If Gus Poyet talks the talk then he needs to walk the walk, says Michael Graham Oct 06, 2014 19:00 OPINION BY MICHAELGRAHAM Sunderland AFC manager Gus Poyet came out all guns firing before the Stoke City game and it paid off Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet Last week, Sunderland boss Gus Poyet made a bold claim. He insisted that he knew how to beat Stoke City and would adjust his team tactically to ensure it. It was a modern-day rarity: a manager almost aggressively taking responsibility for a result before a ball had even been kicked. It would have been interesting to see the Uruguayanâs response had Stoke come away with the three points. Show me a manager who has never offered an excuse and Iâll show you a manager who has never lost a game. However, on this occasion, you have to credit Poyet with a sound tactical victory. From the moment his team selection raised eyebrows and, frankly, complaint across the internet and the pubs of Wearside, the idea behind it was apparent. Phil Bardsley remains a divisive figure amongst the support even now, and he probably always will be. Whether you loved him or loathed him, though, there was always one glaring weakness in his game that it was tough to ignore. When the ball is coming across the face of goal, he struggles to defend the back post. He is a player of many admirable strengths, but thatâs a gap in his game that he has never been able to overcome. The plan was, therefore, clear - use the ever-willing runners of Billy Jones and Will Buckley to overload down the right in the hope of isolating Bardsley against the sheer power and brute force of Connor Wickham at the far post. Sure enough, Wickham bested his former teammate at the very first opportunity to put Sunderland ahead, and itâs worth noting that the third goal was scored at the back post too. The plan worked. Itâs a good job it did too. Forget for a moment the fact that the Black Cats went into the game searching for their first league win of the season. That is important, of course, but there is a bigger picture to consider. The fact is, Gus Poyet is often a difficult character to like. The âmiracleâ at the end of last season swelled his standing amongst the support and fairly so given the sheer scale of the achievement, but the memory of the head coach essentially attempting to wash his hands of the mess at his club after the 5-1 trouncing at Tottenham Hotspur last season can be a difficult one to shrug off. Similarly, some of his media comments in the summer that were apparently designed to alienate Sporting Director Lee Congerton and heap the pressure on him to deliver in the transfer market left a bit of a bad taste. I may be being a little harsh, but Poyet is a figure you only really feel is with you when things are going relatively well. The second there is a little trouble on the horizon, he seems to lurch into self-preservation mode, happy to hang out anyone to dry in the name of personal damage limitation. You could, and I certainly would, argue that is fair game. Football these days is a ruthlessly cutthroat industry. If you donât look after yourself, no one is going to do it for you. Why shouldnât you blow your own trumpet? It is, after all, the only way you control the tune. But, the point is, if Poyet is going to talk the talk â and it seems abundantly apparent that he is â then he also has to walk-the-walk. Thatâs why, particularly after his bold declaration of tactical foresight, he not only needed to beat Stoke but also be seen to be a key influence behind it. Without it, heâs a lame duck manager with a big mouth, and thatâs something we can all do without.
One of the most likeable managers in the entire league ........ passionate, loves football and respectful to almost everyone. He also seems to have the respect of almost everyone in the game. That's one of the stupidest comments I've ever seen.
If im right this lad is a massive Sunderland fan known as @Capt_Fishpaste on twitter and writes for Roker report.
I don't understand the point of the article. It's pretty ****. Gus must have turned down his autograph request.
You mean skunks have actually been taught to read and write, it beggars belief. What is happening to the world.
well, gus as a manager, put s**tty brighton into the playoffs.. lost to zaha being brilliance for once.. and kept sunderland into the prem from a s**te position, and made a good start with sunderland this season.. he's a decent manager.. i mean.. 1 loss in 7... 5 draws out of 7 is remarkable.. i personally find that brilliant for a manger of sunderland.. 1 loss out of 7.. and a positive goal difference.. just a problem scoring goals.. this must be one of sunderlands best seasons in the pl for a long time, i must admit.. i weirdly have a rivalry with sunderland we will both stay up.. hull city and sunderland defying the premiership laws! am i right? although id love the attendances sunderland get at hull
You are correct, but obviously he is willing to take the 20 pence he was offered for this ****e by the mag rag bum wipe...he is the definition of sell-out
But we did and he was. So he did walk the walk, what's his ****ing problem? Is this really the fella from Roker Report? I find him hit and miss but this is just babbling ****e. Arsehole.
Eh? What a stupid thing to say. It's like playing poker, Calling with a straight flush, winning, then saying "But what if I hadn't won" - Pointless and argumentative point - the bloke is an idiot - if he's a Sunderland fan and is, in fact, this fishpaste bloke, I'll remove him from my followed list as I can;t listen to drivel like that. I am yet to find anyone serious that doesn't like Gus as a person and respect what he has done for us.
I'm not the most jingoistic Sunderland supporter! I'm passionate but I tend not to look upon my team with rose tinted specs! But why any self respecting Sunderland supporter would want to write this pointless article??? I just cannot fathom it oot! You would really think it was desperately written by a stroppy town supporter!
I agree with you, some of it was like someone desperately trying to be controversial and totally missing the point. "Phil Bardsley remains a divisive figure amongst the support even now, and he probably always will be." He's such a divisive figure there were a series of nasty arguments and fist fights before the game in our pub
