Yeah Patto did well mate. Lots of positives about the team when you step back a minute. They are a really talented bunch of players. Jobe looks raw and looks like he will develop into an excellent player. Clarke and Roberts are the best wingers in the division. Ekwah and Neil can play better - excellent players. Dack looks like a great, intelligent addition. Get the attacking play right and Hemir/new lads will be able to flourish. The back line are all solid and we know they can play better.* Two or three more savvy additions and we are looking like an excellent squad. Also you’ve got all the investment in the stadium, KLD and all his contacts / resources. Very exciting times. * Seelt is to come into the team yet as well. Could be a classy addition.
Hemir is a raw young kid but at times yesterday made runs off the ball but no-one tried to spot these. I think the above is important when people criticise him - he did this against Ipswich as well but we seem as if we have to find Roberts or Clarke first instead of these runs as an option.
I've seen a fair bit on social media saying batth should start or we should go to 3 at the back to shore us up, but I'm struggling with how such an obvious change in replacing one defender for another or changing the whole system would help / suit the midfield. Bringing Batth back in for 09 is the obvious change and we would instantly gain a 'proper' centre half that will win headers, make tackles etc but we are still wide open when play breaks down up field and Batth for all strengths isnt blessed with lots of pace. Bring him in as the 3rd centre back and we have to drop the 10 which probably leaves the striker isolated then add that Hume is not really a wing back, but it would suit Cirkin so we would be lop sided. It's a conundrum
There is space but I think we need a proper 10 in there to exploit it. Young Jobe isn't the man for that yet. Prichard needs to be starting games or play Dack in his proper position and start Hemir. We need a DM immediately. I think we need to let Hume stay as a traditional right back, this multi role is doing him in and he looks to be a worse player for it. Doesn't have the pace to get back which leaves our centre backs exposed. 09 shouldn't be starting centre back. I get the possession thing but he doesn't sniff out the danger at the back in a 2 centre back formation and Ballard is covering way too much which then significantly, highlights Humes position. It's like a knock on effect.
Also, the fluke goals are because there are strikers running across the box, sniffing out an opportunity. We literally don't have a single player doing this. That's a big issue.
I think going 3/ 5/ 2 is our best option with the current imbalance in our squad. Jobe, Ekwah and Neil are far too similar and not playing as a unit we need a tactician in there . Gooch is probably the nearest we have to such a player in the present squad but like Pritch is not ideal as a game starter imo . Maybe it was a mistake to let Michut go as we are missing him as well as the more obvious absentees.
We won the game v WBA (I think) when he was in the stands ready to take over. He went on to win the league on the final day. Quite remarkable season.
I thought Michut if played in his proper role as an 8 would have been great for us, but that's gone now. If we did go 352 then your looking at maybe ............................Patto ..............Ballard....Batth.....09 Hume..........................................Cirkin Roberts..............??????????............Clarke. ................???????..............???????? Still doesn't work imo
Weren't people saying Batth was shocking against Crewe but some are clamouring to have him back...funny old game is football and fans opinions.
If we were going 3 at the back i'd line up like this Patto Hume Ballard O9 Gooch Ekwah Neil Cirkin Roberts Clarke Hemir
No matter how many new players are written off and come good, Amad, Ekwah, etc ... ... there's never the slightest hesitation to repeat the procedure. Then comes the inevitable 'no one's more pleased than me to be proven wrong so let's all support the lad and never remind me I said he was shyte'. BTW did anyone else think the Preston pitch looked dreadful.
My parents did and do. It’s the nature if the beast at Sunderland. We have a select group of fans always looking to criticise someone. Always needing a scapegoat player. And to pick a lad who is so young, and only just starting here, is utterly ridiculous. People slating Jobe too!! 17 ffs!
https://www.a-love-supreme.com/single-post/mowbray-post-preston BY DANIEL McCALLUM MOWBRAY POST PRESTON please log in to view this image Tony Mowbray has explained why Bradley Dack started up front instead of Hemir. The gaffer has seen plenty of positives in Sunderland's two league defeats to open the season... CHANCE CREATION “People have their opinions, I think possession of the ball doesn’t mean anything but chances created, shots on goal, corner kicks, let you know generally where the game has been played. Generally I thought it was played more around their goal than our goal and yet we didn’t find a way to put the ball in the net more than once. I think it’s a bit harsh on the team that we lost that game, but I’ve said to them it was the naivety of the performance, to even give them some opportunities because in my mind they weren’t really in the game to create chances - other than the set plays that they earned. So we’re really disappointed but we have to keep going, keep believing that what we’re doing is right, that we can dominate the ball and we do have more shots and opportunities around the box. A number of times we got behind their team today and it was about trying to pick somebody out in the six yard box for a tap in, and we kept hitting the first man of course. It was really frustrating for us, but all areas to keep working on. I thought there were lots of positives but ultimately you get judged on the result and the result is negative. That’s two negative results for us in the league this season, but it’ll turn around." MISSING INGREDIENTS "If you have as much possession and domination in games home or away, you’re going to end up putting the ball in the opposition net more often than they put it in yours and you’re going to win plenty of games. Of course every game is different and we have to prepare for each game as it comes along, but as I said I thought there were enough positives today to feel that we’re on the right track and we’re just missing some ingredients at the moment. When we have those ingredients I’ll stand in front of you after games hopefully talking about victories and great goals.” DACK CRAIC “I thought it was a gamble worth taking. I looked at the game towards the end of last season (v Preston) and the domination of the ball in that game, and it was really created by not having a centre forward down the middle getting marked by their three big centre halves and so we could overload in the middle of the pitch. Amad obviously played that position and he bent one right into the top corner of course, pretty early on in the second half there. So we just thought it was better to not have a big centre forward for three big centre halves to mark and fight, but in other games Hemir will be important for us to put balls into the box, and be the guy in between the sticks and hopefully when things fall he can put it in the net. Today was just a game where we wanted to keep the ball off them, and try and dominate and create chances with our wide players getting in behind. We did that numerous times and yet we couldn’t find the answer to a cut-back and a goal.” DON'T PANIC “The first goal today was almost identical to Broadhead’s goal for Ipswich, he was just running across the box and the ball hit him on the shin and went in. We want to win games so we’re not happy, but we do feel as if in these two games we’ve shown more than enough that we’re going to win plenty of football matches and dominate lots of football matches and hopefully give the fans lots to shout about as the season unfolds in front of us. We’re two games in. of course we’re disappointed but let’s look after a dozen or 20 games in, before anybody starts thinking what’s good, what’s bad.”
2 unnatural centre backs and Gooch though, it’s just more square pegs in round holes. We’d have Dack, Pritchard, Bellingham and Ba all on the bench along with Huggins, Seelt, Triantis and Bathh.. all better options than what’s on the pitch.
I think Hume would be fine as a 3rd cb in a back 3. Gooch would give us an outlet on the right which would help Roberts. Same with Cirkin on the left. Saying that I prefer a back 4 and I'd use the two fullback to give us a bit of width rather than bringing them into cm
