canal make no mistake. That is very very scary.
Sorry to say this but in my very humble opinion ( eat your heart out uriah heep ) Ross is the emperors new clothesn