My lad played his first game for his team. He did well too! I was wondering how the crowd were? Any booing? Any MON out chants etc? When I watched it on the telly crowd seemed to get behind the team?
To be honest the crowd stuck by the team but after the penalty, there were 1000's who left and missed our 2nd and their 4th. At the end there was some booing and to be fair to them they are entitled as the result wasn't acceptable at home to an average team that work hard and pass well in the middle but have **** all up front to be scared of. They had 2 chances - a long range goal a season and a keeper error. Apart form that they had to cheat to get the 3rd and the 4th was as we were chucking the kitchen sink at them for the equalizer. That's always the risk you take. Until that lad Lukaku came on they looked powder puff up front in my humble opinion and have the worst keeper I've seen this year. Sometimes in games the pendulum just wont swing your way and its beyond me how a WBA team yesterday re 3rd in the league? All I can say is the league is piss poor this year, as it has been for several years to be honest. That said, defeat on Tuesday will IMO see a totally different crowd reaction to the one on Saturday and we simply have to win at all costs.
36, 300 crowd wasn't too good but its on TV and at a ****ty time and we have 4 home games in 3 weeks to pay for at an expensive time of year already, so many may not have been able to make it? There were gaps in the home ranks though and no complaints but none more so than behind the goal in the second tier and that is the away end which was 4/5ths empty. Pitiful showing from a team that find themselves amazingly in the top 4. If yesterday was their best then I will happily predict that they will be nowhere near that come May. Very average team that were gifted their 2nd and 3rd goals (courtesy of an awful keeper error and an even more awful referee decision) and the 4th as we chucked the kitchen sink at them looking for a equaliser. Their opener was one of those once in a blue moon shots that you just say well done too. Yes they look pretty in midfield but not dangerous up front IMO, not until that beast Lukaku came on. How he doesn't play form the start is beyond me. He is a monster. Quick, skillful and bloody massive. Its how Kenwyne Jones should have been. We will have to bounce back on Tuesday for sure.
Lukaku tore us a new one at St James. When Clarke took him off no one could believe it, least of all him. Allowed us to get a foothold in the game. Him or Torres at present? No brainer for me, Chelsea are crazy! Not that Di Matteo would have been allowed to play him...............
Their results will come from belief. Everyone said the same about us last season and we somehow (I have no idea based on what I am seeing this season) stayed up there. If they lose their confidence at any stage, they will plummet though.
To be fair, he looked awesome when he came on and caused us lots of problems with his pace, height and skill. I'd be very tempted to put a cash bid in this January if he can be tempted and Chelsea have a recall for a sale.
They also had a mammoth slice of luck for their 2nd and 3rd goals (or cheated for their 3rd) and this is what you get when confidence is high. We are still lacking that confidence but we are not a gnats dick off getting back on track but this rigid one striker policy is fast becoming and issue with MoN tbh. I have no doubts that by May, they will be mid table at best.
Their 3rd should never have stood. However from the referee's point of view it did look like a penalty. Regarding your strikers, you are weak in that department. Why not pop Whickham up top with Fletcher? It might not work but his confidence is sky high as he bangs them in left, right and centre whenever he plays. His confidence might rub off and things may start to go your way.
Went with a mate of mine yesterday (not a Sunderland fan) and he was passing comment on why Fletcher was isolated up front for long periods in the game and why do we still persist in not beginning to play until we go behind by 1 or as yesterday 2 goals. He did say the crowd were decent though for a Midday kickoff on the telly. Got to admit when there third went in I was all for going for a bevy but stayed, also thought it was a pen from where we were in the East Stand but, having watched it again a couple of times can see it was neither a pen nor was there any contact. Things like that go for you or against you it's part of the game but, watching the refs decision from where he was was a bit hard to take. Anyway QPR on Tuesday and in all honesty a must win game if we are to stay out of the dogfight at the bottom, QPR will be geed up by Appy Arry and will want to prove a point so not an easy game for either team.
