Now we may have had 2 or perhaps 3 posts questioning MON, that is all, after 4 months in charge. Now the VAST majority of Sunderland Fans are happy with MON! The bloke has been brilliant since he has taken the job on. He has put Sunderland in a very respectable position when relegation was a real worry. He has inherited a squad that had gained 11 points from 14 games. He has brought in 2 loan players to keep the back four going, he has had to adapt to a squad that has been (once again) hit by lots of injuries and STILL produced results that most of us would not have believe possible. Yes we do seem to have run out of steam a bit but I'm not sure that fault can be laid at the feet of O'Niell? I would be really dissapointed with Sunderland fans to question the man without him even making a signing! Yes there are plenty of Mags happy to jump on board after a dip in form but what do they count for? o'neill has achieved what he was asked to do this season in spades! Does this mean he is beyond critism, of course not! Every manager makes mistakes or descisions we are not happy with. Doesn't mean they are always wrong or inept! Steve Bruce was given plenty of time to prove he was inept! I have been dissappointed with some of mon's subs etc but to judge the guy without even buying a player just isn't cricket. I know the VAST majority of Sunderland fans agree with me that Mon hasn't even started yet!
I think its mostly frustration, nd not that the team isnt good enough, they proved over 15 games they were good enough, and they can do it, its the fact they hve done it and have now hit a brick wall nd just dont seem bothered. McCarthys Sunderland we all knew were not the best, but we still supported them, because they at least went out and tried (most of the time) some of the performances in the last 3-5 games have been waiting to go on holiday performances, and I dont know any fan that would be happy with that, esp after what they have achieved in the 3 months previous. Then you have the fact that it looked like we were catching Newcastle, then they go on a 5 game winning streak (which would be hard to keep up with anyway) ut the points gap has got so much, we cant catch them now, dont care what you say, its got to hurt a smidgen at least, and add to that it looks like they have Europe as well to boot. For me its the players just taing in the games to the end of the season, If I was MON i would drop a few (not to sell just give others a chance) might as well if the 11 proper team are going to play like they have recently, if we get beat by doing it we get beat. I am not talking 11 changes, but maybe bring 3-4 new players in each game and see how they do. The other thing i would just like to add, we build the fans up, steadily get more fans into the stadium, then we let them down big time so they think sod this, waste of money, why bother (yes i know we cant win every game, but they want to see a decent performance)
Fine, she is on some medicine or other, but she also hasnt had a fever for awhile (which is when she gets them), so not sure if the Medicine is working or not (im sceptical, i took Medicine for mine till I was 16, had siezures, thought sod this in my young wisdom, not taking any more, and I have not had another one since, and I am 40 in 2 weeks).
I know what your saying Steve, no problem with critism at all! Infact I think a few feel O'Neill is beyond reproach, which of course he isn't. The whole "Is o'Neill all that" for me has arrived to soon though. I agree for the last three games our team has seemed very tame compared to what we've seen but more fool the players as I'm sure MON is taking lengthy notes. For me though the season is finished, yes we should try to finish as high as possible and the players should know that they areplaying for 1st team football. I'm at a bit of a loss as to where the free flowing, wonder goal football went that we seemed to achieve?
I on keppra, seems to be working although time will tell. Anyhow, hope it all goes well with the wee one.
Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill watched his team notch their third Barclays Premier League draw in four games when a battling Wolverhampton Wanderers side visited Wearside. The Black Cats boss admitted his side had endured a testing afternoon as they failed to convert any chances in the match. "I thought it was a frustrating afternoon for everyone concerned." O'Neill told safc.com after the draw at the Stadium of Light. "We didn't create enough during the course of the game," the manager continued. "We had a couple of chances in the second half, but the overall picture was the performance was lack lustre. "I've said before that the players have done brilliantly from our position way back, but we've got a lot of work to do and I don't think that would escape anybody. "We need to be able to get our foot on the ball and be able to pass under pressure and not be overcome by a nervousness or be concerned that things might go wrong. "We just need to go out, throw the shackles off, and play." O'Neill conceded that Sunderland's chances were limited throughout the game as Wolves did well to shut the Black Cats down. A wonder-save from goalkeeper Simon Mignolet kept the sides level when he denied Steven Fletcher's late header. O'Neill added: "Today, we kept a clean sheet and that was a great save by Simon Mignolet late in the game, but overall the picture is one of frustration. "Wolves have came here with very little to lose - perhaps a victory would have kept them in it - and taking that into consideration it was always going to be difficult for us.
What was the aim for MON when he arrived? Survival...That was it wasn't it? Unfortunately for Martin we started like an express train. A top six team over the period of his management. Now we all know were not top six with our squad so this was always going to be hard to maintain. Add to that the fact we now have nothing to play for and it's easy to see why results are dropping off. Going back to MON's original aim...Can anyone see Sunderland going down?
I watched yesterday and the team to me looked like they had one foot on the beach in whatever country they're holidaying in. If I was MoN I'd be kicking their arses big time. 7th place was attainable for a team who looked on for a relegation battle in December. Now the players seem to say "job done". Hope he's making sure that they are aware the owner is the one looking at his investment and they need to prove their worth
Maybe it was MON who sent them out to play badly so as to strengthen his argument about rebuilding with Ellis Short or maybe they were just that bad yesterday? Watched MOTD this morning and that was Wolves second 0-0 thriller in 75 games in PL, only their second clean sheet all season and finally it ended their run of 8 straight league defeats, nice of us to help them out I think.
He will learn just as much from the team that went to Man City and played them off the pitch, as he will from virtually the same lads that have lost so meekly at WBA & Everton to name but 2 and performed so poorly v Wolves. It's still a learning curve for Mon, whilst performing miracles in turning this once sinking ship around. We shall see what his thinking is come the summer, when his regime starts in earnest. I'm still having the best party with Marty here in Chester le Street.
Main thing is he saved us from what I think would have been relegation, and a season or two more,will see us much better of than we are at present. But its a time thing.
