I'm just not sure what to make of the situation and aftermath of the game yesterday. Needed a good nights sleep to soak it in tbh. I was stunned at the final whistle and in a state of shock. I watched the game with 30 or 40 other stunned SAFC fans. Season card holders and lifelong supporters. Nobody saw another 3 goal thumping at the hands of a struggling WBA. Team selection - erratic (players who start one game don't even make the bench the week after) Tactics - confusing (different formation yet again yesterday) Substitutions - baffling Team morale - shot to pieces (I've never seen a team at any time look so demoralized 5 games into the campaign and at the end they looked shell shocked) Manager - what on earth was all that about at the end? Confrontational? Apologetic? Contrite? Arrogant? Admission of failure or aggressive I'll show you all? He is away with the fairies IMO. Not since Sbragia has a man so out of his depth been appointed as a Premiership manager. His demeanour yesterday had all the look of a haunted rabbit caught in the headlights as a bemused and confused individual. Has anyone at the game given their account of the atmosphere among fans at the end? Quite simply Paolo hadn't got a clue why it's not working or what to do to to put it right. He is lurching from one crisis to the next and if we just sit back and keep saying it will turn out right we are finished. Relegation will all but be confirmed by the end of January IMO. I just can't see any other outcome. 1 point from 15 and we've played Fulham, Palace, Southampton and WBA in that sequence. Only Arsenal were a really tough game and I think every single one of us would gave expected at least 6 points from those 5 games? That wasn't a fanciful expectation was it? I think he has lost part of that dressing room already and the players have to take a lot of blame, however, the reason we look confused and pathetic is down yo the manager alone. Out of his ability zone and flapping about like a drowning man in a sea of despair. This is now worse than the 15 point season start and after yesterday, I see nothing to make me have any change of heart concerning PDC other than to now concede our 15 point achievement is now seriously under challenge. Defeat to the Posh on Tuesday (a distinct possibility IMO) and heavy defeats to Liverpool, Utd and Swansea and he won't see his 2nd derby game. I agree chopping and changing managers is not great for clubs but sometimes, you just have to take the decision that is so obviously required. Another relegation could kill this club not revive it. Attendances are down now so they could collapse in the championship and I don't buy the go down under PDC and rebuild with him. That is a recipe for disaster. These are my thoughts and I do not pretend to speak for anyone but myself and nor do I attempt to be the leader of any pack, or a spokesperson for a hidden agenda. I'm not a wum, a mag or part of any other covert group. I am just a simple lifelong passionate Sunderland fan with my own opinions and right now, I think my club is in massive, massive trouble. Desperately miserable and depressed SAFC fan.
I'm a firm believer that any manager must be given time, but TBH, i'm struggling to put an argument up at the minute. I'm so demoralised that i don't even want to either. As has been mentioned on other threads, it's no good waiting to see how the next few games pan out, the results are pretty much nailed on defeats for us and if Ellis is even thinking about changing the manager then do it now FFS.
Albert its just my honest opinion and wont be agreed on by quite a few I'm sure but its heartfelt and imo not far from the truth. I'm not jumping on any bandwagon or trying to lead a revolt and have held these views for some time on Paolo. He is just not cut out to be a top flight manager and plenty of good players have failed at management. Love Paolo the character and the person but he is just not a good manager. Roberto Di Matteo would be a seamless appointment and has previous of taking over other peoples squads and working with them and more than anything, that's why he is my choice now. He has no ego to bolster and no axe to grind but is a classy, quietly spoken man who likes to play good football. His Italian heritage may be a huge bonus working with Di Fanti and Angeloni for the January window and could be made with little upset or upheaval.
Whilst i disagree with your points Cest, its a good post and like you say football is all about opinions and debate mate. Whilst loosing 3 games on the trot through conceeding 3 goals is far beyond ideal, my major worry is defensive lack of concentration. Both against Fulham and WBA its been first shots have = in first goals. However, if we take each game individually, we have been very unfortunate. Fulham - battered them and their one and only shot = in a goal Southampton - lead the game for 89 minutes, unlucky to conceed so late Palace - Well within the game until JOS sending off Arsenal - Poor first half performance from one of the best teams in the league, however ran them close in the 2nd and a whole load of ifs and buts if Atkinson never ****ed us over. West Brom - only one team in it first 20 mins until their goal (yet again one shot = goal). Looking at getting back into the game, until Fletchers injury and (yet again) conceeded two goals as we where down to 10 men.
Entirely my sentiments also. I'd like to think I'm no bandwagon jumper and defended Bruce(ah, the good old days!) when many wanted rid.However, Just can't see this getting any better. It's not the fixture list that has got us bottom if the table; it is inept management. We look all over the place As I said.in another post, a goal difference of -8 after five games does not augur well. I'm certainly worried
You can keep dressing this up and say it will get better all you want but I know a busted flush when I see it and this regime is about as busted as it gets. I'd love you to be right and me totally wrong but I just cant see it mate. If we change it we can still save this season. If we stick with PDC we are about as relegated as it gets already imo.
Bloody hell Cest, How defensive are you? Nowt wrong with your post but I disagree with one paragraph. It's the same and only problem I've been having with you, the only problem many have been having with you. A problem you misunderstand when anyone has tried to point it out to you. The aspersions you cast. What proof you do you have that he's lost the dressing room? You don't have any proof. it's only speculation and it can be dangerous. As you've reasonably pointed out in your other posts. There's plenty of factual evidence to go on without making stuff up. The media has done it all summer long and the result is we're one of the most hated clubs in the country. On this basis do you understand how fellow fans take exception to these sorts of comments? This isn't a particularly bad assumption of yours but some of your unproven aspersions recently that has confused and angered many posters as you've laid most of them down like fact. Nobody wants to censor you fella. People just don't like it when folk make stuff up. It's your opinions we want, not the jackanory **** you've been coming up with. Yep mate it's a mess. Can help answer your questions on the tactics, as I posted PDC's position on tactics yesterday, It's quite insightful. Annoyingly nobody seems interested in answers as it only got one reply Which I find as baffling as the bench selection yesterday. http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/230071-This-could-shed-some-light-on-our-situation The rest? Well, Someone as honest as Paolo will give us an insight in time it's inevitable. But no doubt the pressure is on him now. I hope we can communicate this time without you reducing it to pop shots like you did 17/09/2013, 09:12 PM, post#40 of the 'Cabral 4th choice for our midfield surely not' Which started our bickering. You know, the one you tried to twist as me spitting the dummy but failed as the proof is on the thread of you breaking from debate without explanation and lowering yourself to subtle insults. It was proper debate till then after all. Hope we can behave like real men from now on and not reduce ourselves to insults? I'm willing to be the bigger man. Please Join me. I apologise for any insult I've given you but I'll never apologize for defending my club from dangerous, damaging, unproven rumors. Have a good Sunday Cest. Hope you, hope everyone, can have a decent Sunday without yesterday dragging us down.
Bri I'm happy to have a reasonable conversation with anyone and as 2 passionate Sunderland fans we should be able to do that surely? I watched the Sunday Supplement and 1 or 2 of the journalists were saying he had lost part of the dressing room and they will have their sources in there giving them insights and someone like JOS will be on good terms with several top journos fro his Man Utd days imo. I'm not saying its JOS btw just these rumours are getting publicly discussed now and by a lot of itk journos. The tise has turned imo. Bri, I see a 'team' not performing and at odds with the world being thumped off very average opposition now. I see erratic team selections where favourites are kept in despite very average performances (AJ and Giacherinni for instance to name 2) yet the likes of Roberge and Cabral are dropped after 1 game (decent games as well) and I see players who where shot to pieces yesterday during and after the game. I think we have a decent squad (we do agree on that I know) but we differ in whether PDC is the man to get the best from them. I am convinced he is a dead duck and its only going to worsen if we leave it any longer. What do you think of RDM?
We were either going to rise above heights we have never seen before or fall below our atrocious 15 point haul, and there is no doubt about it I think rising to heights we have never seen before is definitely out of the equation. Its a terrible shame but we HAD to do the squad overhaul so if we go down trying it our own way then so be it but there is still a LOT of games to go and we shouldnt give up. Ultimately its upto Short to do the deed, which he has a good record at spotting a bad situation and taking action. Its just all disappointing really that our worst fears of it all going tits up are becoming true.
I rate him. But if you check out my thread i've just posted, I don't think it will solve the problems. You're about to see I have got a negative side.
Journalist and pundits alike have been trying to point out that PDC would not work mate and we just kept putting it down to them having an agenda and not about real football issues? Well kidda, results and events have certainly backed up their concerns and shot ours to pieces since the Fulham result. PDC looks way out of his depth to me and in no way in control of events here now. I don't think he has the remotest idea of what to do for Tuesdays game or the next 2 league games against Liverpool and Utd and will just continue to pluck team sheets from the hat as he sees fit. Another 2 thumping defeats are looming for us and at minus 8 GD already and 1 point, we could well have a minus 14+ and only 1 point after 7 games. Disastrous even for a new man to pick those broken pieces up at that point.
