After sleeping and waking up frustrated my thoughts haven't changed. 11 v 11 we were comfortable and would have gone on to win, Huggins going off injured affected the balance and the sending off of Neil compounded the issue. As I said last night, if that's the standard for dissent then there will be yellow cards aplenty for the rest of the season across all leagues. The international break has come at a good time as it gives us time to get injured players fit and the lads to have a rest.
I’ll maintain what I said at the end yesterday. If somebody had offered us being 4th in the league now a month ago, I’d have snapped their hands off. Hell I’d have done so 2 weeks ago. A great period for the club.
I agree. Been a good start however, the home form has continued to be trash. Have we lost 3 already at home ? That needs to be sorted. The break has some at a good time for us. Players back and some in need of rest. Just looked at the table on the back of your post. I am surprised to see the gab at the top 2 now 10 points !
I think Jobe has had a good start to his Sunderland career but he frustrates the hell out of me the amount of times he just jogs back for his defensive duties. He's done it a good few times the past 3 or 4 home games and quite often he's been close to a player who's either had the ball or ran through to be in a good position for a pass. Probably more noticeable when we don't have Ekwah but he needs to sort it out.
We gonna have to stop praising our players when they hit a purple patch. Stewart? Best striker in the championship? Tears achilles, career threatening injury. Ekwah looks a bargain? Best player at the moment. Injured. Cirkin consistantly excellent, key player? Injured. Pritchard? Makes you wonder why we were prepared to let him go in the window. What a bonus. Injured. Huggins scores a worldy. Potentially like having a new signing. Injured. These are just off the top of my head. May i be the first to say that Clarke is absolutely ****e and easily replacable.
Having digested that a bit more, derby defeats are hard to to take but that one was quite bad. It was a very good game in the first half. Boro’s size, physicality and extra experience were concerning me and the ref, by trying to let a few things go, played into their hands. As if he was trying to ref the game with a light touch. This makes it even more bizarre to take a sledgehammer out on Dan Neil. Our solidity disappeared with Neil and exposed the squad a bit. That experienced defensive midfielder we missed out on in the summer (from a Turkish side?) would have helped. Well, I suppose it was a learning experience for a lot of the players and the recruitment team will have also have taken note. 4th in the table is excellent but it’s been frustrating not to come away from a couple of the home defeats with draws instead.
Was a really decent game 11 vs 11, should have probably played out 10 vs 10 however we've lost and badly. Not sure I've ever seen a 10 man side crumble so badly normally 10 men put up a fight it was shocking tbh. Warning signs were there very early on second half with Clarke left back not sure what he was thinking there we could have went 441 as we had 4 defenders on the pitch. However, break has came at a great time be close to having almost a fully fit squad, players can regroup, and we go again against Stoke. We are 4th in the league still we just have to keep going, dust ourselves off and start again. Home form needs to improve but I still feel we are more than good enough to finish top 4.
Don’t know if it’s already been mentioned or not but Carrick ran twenty yards on to the pitch when chaos broke out with Coburn fouling Ballard who reacted to the challenge , did the referee or the other officials not notice as no action was taken that I could see as I expected him to be banished from the touch line to the stands . Perhaps that was what the referee meant by EMPATHY when he told the managers that he knew it was a derby match and he would manage the game with EMPATHY - he excused the manager but not Dan Neil one of the players for being emotional in affronting his authority . I honestly believe that the game was too big for him or he is trying to make a name for himself with his attitude .
He gave them plenty of Empathy witht he fouls aswell. As I have said a few times Greenwood committed a yellow card offence early on in first half and then a dive a bit later while already on a yellow. Not to mention how many times Clarke was fouled in the first half and no card for crooks. Can anyone say if Greenwood was on a yellow in the first half? Sky said he was given one for dissent along with someone else for complaint about Jones getting a card for a foul but it isn't shown in the timeliness on Google?
I'd agree. Hard to be too harsh on him. He isn't a CM in a 2 formation. He has also played many positions. But this was my worry when the window closed. Defo short in CDM.
A tip for Dan Neil. You should have a word with the likes of Ba, Rusyn and Bennette to find out some foreign swear words. You could then slag off the ref who wouldn’t have a clue what you are saying.
No. But I didn't see any others mouthing it off 20yds away. If the ref could heard it from there, then there is every chance the crowd could hear it, with possible young kids. As I have said if he'd gone up to him and swore without shouting and gesticulating he probably would have been ok. Just my opinion
Either that or so many players are in form they are probably being praised pre injury. Not a bad place to be in.
Yeah, I think it was because it was so obvious with his gestures and clearly shouting it from 20 yards. That's exactly the type of dissent they have been told to crack down on.
Thanks for that mate, shame our lads had not been warned before hand about this fool. Even so our organisation was all at fault yesterday after the sending off and only compounded his ineptness.
This isn’t a defence of the ref yesterday over-reacting. Neil gave him a decision to make and I think he made the wrong one and a warning would have been more appropriate. Overall I think the attitude on pitch to refs for a long time has been poor - crowding etc. Love to see it be more like rugby where the players are respectful to the ref in how they speak and in return the ref clearly explains his(her) decision. Even better if it they were miked up so whole stadium can hear. I wouldn’t even object to say 5 minute sin bins for players showing dissent, it’s used in smaller side games already. A couple of 5 minute spells down a player would soon be very effective without completely ruining a match.
