Fan Letters: "The next month may reveal exactly how good this Sunderland side is!"
Yesterday at 01:00 AM
RR reader Grahame takes a broader view of recent results and performances, and he remains optimistic about our promotion bid! Got something to say? Email us: RokerReport@yahoo.co.uk
Dear Roker Report,
Leeds manager Daniel Farke was recently asked about dropped points, late goals and silly draws. He responded by saying that if teams always got everything right, the league would be won well before season's end.
He's right of course, except in Sunderland's case, as conceding late goals is now becoming a great cause for concern, although two penalties at the death at Burnley in truth was a gift from footballing heaven that we didn't take.
A late killer blow at Stoke — following on from what should've been three vital points at Blackburn over Christmas — could yet prove costly at the business end of the season, and this in a league where no one team can be looked upon as outstanding, in truth.
In fairness, Régis Le Bris has quite rightly received many plaudits from Sunderland fans, so it seems harsh to suddenly jump on the bandwagon of the Plymouth game. Even if his tactics drew criticism, the fact is the team should've been professional enough to see out the three points as the game moved into its final acts.
In football, when a team is doing well, the rug can sometimes come up unexpectedly and it's invariably to a team they're expected to beat comfortably, and so it proved on Saturday, after Sheffield United left the door open for the Black Cats to keep the promotion race as tight as it can ever be at this stage of the season.
Suddenly we have a growing list of missed opportunities.
If Le Bris is bemoaning a squad needing additions at this point, how would the prospect of the Premier League shape up should these talented young stars strike Premier League gold?
In short, we still have work to do.
We all know it's a mighty challenge for any promoted team simply to stay up in its first season in the big league; in fact, simply staying there can be looked upon as a real achievement in the money-driven modern game.
Should the challenge present itself however, it must be taken on — whether next season or the season after. But no matter what the model or plan, when all is said and done, it's about winning results, as it's no good improving year upon year just to stay in the Championship.
Of course, surely the best way to approach the Plymouth game was to start on the front foot in search of an early goal to take the wind out of the visitors' sails.
If it didn't come, then of course show a little bit of caution, but even when the worst side in the division struck first, the team showed character to eventually bludgeon its way in front and in truth, there was little excuse to drop two points from such a crucial point in the game, even though it was painful to watch at times.
Winning in sport is about momentum.
For example, the great Aussie cricket teams of the past would go in for the kill as soon as they smelled blood. Different sport, but the approach is the same and there's a time to be ruthless.
The fact is that many people were looking at mid-table in August, so to be in this position now offers a positive proposition. However, this would be no excuse if we let the momentum slip now.
Older Sunderland fans like me will tell you we can look back on many of the club's failed promotion bids over the years and talk about just a couple of drawn games, the odd late goal or failure to break teams down even once or twice making the difference.
We can only hope the coach is working on the late goals scenario, and of course this is where experienced players can be of real benefit.
You'd be lucky to get over the halfway line very late on, never mind breach the great Liverpool sides of the 1980's, even when the game was close. Modern tactics have changed but the old disciplines are still priceless, and this includes vital game management when a win is staring you in the face. Defending is still an important part of the game.
We have so many talented young players but we need to learn to shut up shop when it really matters; to bring into play a killer instinct and grasp the opportunities presented. This Sunderland side are as good as any in the Championship, and it's time to prove it.
It could be argued that the Middlesbrough game is now a must-win if automatic promotion is to become a real possibility, but there'll be many twists and turns for the favoured four to encounter, and there's always another team who makes a late surge to add to the pressure.
It must be said that both Leeds and Sheffield United look like favourites for the top two, but wouldn't it be great to escape the pressure cooker of the playoffs and get back into the Premier League by winning promotion automatically? Wouldn't this be a slap in the face to some of the pundits who'd written off our promotion chances before a ball was kicked?
What's gone is gone and the focus now must be on picking up the next three points, and I'm sure we'll see just how good a coach Le Bris is.
All coaches make mistakes, but the players are crossing the white line and have a responsibility to use their own heads in crucial situations.
This season has been a revelation so far, with the coaching staff, players and supporters all playing a vital role. Let's not spoil it now and at the very least, let's make sure we keep the pressure on our rivals.
I feel the next month will reveal just how good this Sunderland side really is.
Grahame A
Ed's Note [Phil]: Hi, Grahame. Thank you for your letter.
I broadly agree with the points you've made and it's fair to say that despite the frustration of dropping points to Plymouth on Saturday, the damage wasn't as severe as it might've been, given Sheffield United's defeat and the spectacularly uninspiring 0-0 draw played out by Burnley and Leeds United on Monday.
My main belief at the moment is that in terms of pure footballing ability, we're a match for any side in this division and I honestly don't think there's a huge gulf — if indeed there's a gulf at all — between Sunderland and our top two rivals.
I do feel that Leeds United have a slight edge when it comes to mental strength and the ability to see off opponents convincingly, which is something we've yet to develop, but Monday's trip to Middlesbrough is an ideal chance for us to restate our promotion credentials and to keep the heat on the teams around us.
If we play as we know we can, and show the right attitude as well as composure in key moments, there's no reason we can't keep ourselves firmly in the mix for automatic promotion. We certainly shouldn't be viewed as underdogs, and I'm confident that Régis Le Bris is encouraging his players to believe in their abilities and to show it when it really matters.
Saturday was a blip but we can certainly recover from it, and I'd like to think we will.
Dear Roker Report,
Bad tactics, bad formation, bad management and a terrible team performance.
It's easy to say from the stands but we should've been in Plymouth's faces from start to finish.
This is a team who are going to be relegated and who'd suffered a 0-5 home defeat in previous game (does that not mean anything?). No exaggeration, but this is the worst I've felt all season.
Hopefully we can get back on track against Middlesbrough but the Mackem pessimist has started whispering in my ear again.
As always though, keep the faith and FTM always.
John the shark
Ed's Note [Phil]: Hi, John. Thank you for getting in touch.
I was as annoyed about Saturday's result as anyone else, but as the game began to wind down and we started to look increasingly nervous, I did feel that an equaliser was coming and it really typified a game in which we never really looked entirely convincing — even if we'd hauled ourselves into a winning position with mere minutes left to play.
It really needs to serve as a warning shot for Régis Le Bris and his players, and although I did feel that he got his team selection and tactics wrong, he's rightly got a lot of credit in the bank and I trust that he'll ensure the same mistakes aren't repeated when we tackle Middlesbrough next week.
Promotion won't be easily achieved, and it simply proved that any team can take points off any other team in this league. It's been a very strange campaign in that sense, but exciting at the same time.
Dear Roker Report,
Back in my days in Sunderland as a nine-year-old, I remember kicking the old casey football around, which weighed about two stone when wet.
Obviously footballs are a lot lighter now and fly around like the old Darren Bent beach ball, but can somebody please explain to me why so many shots fly ten or twenty feet over the crossbar or nearly hit the corner flag? Surely that can't be down to the ball?
I find it quite amusing when you look at the stats from a typical Sunderland game and we have fifteen to twenty shots, of which there may be only one or two on target. Surely the other eighteen can't be classed as 'shots'?
A little more practice in training wouldn't go amiss.
Automatic promotion, please — Haway the lads!
Christopher Fowle
Ed's Note [Phil]: Hi, Christopher. Thank you for your letter.
It's the old adage, isn't it? 'How can a player earning X amount of money per week fail to hit the target from Z number of yards away from the goal?'
Some of our shooting can be quite erratic and it always fascinates me when I watch the pre-match warm ups, as you often see players slamming the ball into the net from all angles — both on the volley and on the deck.
We've occasionally come up trumps this season when shooting from distance, notably with Dennis Cirkin's goal against Coventry, Dan Neil's screamer against Swansea, and Jobe's cracker against Derby, but it's true that we've often gone high, wide, and not very handsome on occasions as well.
Another area for continued improvement, perhaps!
Dear Roker Report,
Following on from the explanation of the 'goal that never was' from the contributor with a view on a verbal message from the assistant ref to the referee, from my position in the West Stand and as a former referee myself, during the Plymouth match I noticed the linesman was an older man.
He was clearly struggling to keep up with the last defender, especially during the second half, and on two occasions he didn't flag for a clear offside simply because he was yards behind the last Sunderland defender, in particular when the ball struck the post and rolled across to the other side of the goal!
Had it gone in, an offside goal would've stood and he also failed to flag for a clear, deliberate push two yards in front of him.
It beggars belief that these are paid officials!
Paul Oliver
Ed's Note [Phil]: Hi, Paul. Thank you for getting in touch.
I can't say that I noticed any of Saturday's officials struggling to keep up with the pace of the game, but one of our recent fan letters suggested that they perhaps need to go on refresher courses to relearn the rules, and if officials aren't up to the standards of fitness required, that's certainly something that should be looked at.
Championship games can often be fast and furious, and we need the officials to be up to the task in every department — especially at such a crucial stage of the season.
