No apology needed, Wilson!
Today at 01:00 AM
Wilson Isidor's penalty misses against Burnley led to some harsh responses on social media, but as Malc Dugdale writes, we shouldn't tear players down in such situations
These days, it's easy for players to feel properly miserable after a game like Friday night's.
As fans, we get that, and we feel the same way.
It's part and parcel of being a fan of a club who've rarely been able to provide fans with stability and positivity. This is life as a Sunderland fan: challenging, occasionally very rewarding, and hopeful of better times to come.
The fact that a player like Wilson Isidor cares so much about the things that didn't fall for us on Friday night, which led to him breaking down on the pitch and communicating online what he did after the match, speaks volumes about him and most of the footballers we now have in our ranks.
In contrast, we have the overly aggressive, generally misinformed and overly critical messages from the minority of so-called fans on social media, berating every mistake a footballer makes.
I have no idea how these people think such idiotic rants can help our players manage their mindset after such a disappointing yet ultimately decent result.
Do the authors of such drivel ask themselves what they're achieving by posting such bile?
Are they really fans (a term derived from being 'fanatical' about a club), or are they just arseholes hiding behind a keyboard, venting rubbish to footballers who they're very jealous of; the lads who get the chance to pull on the famous red and white stripes which they never had the talent to challenge for?
They do this knowing no major comeback will arise, and I know which category they slot perfectly into.
Considering the chat with the lads at Roker Report over the weekend, I just wanted to share what I'm sure the majority of Sunderland fans want players like Isidor to hear, and it needs to be said.
Yes, we should've won that game at Burnley, but we didn't, and while we're all gutted with the two points dropped, we know that Isidor and all the lads gave it their absolute all.
Régis Le Bris and the coaching staff got the tactics bang on and the Lads almost nicked a vital away win. Is that not something to be happy about once the bitterly bad luck from the unconverted spot kicks fades from the memory?
We went to a fellow top-four side's own gaff and gave them a hell of a fright, to the point they celebrated a draw like the away team that we actually were. The game was played against a former Premier League side who in the end were incredibly relieved to get anything.
If that's the emotional profile of the two teams at the end of the game, can any major criticism be levelled at the lads in vintage white Hummel shirts and be seen as reasonable? I'm not sure it can.
You have nothing to feel embarrassed about or to apologise to the fans for, Wilson. None of you have, and that's a fact.
Dan Neil's post match interview summarised the situation impeccably for such a young skipper: 'We take the positives and move forward'.
Football is simple in many ways but can be fickle and hard to bear at times.
Strikers and goalkeepers alike have their occasional failings amplified way more than the numerous errors made in most other areas of the park, but that doesn't give any fan the right to go on as some do online.
As a level-headed supporter, the bulk of social media comments embarrass me at times, without even considering the occasional ones that get personal in terms of a player's family, race, religion or culture.
Everyone's entitled to an opinion, but at times it's frankly disgusting when browsing comments online, especially when we don't get a good result.
Young lads like Chris Rigg at the tender age of seventeen, who have just passed their driving tests, live their lives online, so what are we doing to young talents like him by levelling these poisonous online tirades at them?
The only thing that can come from such behaviour is a negative impact, and how can any true fan of the club really want that?
Anyone of a balanced mindset can take a look the responsibility Isidor took on to try to convert those penalties and do our best to win the game for us, and recognise this as admirable in the first place.
He stood up voluntarily at a time of huge pressure, hit them both hard, and on target.
The fact he stepped up to take the second one shows how determined he was to make up for the first save, which takes a lot of bravery, and especially for a loan player hoping to grow with the side and maybe make the assignment permanent.
That's the view that I think a large portion of Sunderland fans totally understand once the dust settles, but they won't take to social media to say this, as it isn't a controversial opinion that attracts clicks and follows.
Being an appreciative football fan on social media does nothing for your online profile.
It's a mad way to be, but it is what it is. Nobody 'likes' and 'follows' a positive, supportive opinion the grand majority of the time. Instead, they're just 'happy clappers' and yes men.
Yeah, right.
What balanced fans saw on Friday was that our striker put two high powered strikes on target and the goalkeeper saved them after many minutes of delays and gamesmanship which bordered on illegal in terms of the laws of football.
James Trafford had a good day and Isidor had a very bad one. These things happen.
Although the apology issued via the same social media channels that battered Isidor and others so hard was a heartwarming gesture, it wasn't totally necessary for me, even if it said a lot about how much the lad cares.
Most mainstream fans don't want our players to get down and lose their mojo at times like this.
We know how much pressure footballers are under, but penalties can be saved, and we know that during the nineteen remaining games, Isidor and the Lads (including additions such as Enzo Le Fée and others to come) will give every ounce of their footballing talents to get us promoted.
These guys are part of a team that's giving Sunderland the best chance of climbing back to the top of the pyramid for many, many years. Not only that, but as the team develops, we can feel confident they'll give us a great chance of staying in the Premier League once we get there.
Our advice to all the players is 'Let your football do the talking on Tuesday and beyond. Go to Derby and make amends'.
We're one of four teams in this league who are currently a cut above the rest. Show why that is, as you tried very hard to on Friday.
We're well over halfway through the campaign and this team and the coaching group behind them have us in an incredible position.
The draw at Burnley may be the point that nicks us first or second place come the end of the season, but as a minimum, that performance showed that if ourselves and Burnley are in the playoffs together, we have more than enough to prevail at home and away.
There are tens of thousands of appreciative and adoring fans for every one of those online idiots who feel this way too.
Keep your chins up, lads, and let's get this club back to the top flight by any means possible.
Ignore the minority opinions and online crap. We're grateful to be where we are now, and are behind you all the way to May.
