Match date: Saturday 21 December 2013.
Final Score: Sunderland 0 – 0 Norwich
Reflection time…
It is the day after the disappointment the day before.
Going into the weekends fixtures we were five points adrift, however with pretty much nailed on victories for Manchester City against Fulham, and N*wcastle against Palace, surely we could produce a performance akin to the latter part of the Capitol One Cup game against Chelsea earlier in the week?! After all, this would close the gap to just two…
Wearside held its breath – sadly it didn’t happen…
Let’s look at the positive (singular!) – we didn’t lose and given that single point earned, and the fact that Fulham and Palace both lost, we are essentially better off than we were before the game, albeit barely.
However, when the dust settles facts are facts: we blew a golden opportunity to put ourselves back on track.
We looked fairly decent enough going forward in my opinion (granted, we aren’t exactly Manchester City), but the obvious and blatant lack of cutting edge in attack (final third) is worrying to say the least. How I would love for Jozy Altidore to be banging them in for fun, but sadly in most of his appearances this season he simply seems lost.
What I notice most about him is his apparent insistence to take a touch before shooting – the problem with this is that by the time he does so, he finds himself surrounded. If I had a pound for the amount of times this season I have found myself shouting, “JUST HIT IT!!” when – not just Altidore in fairness – has looked for a touch or even a pass when in a shooting position, then I would be an extremely wealthy man.
I personally do not see the point in vehemently criticising individuals as, for me, doing so simply won’t help matters and will only add fuel to the fire. We need to stay together as a club and a fan-base if we have any intention of staying up.
As disappointing as the result was given our pre-game hopes and expectations, the most disappointing thing for me was Wes Brown’s reckless, frustrated looking tackle on Van Wolfswinkel late on – a silly and simply unnecessary tackle to make particularly given that the linesman was standing in front of it. Brown, far and away our best defender in my opinion, now misses the next three matches (not what we need), and as if to make matters worse we are likely to miss JOS due to a shoulder injury…
Watching Gus Poyet being interviewed after the game was uncomfortable viewing; I couldn’t help but feel for him to be honest. He looked genuinely gutted and I think that the realisation of just how big a job he has on his hands finally kicked in. I love the guy for being openly honest and realistic about just how our prospects are for the remainder of the season. He has done brilliantly given the squad he inherited, and has them playing some very positive, attractive football. We are in a position whereby survival is still possible, however the time will come, in the not too distant future, when a point at home against those around us will simply be not enough.
Our next ten or so fixtures (aside from Everton) come against sides that we are more than capable of beating, so I just hope that we can grab a couple of vital wins over the Christmas period, and that Poyet has some striking talent lined up to come in when the transfer window opens.
I for one have not yet written our survival hopes off: In Gus We Trust.
Here’s hoping for a bit of Christmas cheer for the supporters of our fine club personally off the pitch, and for the professional playing staff on it.
Mr Poyet – it’s over to you, Sir…
My Man Of The Match: Phil Bardsley
Chris
https://www.facebook.com/chrischambersadi/posts/10202680187466308