The morning after the night before

[Steven Royston O'Neill]

Good morning everyone, I have avoided the expected posts and am trying to look at last night from a team perspective and yes the team does start with the manager.

Without doubt the manager carries a responsibility and one move in particular puzzles me, the taking off of Larsson, bringing both Ji and Wickham on was, IMO, the right thing to do but why then take off the one player who has one use on the field, to deliver quality balls. On the other wing, Larssons natural wing, we had Elmo who I don’t remember delivering one good ball all evening. Do we have a Steed mark 2 who cant last 90 minutes?

The team itself we cant knock, it was the one we wanted and the one that had performed so well on Sunday so team selection and formation, well done Bruce.

Team performance we can knock, one or two on off days happens but we had a team on an off day. O’Shea I cant remember one pass going the man it was supposed to and he looked like he could not be bothered. Brown and Bramble so solid looked anything but, its a strange day when you say that Richardson was our best defender, mind that does not mean he was good.

Gardner and Vaughan, two players who would keep Catts and Colback out all season on Sunday, not on last nights showing.

Sess, well what can I say.

By all means keep up the Bruce out shouts but please be fair in those shouts, all happy clappers, Bobs and Bob titles do is invite argument, I have no interest in arguing with fellow Sunderland fans I would rather look at the team. Yes Bruce has questions to answer but I just cant accept that highly paid experienced professional footballer need the manager to motivate them before they can play, if they could do it against Stoke on Sunday I expect them to at the very least try against Norwich on Monday, whoever the manager is.

 

[Apone]

Sid, the whole thing was a shambles last night and an embarrassment.

Getting outplayed by Relegation fodder like Norwich is a disgrace. What worries me more is that there are no signs things will improve.

Tactically I'm struggling to understand his thinking as well. Taking off seb and persisting with elmo? That is just bizarre. He will never be a footballer, contributes zero to the team.

Bruce looked clueless from the sidelines, no spark, no energy, nothing. He's lost at least a good portion of the fans and in my experience there's no coming back from that point.

It's surely time for short to act.

 

[ThaiCanary]

I am not saying we were brilliant last night but I think many have not given any credit to how Norwich played and effectively stopped your players doing what they wanted to do, until maybe 75 minutes when we started to sit back and invited you to come at us (which you did and gave us a scare).

On paper you have a good team with mostly well known players where as we do not, but that does not make us less of a team. I said last week we are a team that fear no one and are confident

One bit I will agree with 100% - Sess, well what can I say Get rid asap!

 

[ThaiCanary]

Relegation fodder like Norwich - bit early in the season to be throwing that about don't you think as you know nothing about our team, which was very evident last night as you didn't know how to play against us.

 

[davrosFTM]

Richardson our best defender Syd? He, along with O'shea were were the worst players on the park IMO, with only Brown and Bendtner playing anywhere up to standard. Our passing was completely woeful all night and the players let down the manager badly.

 

[Anon-a-mackem]

Great goal from richardson. I thought Ji looked good again, he needs to start games.

 

[Apone]

I hope you stay up mate, always had a soft spot for Norwich but I don't think your strong enough. Look at Blackpool last year as a comparison and in my opinion you won't score as many goals as them.

It was an embarrassment from Sunderlands point of view last night

 

[Black Cat Kiwi]

Syd - The outlooks for sunshine all week. Today 20 up to 25 by Saturday. Can't be so bad then if you wake up to enjoy it. KTF

 

[ThaiCanary]

I hope you stay up mate, always had a soft spot for Norwich but I don't think your strong enough. Look at Blackpool last year as a comparison and in my opinion you won't score as many goals as them.

It was an embarrassment from Sunderlands point of view last night

A few comparisons with Blackpool have been made but we are a very different team from them. Norwich is not all out attack throwing caution to the wind football but our defence is not as good as it needs to be granted.

Black Cats record at Carrow Road is not good so I am not sure why expectations were so high for this game, and on a Monday night on TV when you have never won a game. Labeling it as an embarrassment only goes to show a lack of respect IMO and something I do not normally associate with Sunderland fans. OK you didn't perform as well as you feel the team should have but only a few teams can do that week in/week out.

 

[Steven Royston O'Neill]

Sorry canaries, was not being disrespectful to your team I'm looking at last night from a Sunderland point of view, poor passing is our fault and nothing to do with who we played. Well done to you and good luck for the season.

Back to us, sack Bruce or not, thats down to Short and Quinn, all I'm saying is what about the players, the ones who did so well on Sunday?

 

[Anon-a-mackem]

Ruddy is in my fantasy team. Credit where credit is due.

 

[Steven Royston O'Neill]

Syd - The outlooks for sunshine all week. Today 20 up to 25 by Saturday. Can't be so bad then if you wake up to enjoy it. KTF

I always keep the faith mate and in life I have found football is very important but there are more important things. It pisses me off when we play badly but I am a long way from the suicidal stage, I will stop going if it gets that bad.

 

[Black Cat Kiwi]

I always keep the faith mate and in life I have found football is very important but there are more important things. It pisses me off when we play badly but I am a long way from the suicidal stage, I will stop going if it gets that bad.

Couldn't agree more. Last year was a particularly bad one for me with a major health scare which with thanks to upstairs, now looks to be okay. A loss certainly ruins ones day but the kids & good lady soon remind you that there’s more to life too be enjoyed than getting wound up on an internet forum. As much as I enjoy catching up on the news the recent banter makes me feel like taking a holiday for a while as EVERY thread goes the same way.

 

[Cest Advocaat]

It's all well and good to say the players let the manager down but you have to ask why were we so poor last night? Much is said that we are so much better now under Bruce and we are our way upwards but on that evidence, we were as bad as any team under McCarthy 15 and 19 point seasons.

The players look confused and demoralized to me and have no heart or passion. Something is very wrong behind the scenes. Last Sunday was merely a rest bite and seems like a good time to have played stoke now. We would not have beaten the stoke team that fought hard and played well against man utd.

I see a team there last night that doesn't believe in what the manager is telling them. I see no pattern of play, no direction and very little tactical intelligence. Playing a winning line up was the correct decision but not changing it when after 30 mins it was obviously not working, was further evidence that Bruce is just a clueless and hapless manager at this level. At 2-0 it cried out for a decision but incredibly, Bruce and Black just chatted on for a further 15 mins before throwing on the 2 strikers. It was embarrassing.

If the owner and chairman don't act soon, I think this will turn into a real relegation scrap here on in. A win here and there, with lots of losses and draws in between is a poor return for the investment afforded Bruce.

We can't change the players so there is only one option and that has to made very soon, if the whole season isn't lost completely. This isn't going to just get better and resolve itself. It's buggered now and needs to be sorted.

Fans don't have to fight with each other syd if the people in charge act now. By the way, well done Norwich and good luck for the season. They played with a heart, passion and belief we sadly lacked.

 

[Apone]

A few comparisons with Blackpool have been made but we are a very different team from them. Norwich is not all out attack throwing caution to the wind football but our defence is not as good as it needs to be granted.

Black Cats record at Carrow Road is not good so I am not sure why expectations were so high for this game, and on a Monday night on TV when you have never won a game. Labeling it as an embarrassment only goes to show a lack of respect IMO and something I do not normally associate with Sunderland fans. OK you didn't perform as well as you feel the team should have but only a few teams can do that week in/week out.

Like I say I don't want to fight and didnt mean to sound disrespectful to Norwich. You played well and fully deserved to win last night.

I am talking purely from a Sunderland point of view and in my eyes all newly promoted teams are relegation favourites throughout the first season in the top flight. They generally have a honeymoon period the first handful of games and then start to slip away as the season goes on. Looking at the teamsheets before the start of the game, there wasn't one player from Norwich who I would have put into our team. Now this might be ignorance (true I havenet seen a lot of Norwich before last night), but that is the way I felt. Some Norwich players no doubt prove that they are EPL quality over the course of the season which I hope they do as it means you must be doing OK.

Regardless of the above, Norwich showed determination and fight and played as a team, which are my main gripes with Bruce and Sunderland.

Good luck for the rest of the season. I hope my relegation fodder remark is proved wrong. Unless changes are made at Sunderland it could be us who are the relegation fodder!

 

[Steven Royston O'Neill]

Couldn't agree more. Last year was a particularly bad one for me with a major health scare which with thanks to upstairs, now looks to be okay. A loss certainly ruins ones day but the kids & good lady soon remind you that there’s more to life too be enjoyed than getting wound up on an internet forum. As much as I enjoy catching up on the news the recent banter makes me feel like taking a holiday for a while as EVERY thread goes the same way.

Yes I used to get so wound up, the end of the world, angry and ready to bite anyones head off. I saw mangers come and managers go and found that all my anger just prolonged the agony but solved little. On Saturday I will follow my usual routine and be in my usual seat ready to hopefuly enjoy a good win. Until then I will do my best to have a laugh and debate the team, formation and selection. If Bruce is sacked I will join in the gosip about who we will bring in, if he is still there then I will sy hello when he arrives around 1 in his silver Merc.

Life can be as good or as bad as you make it, just my view mind, not right for everyone but it works for me, just wish I had found the forumla years ago.

 

[InBruceWeTrusted]

If Ruddy didnt make that great save from Bendtner then maybe we would have nicked a point.

Players played nowhere near their potential last night whereas Norwich were fully up for the match and we quicker all over the park.

Yes we came into it near the end but it was all very toothless.

Bruce picked the same team we would have all picked so in my opinion the players let the manager down, although all Bruce's comments through the week about the pressure he was under being ridiculous, well Bruce the pressure is back on matey.

I think he may be eating a few words after his gloating all week but that victory against Stoke is nearly meaningless now that we cant back it up with another good performance.

Its just disspointing thats all it is, roll on West Brom.

 

[SAFC 55]

I dont want a manager who supports and goes to watch Newcastle on a saturday.

Then shows absolutley no passion from the bench or touchline, 48 hours later for my team.

I'm really starting to hate the bloke.

 

[Steven Royston O'Neill]

I dont want a manager who supports and goes to watch Newcastle on a saturday.

Then shows absolutley no passion from the bench or touchline, 48 hours later for my team.

I'm really starting to hate the bloke.

but you hide it well.

 

[SAFC 55]

but you hide it well.

You wont be jesting when the t..t takes us down