[–]Devine[S]0 points
2 points
2 points
(+2|-0)
ago
An interesting situation developing at Sunderland, some of it rational and some of it not. I actually managed to watch the full game against Norwich and they were poor
Sunderland certainly do suffer from problems within their squad; fundamentally, they lack quality in depth that a team of their calibre and a Club of their size should be running with. Many of their players are those who have either failed at larger Clubs or been moved on due to age/attitude/injury concerns. Much of their team is a bit Dirty Dozenish, and I'm not sure Advocaat (who I am generally a fan of during his career) really knows how to motivate these players. He's a manager who really enjoys investment in his teams that he can work with and Sunderland just haven't done enough on this front. I'm sure there's reasons for this lack of investment in proper quality, there always are at any Club whether it's accurate or not, but this is the reality of the situation whether fair or unfair.
For those who don't recall, Advocaat kept Sunderland up last year and then retired in the May. In June after the Club kept calling, he signed a new one year deal as manager performing a u-turn on his retirement. To be honest my spidey senses were tingling at this and it seemed a poor decision from both parties - anybody with a brain could see that Advocaat was absolutely done after the game at the Emirates last year. He was emotionally and tactically done, pulling Sunderland out through sheer force of will alone. For this he was correctly labelled as a hero on Wearside and it was a fitting to end to a great manager with a career chocked full of trophies and successes both personal and team based. He really is one of the finest managers in the last 20 years, underrated as a legacy due to jumping into international football and his lax attitude to contracts, having more Clubs than Tiger Woods in his career. Not the best manager ever but certainly somebody who deserves respect.
A perfect swansong was then ruined either by greed or passion depending on how you wish to interpret events. The old cowboy fancied one more rodeo and saddled back up at Sunderland; unfortunately I just don't believe that he has the work ethic needed to do the things that Sunderland need doing. They don't need a 68 year old saviour, they need a 40 year old with fresh ideas, new ways of doing things and crucially both the investment and patience to allow it to come to fruition. This was the Club that Patrick Vieira should have gone to if he wanted to leave City this summer or at least somebody of that ilk who can see the monumental challenge of Sunderland and really get their teeth into the job with fire and energy - all the things lacking in that squad. They need a new Niall Quinn but in the dugout rather than the boardroom.
My biggest problem with them in the first couple of weeks is how static the team has been. Their defenders look like they are running through treacle or the opposition is playing with the fast forward button on. Pantilimon was pathetic and he should really have done better for every Norwich goal. Their midfield somehow manages to lack physicality and flair which is odd, and their forward line looks like a BBC Micro; the pairing would probably have been great in 1985 but nobody is buying Granny's Garden any more for very good reasons and an update is desperately, desperately needed to put some speed in there.
I'm not worried for them as others are in terms of relegation. Their fans will continue to carry them through in the late stages of the season as those fantastic fans up there always have done, and Short will be ruthless enough with Advocaat that he'll have no qualms about sacking him before the January window if need be.
They have a couple of weeks in the market to make some moves and you'd expect them to do so. My biggest problem with Sunderland though is that I wouldn't trust their scouting team even if you gave them £100m. They keep buying average players with decent names and not decent players with average names. With the money in the PL now and a Club the size of Sunderland, they have the finances and the ability to attract a much better standard of player than what they have.
I cannot think of the last number 10 Sunderland had that was really quality. They're a team that is full of number 9s in attitude and application; my issue is that they don't have any attacking movement and haven't in any recent memory - this lack of impetus stretches from the front and infects the players behind them. Players like Defoe who was famous in terms of his ability to create space have now slowed down to the point whereby they aren't creating or are transitioning into a more poacher based reality, he doesn't have the legs for it any more. Fletcher is fine but a third striker, Graham lacks the quality to play in a modern PL side. Even Wickham who was sold contentiously wasn't bringing that attacking agility and ultimately made their attack predictable.
Ultimately they are now relying on emotion to drive their team over the line rather than quality. They need their manager to get them going, get the fans up and going and only then do the players react. This is a fundamental problem in the players rather than anybody else and the Chairman needs to take a look at himself in terms of his specific role in draining the energy out of this wonderful Club through uninspiring signings, and seemingly taking the Club backwards at every possible step.
[–] Devine [S] 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
An interesting situation developing at Sunderland, some of it rational and some of it not. I actually managed to watch the full game against Norwich and they were poor
Sunderland certainly do suffer from problems within their squad; fundamentally, they lack quality in depth that a team of their calibre and a Club of their size should be running with. Many of their players are those who have either failed at larger Clubs or been moved on due to age/attitude/injury concerns. Much of their team is a bit Dirty Dozenish, and I'm not sure Advocaat (who I am generally a fan of during his career) really knows how to motivate these players. He's a manager who really enjoys investment in his teams that he can work with and Sunderland just haven't done enough on this front. I'm sure there's reasons for this lack of investment in proper quality, there always are at any Club whether it's accurate or not, but this is the reality of the situation whether fair or unfair.
For those who don't recall, Advocaat kept Sunderland up last year and then retired in the May. In June after the Club kept calling, he signed a new one year deal as manager performing a u-turn on his retirement. To be honest my spidey senses were tingling at this and it seemed a poor decision from both parties - anybody with a brain could see that Advocaat was absolutely done after the game at the Emirates last year. He was emotionally and tactically done, pulling Sunderland out through sheer force of will alone. For this he was correctly labelled as a hero on Wearside and it was a fitting to end to a great manager with a career chocked full of trophies and successes both personal and team based. He really is one of the finest managers in the last 20 years, underrated as a legacy due to jumping into international football and his lax attitude to contracts, having more Clubs than Tiger Woods in his career. Not the best manager ever but certainly somebody who deserves respect.
A perfect swansong was then ruined either by greed or passion depending on how you wish to interpret events. The old cowboy fancied one more rodeo and saddled back up at Sunderland; unfortunately I just don't believe that he has the work ethic needed to do the things that Sunderland need doing. They don't need a 68 year old saviour, they need a 40 year old with fresh ideas, new ways of doing things and crucially both the investment and patience to allow it to come to fruition. This was the Club that Patrick Vieira should have gone to if he wanted to leave City this summer or at least somebody of that ilk who can see the monumental challenge of Sunderland and really get their teeth into the job with fire and energy - all the things lacking in that squad. They need a new Niall Quinn but in the dugout rather than the boardroom.
My biggest problem with them in the first couple of weeks is how static the team has been. Their defenders look like they are running through treacle or the opposition is playing with the fast forward button on. Pantilimon was pathetic and he should really have done better for every Norwich goal. Their midfield somehow manages to lack physicality and flair which is odd, and their forward line looks like a BBC Micro; the pairing would probably have been great in 1985 but nobody is buying Granny's Garden any more for very good reasons and an update is desperately, desperately needed to put some speed in there.
I'm not worried for them as others are in terms of relegation. Their fans will continue to carry them through in the late stages of the season as those fantastic fans up there always have done, and Short will be ruthless enough with Advocaat that he'll have no qualms about sacking him before the January window if need be.
They have a couple of weeks in the market to make some moves and you'd expect them to do so. My biggest problem with Sunderland though is that I wouldn't trust their scouting team even if you gave them £100m. They keep buying average players with decent names and not decent players with average names. With the money in the PL now and a Club the size of Sunderland, they have the finances and the ability to attract a much better standard of player than what they have.
I cannot think of the last number 10 Sunderland had that was really quality. They're a team that is full of number 9s in attitude and application; my issue is that they don't have any attacking movement and haven't in any recent memory - this lack of impetus stretches from the front and infects the players behind them. Players like Defoe who was famous in terms of his ability to create space have now slowed down to the point whereby they aren't creating or are transitioning into a more poacher based reality, he doesn't have the legs for it any more. Fletcher is fine but a third striker, Graham lacks the quality to play in a modern PL side. Even Wickham who was sold contentiously wasn't bringing that attacking agility and ultimately made their attack predictable.
Ultimately they are now relying on emotion to drive their team over the line rather than quality. They need their manager to get them going, get the fans up and going and only then do the players react. This is a fundamental problem in the players rather than anybody else and the Chairman needs to take a look at himself in terms of his specific role in draining the energy out of this wonderful Club through uninspiring signings, and seemingly taking the Club backwards at every possible step.