Frustration and optimism clash in the wake of Sunderland's draw with Plymouth

Yesterday at 01:00 AM

John Wilson takes a closer look at our performance against the Pilgrims, tactical missteps, and the hope for redemption in the fight for promotion

Warning! This piece is written for cathartic purposes only!

The doctor says it'll help my blood pressure to talk about what's on my mind and get it out of my system, but if my writing only serves to build up your own blood pressure and get you annoyed all over again, don't read on.

On the other hand, I might just say something that you agree with and, as I conclude, I might even calm your thoughts, just as mine have calmed a lot since 5:00pm on Saturday.

I was with five mates in The Beacon of Light when the team was announced and for the first time this season, we looked at each other and thought what a strange starting eleven it was.

There's always talking points when a team is announced, but it's always been understandable and a matter of opinion as to the formation or who's been chosen for midfield or defence, but this team was just…unusual.

It isn't hindsight, either, as at 2:00pm, we all thought, 'What's going on here?'

We all agreed that Régis Le Bris is actually some kind of 'geek' and he'll no doubt have dotted every 'I' whilst plotting the demise of Plymouth, so we weren't too puzzled for too long.

However, as the game started and progressed, our original thoughts on the team selection began to come true.

We may have had the lion's share of the ball in the first half and we could've taken the lead through three or four decent chances, but the whole approach seemed flat and certainly lacklustre.

The crowd seemed flat as well, and I explained to my Bolton fan friend who'd accompanied me, they were probably settling back in the hope of a goal fest, but despite the dominance, something wasn't right.

Luke O'Nien to Chris Mepham, Mepham back to O'Nien; O'Nien to Salis Abdul Samed, Samed back to Anthony Patterson…the approach was pedestrian and very predictable, with defenders putting their foot on the ball and waiting for movement up front being a constant frustration.

I'll repeat what I wrote after the game: if a defender puts his foot on the ball, an attacker isn't going to see that as a sign to start making a run!

Instead, he's going to see it as a chance to walk and watch what's going to happen next. For an attacker to make a darting run, the ball has to be moving and play has to be fluid, otherwise everyone stops.

What wasn't in evidence on Saturday was the promise Le Bris made when he arrived, that of the ball being moved quickly through the lines and getting it up the field fast.

The sideways and backwards passing were back with a bang. Whether this was partly due to the introduction of Samed, I don't know, and although I won't judge him on one league start as we've all heard about his pedigree, I wasn't impressed and this match wasn't for him.

On at least three occasions, I saw him wave his outstretched hands up and down slowly to everyone, urging them to 'stay calm' and 'take your time', but I didn't want them to stay calm or slow down!

I wanted some fast, slick passing, moving the ball through the Plymouth lines and getting at them with our pace. Certainly, based on this game alone, Samed doesn't fully understand the club quite yet, or what was needed in this game, but he wasn't the only one.

I've written before about footballers' psychology; indeed, a shrink would have a field day in our dressing room!

So you thought if you went through the motions, you'd beat Plymouth?

You thought that if you passed the ball to someone else, they would do something incisive with it? You thought it was an easy three points?

Wrong!

Would we have played like that against Leeds United, Burnley or Sheffield United? Not a chance.

When Plymouth started to venture into the final third and we broke their attack down, we saw the quick passing and speed we possess. But against a low block, there's a lot of tactical work still to be done.

Football is partly about opinions and Le Bris would've had a game plan and an idea of how he hoped the game would develop.

Unfortunately, we don't know what that is, but I do trust and like the man enough to know that he micro manages situations. I just think he got it wrong this time with his formation and team selection.

But what do I know?! Why is Enzo Le Fée still on the wing?

We were told he was a six, eight or ten, and no one mentioned he was also a seven.

I heard someone behind me saying that Dan Neil was one of the few that was playing very well. After the game, I read that he was lost and went missing during the game.

Someone gave Samed the 'man of the match' award, yet I thought he was one of our negatives.

For all of their chances, and not just the two goals, we gifted them opportunities by making careless mistakes. Samed lost the ball in the middle for the first goal and Chris Mepham lost control of the ball for the second, although others blamed Anthony Patterson.

Is Patterson losing some confidence? He certainly stays on his line too much. His kicking again was woeful, and what was that kit he was wearing? Not even the club socks on him, and he looked as though he'd been given some spare kit from the lost property box!

Patrick Roberts just has to walk onto the pitch for some people to groan, whilst for others, the sun shines out of O'Nien's backside.

It's all opinions and what your eyes see, but this is my cathartic post, so I'll say that O'Nien has a brilliant never-say-die attitude that's great to have around the club, yet he's also good for at least three dreadful mistakes per game that could often lead to an opposition goal. For their second goal, he was absolutely ball-watching and the scorer was right behind him.

Dennis Cirkin is out of sorts at the moment. Maybe the cast on his arm is hindering him, and I couldn't play well with my wrist strapped.

Mepham, meanwhile, had his worst game for us. He picked up a nosebleed in the first half and maybe I'm just looking for excuses for everyone, but at least excuses give some sort of reasoning as to why something happens.

We got ourselves in front, and on came Dan Ballard for Cirkin before Wilson Isidor was taken off for Leo Hjelde.

Hjelde then indicated with his fingers '5-4-1'. Great, so we're happy with being one goal up against Plymouth? I wasn't.

To me, trying to protect the slim lead and defend against the bottom side was crass and asking for trouble, but are others who say that it doesn't matter how we play as long as we get the three points.

That might be true to a certain extent, except that if we have to struggle and manage the game against the bottom club, for me it means we aren't all that and will struggle to go the distance with Leeds, Burnley and Sheffield United.

Would they shut up shop in similar circumstances? I think not.

It was still a point, regardless of the opposition. We're still unbeaten at home and gained a point on the Blades, and if we make the automatics, this game will be forgotten, as will others.

We're still fighting. It's the hope that kills you, but we have hope and I'm still very excited about the rest of the season, with fifty one points still to be played for.

I'm going for a lie down.