Aye this. Neil needs to learn quick that the parky style, long percentage play is not what fits out players.
Good post and I think that Neil is just trying to put points on the board any way he can. Maybe he should try to trust the players a bit more. The young uns such as Neil and Doyle have had that rest they desperately needed and some of the injured players like O'Nien are back.
cheers again RTB... well another 'tooth pulling' performance for 85 minutes then we suddenly started to look like a team again. well done dan neil, that is exactly what we want from you lad, not breaking your neck all over the pitch or going quiet for long periods, just play the ball through the middle like we all know you can and it made a difference today, also helped by roberts and dajaku being willing runners...before then we were so static i kept thinking my stream had froze!! can someone explain the coaching now that tells players 'if you have 40 yards of space in front of you, stop and pass backwards' as i see no logic in doing that, take the ball forward and players then have to leave their markers to come and stop you, helping to create space for others, also, why not follow the play...at one point defoe won the ball and turned to run towards the box and cirkin moved towards the edge of the pitch behind defoe, surely his move should have been to follow defoes run and give him an option to pass/take a defender away. once we finally broke the deadlock though, everyone wanted the ball, other players began making runs and we just simply moved the ball so much quicker...this squad really needs to realise they can play like that all game and stop being scared of making a mistake...as we have seen they still happen when being 'careful'. happy with another three points, hopefully another boost for the lads...i don't think there will be many 'good games' from now till the end of season as teams are now scrapping to make sure they stay in the league or trying hard not to drop points as games are running out now.
I didn't just say Great Management would have been starting with that team - it was also linked with tearing the opposition apart and scoring plenty of goals. Your point though is very apposite, why are the starting players so poor?
Neil has done well by players giving them a rest. He has got some clean sheets and he has the luxury of Matete who has shored up our midfield when we lose the ball no end. Now he needs to let the lads play without these strict instructions to go wide quickly, or be direct. To play that way with the likes of Neil, Clarke, Embleton, Pritchard and Roberts would really be a mistake.
Up until we scored that was possibly the dullest game I've ever seen. No more long ball football please Neil. Only came to life when we started playing it on the ground late on, Roberts looked canny. Crewe can get ****ed got everything they deserved from that game. At least we won't be playing them next season.
It has to be pressure mate. Neil starts and he's invisible, Embleton starts, he's the same .... .... bring them on as subs and they're dynamite. It's been like this for years and is a mentality that needs sorting out. The club is too big for the players we have at this level ... ... when we get to the PL the club isn't big enough for the players we need to bring in.
Roker Report - Player Ratings Anthony Patterson: 6/10 Barely involved in the game, yet did everything well and is starting to look far more assured in the Sunderland number one shirt. Carl Winchester: 6/10 Played on the right of a back three and not tested defensively but got forward on occasion and played one great ball over the top to Defoe that the striker couldn’t make the most of. Bailey Wright: 6/10 Not great on the ball but solid defensively, other than a couple of scares when Chris Long got in behind him. Dennis Cirkin: 6/10 Doesn’t look out of place on the left of a three, did get caught out once by a Crewe sub but immediately fouled him to stop any danger. Did not provide much going forward but very good defensively. Lynden Gooch: 5/10 Didn’t provide any attacking threat with the home side seemingly intent on hoofing the ball long. Corry Evans: 5/10 Had a tame effort comfortably saved by the Crewe goalkeeper as we pressed for a winner but a very quiet performance by Evans as Crewe sat back. Jay Matete: 6/10 Made one really good driving run into the Crewe box and forced the ‘keeper into a save, kept the side ticking but bypassed for a lot of the match. Luke O’Nien: 5/10 A hard working display for O’Nien who covered a lot of ground on his first start back but was unable to get involved. Jack Clarke: 6/10 Was poor until the second half substitutions changed the way we played, which gave him more room to play. Set up Roberts for the second goal and was lively in the last half hour. Ross Stewart: 6/10 Typically worked hard without ever having much to work with, did get a header on target in the first half and laid a lovely ball off for Neil to hit the winner. Jermain Defoe: 5/10 Had one half chance with a great ball in behind by Winchester but couldn’t get a shot away, otherwise struggled to get in the game with Crewe comfortably dealing with the aimless long balls punted Defoe’s way. Substitutes Dan Neil: 7/10 Changed the game when he came on, looked to get on the front foot immediately and found Stewart with a good through ball, who laid it back for Neil to stroke home the winner. Leon Dajaku: 6/10 Stretched Crewe with a bit of pace, put in a couple of good crosses that should have saw someone get on the end of and caused the visitor’s problems. Patrick Roberts: 6/10 Scored a really good goal after a one-two with Clarke, could have had another after skipping away from a defender in the box but could only fire ove. Man of the Match: Dan Neil We were extremely poor going forward until Alex Neil’s attacking substitutions and it was his namesake Dan who showed his quality to win it for Sunderland. Scored a lovely goal to make it 1-0 and looked increasing confident from that point on. please log in to view this image Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
On the bus home, terrible game for 85 minutes but a win is a win. Not convinced with the formation / starting 11, we seem static and still open at the back, that a good team would have punished us for. 3 points is all that matters though
