Fan Letters: "Wilson Isidor has been great for us this season"
Today at 01:00 AM
There's lots of love going around for Wilson Isidor, showing exactly why Sunderland is a proper football club. Got something to say? Email us: RokerReport@yahoo.co.uk
Dear Roker Report,
I've just about recovered after watching tonight's match from the comfort of my own armchair. Trust I don't have to apologise to anyone for that!
IF anyone had told me last August that we would take four points from Burnley and be 4th in the table in the New Year, I would have shaken my head and wryly smiled at them. Apart from one or two IFS tonight, we might well have been second in the table. So, what about those IFS?
IF the referee and his assistant had been on the ball the first penalty wouldn't have been given.
IF the referee had booked the Burnley keeper he would have either conducted himself better for the second one or risked being sent off.
IF either Roberts or Isidor are our best strikers of a dead ball we will struggle the next time we are awarded a penalty. Jobe? O'Nien? Le Fee? Anyone else?
IF either the captain on the pitch or the manager on the touchline had shown real leadership, a different player should have taken what I considered to be a genuine second penalty.
IF the coaching staff have not worked out an order of priority when it comes to taking penalties, it's time they got their heads together.
IF we fail to secure a better, natural goal scorer this month, in my opinion we will end up in the lottery of the play-offs. How long is it since we lost Ross Stewart?
IF we do manage to find a guy who scores the "easy" goals I don't think there's a better squad in the league.
IF so-called fans have a go online at Isidor, and I bet it's already started, they'll probably damage his season and perhaps his Sunderland career. Others need to look at themselves and ask why events on the pitch went so wrong.
IF the Lads get back to work next week with a spring in their step and take the positives from tonight's match, we have a really good chance of going up. Then there will be lots and lots of big IFS to consider. Please, please find a goal scorer from anywhere!
Leaving my armchair and off to bed. I'll be practising penalties all night.
Alan Jackson
Dear Roker Report,
I thought last night was a tough one to take, we looked the better team, as we usually do, although we didn't do much in the creation department. Other than those two penalties.
That's another game we've not won now from Sheffield Utd and Burnley where we've been the better team, had a penalty or two but missed it and did not come home with a win. When Patrick Roberts missed, with what was a really crap penalty, all you heard was why's he taking it etc and people's opinions on who should have.
Isidor stepped up last night, and also fired in what was a really crap penalty. After the first one I'm not sure if there was much chatter about it because if you were picking someone to take a pen your go to for me anyway would be your top goal scorer.
So when Roberts the fella who was on pens missed, our top goal scorer then missed, it leaves you a little stuck for where to go next. So when Isidor stepped up again, I thought happy days, the lad's backing himself and he's shrugged off the last one already. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be and we missed again. That happens, it's life and it's the nature of penalties sadly. They're a lottery.
Whenever I've played it'd be the penalty taker who gets it, Roberts missed and then it goes to whoever fancied it the most. If someone is backing himself then you let him get on with it. I once played in a cup final at the Stadium of Light for the Pennywell Comrades, it went to penalties and our main penalty taker and top goalscorer, two very good players and the first you'd back for us, happened to miss that day. It's a coin toss and I think it'll balance itself out over the season. That's football.
Wilson Isidor has been great for us this season, I thought he had a good game last night too, he just happened to miss two good chances. If you're digging him out for that have a word with yourself.
And to all the captain hindsights out there telling me 'we should have done this and that'. Spare me.
Jake Taylor
Ed's Note [Gav]: To be honest the vast majority of what I've seen has been has been really supportive of Wilson, and that's fantastic — we are a club, we look after our own, and Wilson Isidor is already one of us. He's completely bought into what it means to be a part of Sunderland AFC and I'll always defend him if what he's doing is with the best of intentions. Sadly, there were a minority of complete numpties giving him stick and thankfully they have largely been called out for being total idiots, which is exactly the way you deal with people like that.
Wilson has our full backing and I'm praying he gets over it quickly with a goal on Tuesday.
