A point there for the taking at the SoL but more self-inflicted pain for City

Today at 03:57 AM

Only four days ago, Gordon Christopher wrote a fine MFW piece on the Ben Knapper/Johannes Hoff Thorup era and how it requires time and patience.

He was right of course. Whether or not we like the term, we’re most definitely in the early stages of a project and, as such, the building blocks have to be put in place before it can properly flourish.

And he will be afforded time, despite some of the more shouty and vocal of our brethren already looking to call time on his Norwich City tenure.

But there’s no denying that the patience part of the equation mentioned in the first paragraph is being tested—ours and also the patience of the head coach.

Yesterday, in Sunderland, there was a point waiting to be grabbed. There for the taking. Yet, this team’s ability to implode in almost the blink of an eye knows no bounds and we ended up with a virtual repeat of the Burnley game – another 2-1 defeat after leading 1-0 at half-time.

There was less beauty on show in the first half at the Stadium of Light than there was in the opening 45 at Carrow Road last Sunday, but there were enough moments to trouble Sunderland – the same Sunderland who have lost just once at home and who pride themselves on the SoL being a ‘fortress’.

But City got at them. The locals were riled up. The lead was deserved.

Yet, I’m not sure too many of us trusted them to see the job through. It’s a film we have seen too many times before.

The warning signs were there. Running alongside some of the good stuff were several silly, needless bookings, and a propensity to give the ball away cheaply.

It didn’t need a UEFA Pro badge to see how it could unfold. Add to that equation this team’s inability to grind out anything like enough clean sheets and you potentially have a problem.

But still, it would have been nice to have gone more than two minutes into the second half before conceding. Alas, a mixture of hesitant goalkeeping, hesitant defending and allowing Sunderland to twice get first contact on nothing more than a hopeful cross led to the inevitable.

And it was a shame because, for all their passion and fervour, that Stadium of Light crowd could soon turn if things didn’t go their way. We just didn’t hold out for long enough to stress-test it.

At 1-1, the game remained on a knife edge and still City carried a sporadic threat in the final third, but for all of the reasons above there was a horrible inevitability around how the last 20 minutes unfolded.

Only Jose Cordoba can tell us why he opted to lunge for a ball that wasn’t quite there to win with a yellow hanging over his head, but we can all spell out to him the consequences of that daft decision. We know that his head coach did the same.

And, of course, just to rub salt into an already open wound, brother-of-Jude-Bellingham smashed in what was to be the winner before our Panamanian had even found the sanctity of the dressing room.

Game over in a matter of seconds. Self-inflicted.

In fairness, City’s response to going 2-1 down and down to ten was decent. Ashley Barnes’ shot that was turned onto the post was the closest we came but there was enough fight and fire to keep Sunderland on their toes and away from the carpet slippers.

But the damage had been done. And, as ever, JHT summed it up better than anyone:

“I’m not happy with the 20 minutes after that (the sending off) when we were not solid enough, not consistent enough, too hectic and take silly decisions.”

All four points well made. But four points that have become constants over the last few weeks.

They are not solid. They are not consistent. It does get too hectic too often. And they make many silly decisions.

Some of which may come down to having a group of players who are not an ideal fit for the style and tempo of play that JHT demands – hence the three-transfer-window mantra – but also because they appear not, collectively, to be taking these important messages on board.

And there’s no shying away from it … from the outside looking in there appears to be a disciplinary issue with this group.

The sight of Angus Gunn and Shane Duffy openly squabbling and pushing over the taking of a goal kick was unedifying, as were the theatrics on show. And the bookings … too many, too often. They stack up and there are consequences.

For Boxing Day we are likely to be without Kenny McLean, Gunn, and Cordoba – every single one avoidable.

But it would be wrong to ignore the head coach’s role in yesterday’s defeat. He’s not done too much wrong in his first six months but his decision to hand the ‘number 9’ role to Onel Hernandez was a little odd. At least it was in hindsight because it simply didn’t work.

As ever, it’s upon fine margins that Championship games swing. Yesterday was no different.

And, while most of us understand the need for patience, as long as City continue to emerge on the wrong side of those margins, there will be those who question the current path.

OTBC