I wanted to say something last night but was lost on just what I should say, this Sunderland team gets you like that. In answer to my question,âHave we turned the cornerâ, an absolute no, but at least we are now on the corner, the next 4 games will decide if its turned. I like Mig but must confess Iâm pleased to see Westwood get his chance, I feel he could bring a calmness that will help us round that corner. Brown and Turner are looking better, Richardson is starting to show why Bruce likes him at LB and TBH I prefer Bardo at RB to OâShea on present showing. Wickham and Bendtner can become a first class strike partnership and with a very good Ji in the wings and hopefully one more in come January Iâm fine with that. Bendtner is a class act to me and his signing should be top of the agenda in January. Sess and Larsson are looking good on the wings so again thatâs fine, mind what we do if Larsson is injured scares me. My two areas of concern are central midfield and closing down, are they linked? Villas first goal yesterday was nothing to do with a good strike it was all to do with the amount of space Hutton had to set up the good strike. I sit just behind Sunderpitt and read his comment yesterday, we both saw the same thing. Hutton was in space just in front of us and we could see it coming, why did none of our players? Do we need a 5 man midfield to make up for that missing energy, quality, skill. That something that gives good players time and space. Are we still looking for the right pairing from Catts,Colback,Vaughan and Gardner, Meyler should never have been brought on yesterday, he needs more reserve games and easier subs roles. Garry Bennett was asked why he thought Meyler was used and all he could think of was his height to combat Heskey, clutching at straws I think. Game after game I see the visiting teams CBâs get the ball and have time, their midfielders get the ball and have time. When ours get the ball they seem rushed and end off passing back, passing to the other side or hoofing it. I have said many times a football expert Iâm not but I can see it so why cant the team, what do we need and how do we get that space. I know we keep dropping deep and I know that Bendter always seems to have more time and space than other players, is that luck or does he simply make it and know what to do with it. Iâm pleased to have a point after going behind twice and Iâm pleased with the spunk we now show. Iâm not happy with a point because we could and should have had 3. For me it would be 4-5-1 at Man U then 4-4-2 for the next 3, hope, and hope is all we have, for a point next week then a minimum of 7 points from the next 3 games. There, thatâs my ramble over. BTW, Bents miss was down to me, he caught sight of the mustard cords.
Villa are a decent side to be fair. Looking at individual players they have, players in all positions that we would happily take, they are a strong, experienced unit so a point isn't the end of the world at all. I agree that 1 up front next week is a sound formation, as we will need 5 in midfield to combat the red machine and for me it would be gardener in for wickham. Connor is still young and Bendtner will be better suited to a lone role. I don't think we will get anything from the game but the next 4 games after this are all ones we should be looking to win imo. Have we turned the corner? Not for me. We are still lingering on the uncertain route for me. We could still go either way imo. In 5 games time we will definately be able to say if we are going to have an enjoyable 2nd half of the season, or whether it is to be a much more nervous one. Worrying for me, I'm still not convinced which one it will be.
And I'm sorry to say Cest I agree, not sorry for having to agree with you but sorry that we still have to be convinced, like you rightly say, its a worry.
Do you sit in the East Stand? Me and my OH said exactly the same thing with the space Huttton had - "watch them score here"! The problem is if we want Sess to have a sort of free role then our LB is often marking 2 players, as yesterday. Thankfully Nzog had a poor game so we only got punished the once. Since we all know Kieran's strength (?) is attacking rather than defending that will always be a problem. Although to be fair I thought he had one of his best games at LB yesterday. We did get on top of it as Jack came over to cover more as the game went on. I actually thought our midfield did pretty well yesterday and I like Vaughan's calmness. I know what you mean about passing sideways but keeping the ball is an important aspect of a good passing game and we seem to be learning that. But like you I think we should have won that game and even one extra bit of craft or magic would have done it. But coming back from behind again shows we are a tough proposition and teams know we are not going to roll over so that is a positive. I too would be tempted for 4-5-1 vs Man U but feel dropping Wickham might knock his growing confidence so its a tricky one. Also it is after Champions league and lots of teams have a hangover after playing midweek so maybe we should go for it? All in all I am happy because Bruce has some tricky decisions to make as we have more options now, so that is another positive. Of course he has to make the correct choices over the next few weeks, and that's something we have struggled with all season. Going back to the OP my view is we MAY have just turned the corner, but the next few games will show us for sure.
I was in the North Stand mate and we all said exactly the same, defence backed off and left the CMs to tidy up when the defence maybe should have just closed him down. All by the by now though as said a good point and a decent performance in places (still places where we were crap) and, going into probably the toughest game of the season a very well earned point. Don't think we've turned any corners yet still think we are heading towards the bend at present and the games after Man Utd will show if we have got there at last or it was another flash in the pan, here's hoping it's the former.
Actually in this day and age Villa aren't considered a 'challenge' or a 'test' by the pundits, not even at their place apparently, so this is just an easy point really. Actually didn't you say we haven't been tested yet also?
Valid point though syd surely, we've been getting told all season we havn't been tested yet, by pundits and by you lot, and we've played Villa at their place
I agree syd btw im east stand also I have said for the last year or so more so when bloody Terry gets the ball but we do let there defenders walk to the halfway line. Im a BIB but yesterday Bruce showed himself to be too slow in changing things everyone around me for the las 20 to 30 m ins were saying we need to change the midfield. pleased with the lads to come from behind twice and to be fair either team could have nicked. just as well bent was,nt playing yesterday i think he was hiding in a Hotel somewhere saying he was signing for Wigan because they had better players and he wanted to go for football reasons the fact he got a pay rise had nothing to do with it
To be fair to Bruce I think the two injurie ****ed his palns up, if he had a plan. He had one sub left to play but that said, I feel Meyler was by far the wrong choice. I like Meyler but how many games has he played this season? and it showed, Catts or Gardner must have been the options.
No, it's not luck, Syd. You make space. Two of the greatest British players I've seen at that are Stanley Matthews (who taught it to the Brazilians - he was mobbed wherever he went on his close-season visit there and they hung on his every word. By the World Cup in '58, you could see the difference) and Gordon Strachan (remember all the pundits marvelling at how he could get to the ball faster than 19 year-olds when he was 38? Bulls**t - Strachan was a clever player. He was beating those younger guys just slightly to the north of the neck). When I was about 15, an old guy told me 'Football's all about geometry, lad. If you don't understand that, you understand nothing at all'. He was right. Bendtner? - yes, I like him, too. His positioning isn't as inch perfect as Bent's, but he's got the footwork to make it up and he'll do a good job here, I think.
Honestly believe that what we all consider to be the correct first team (pretty much the one we have now). Would have seen us in a pretty comfortable position. Until we rid the burden of (is it2) home wins this year, we havn't turned anything yet, but the potential is there to do so..
The next 3-5 games are crucial. Ill be happy with a good performance at man u. hope they don't take the city defeat out on us too bad. Then its two winnable home games. i think we'll have a much clearer picture after these upcoming games.
