It's been a
strange couple of weeks hasn't it? One which unfortunately typifies Sunderland AFC
to a tee. After a barnstorming win at Selhurst Park, our supporters
were riding on the crest of a wave, a very welcome one at that. Four
goals, in one half, cruising to victory with 45 minutes to play. This
doesn't happen to us does it? The third goal at Palace, a sweeping
counter-attacking move, was something I haven't seen from our side in
many a season. It's the type of goal that is scored against us with
alarming regularity! It's as good a goal as we'll get this season make
no mistakes about that. It was a great day, especially considering SAFC
are usually on the end of a good hiding. Oh, hang on...
Fast forward seven
days and the contrast is absolutely incredible. Black and white. Chalk
and cheese. Jekyll and Hyde. Sunderland and only Sunderland, can turn an
emphatic 4-0 victory into a 4-0 drubbing in the space of 168 hours.
Saturdays non-performance against Southampton was, particularly in the
2nd period, as bad defensively as we've seen all season. Gabbiadini, a
familiar name in these parts, turned Lamine Kone in the area far too
easily. Getting tight to an in form striker is a basic defensive
requisite surely? Especially at this level. The fourth goal was an
absolute shambles. Supporters can't even be bothered to boo, they just
get up and leave. Who can blame them? What's being served up in front of
them is utter dross at times, and it's gone on far too long.
Southampton's midfield trio of Davis, Ward-Prowse and Romeu ran the show
all afternoon on Saturday. Didier N'dong and Darron Gibson couldn't get anywhere near
them and their influence grew as the game wore on. Gibson even
said this week he's quickly realising what being at Sunderland is about;
4-0 one week, a 4-0 reverse the following Saturday. I honestly don't know
what to make of his comments. New signings are supposed to improve the
side so that we can buck the trend of perennial mediocrity aren't they?
I have watched
Sunderland a heck of a long time and I'm at a loss to explain how the
side has imploded in the space of a single week. We thought a corner had
been turned at Palace, and once again passed up another glorious
opportunity to make ground on the sides immediately above. But just like
the Swansea and Stoke games, we fluffed our lines. With 13 games to go
we are still remarkably only two points away from Leicester City in
17th, with some fairly favourable fixtures still to play; favourable
on paper at least! So it still is very much in our own hands to put
this right, for the fifth season in a row. I always work at a point a
game, 38 from 38 games to survive in this league, but 36 might even be
enough this time around. The fact remains that SAFC find themselves in a
perilous position once again, but I've tried my damnedest to extract
some positivity here. We don't play this week, so David Moyes has taken
the players away to New York for a team bonding trip, something that has
been publicly slammed by some supporters after the Saints debacle.
Listen, I understand that, but if Moyes says it's worked at previous
clubs, and he thinks it'll work here, I'm all for it. Anything is worth a
try to improve things on the pitch. We won't see the fruits of that
trip until we analyse results in the coming weeks. Here's hoping though, that our
pickings aren't rotten to the core.
Keep The Faith.
Michael
