It is time for Poyet to give his tactics a wake up call on Monday, if he goes to Crystal Palace and tries to sit off and pass the ball about, we will get mullered. Palace will come out 100% positive and chase us down and attack the heart of our defence. We need to play 4-4-2 with 2 proper wingers i.e Johnson and Mavrios with Whickham and Fletcher in the middle and press them 100% in midfield. It will not be a night for fancy football ideals but hard graft and attacking football. If Poyet doesn't wise up to this we have no chance...I won't hold my breath though.
When, in the last few seasons, has Graft and Grit got us anywhere, other than season after season of relegation battles ? Unless you mean our best finish under our managerial wonder boy Steve Bruce? I am not saying that Poyet has got it right so far, but at least he has a plan, unlike any other manager we've had since the Roy Keane days. And I'll tell you what, I'd gladly accept another season of struggle if it means, in the long run, that our club can move forward with a true football identity.
The key isn't just grit and graft...it is the slice of positivity and actively trying to score that we need. The point about plans and tactics in the PL especially is they need to be flexible...when we are at our worst is when Poyet refuses to be flexible. You can't go to Crystal Palace and give them time and room with our current players they will lose. I would love to see us move forward and play great football, but in the meantime the manager needs to be smart and adapt the style we play according to the game...he doesn't do it enough for me. When we went on our good run last season and in the two derbies we were agrresive, didn't sit back and tried to score goals...anyway I am sure we will both be praying for 3 points!
Think you might have a point there mate! Imo where not having a bad a season as everyone seems to think, we've been hit by a few bad injurys to an already thin squad but before that we were playing REALY well and you could see it was just a matter of time before we turned the draws into wins. Then one shocking game and two mistakes in the the arsenal game in which we were solid and looked like getting a point at least and suddenly where the worst team in the league? We will be fine imo
Agree, if we go down, go down trying, no disrespect to Palace but they are a team we should be going all out against
442 is ****e, we need to attack more, starving our midfield of numbers in this day and age is not the way to do it imo.
Poyet will not change his system. But head coach Poyet plans to keep faith with his formation – believing it is the 8-0 defeat at Southampton a fortnight ago which has overshadowed Sunderland’s previous success with the system. “I think it’s early to go too clever. I don’t think it’s time to change the shape or do something silly,” said Poyet. “It’s all because of one game. “If we didn’t play Southampton and we had lost against Arsenal after the win against Stoke, then everyone would just be saying ‘OK, mistakes happen’. http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport...-keep-faith-in-sunderland-formation-1-6928344
As much as I am totally behind the manager as are the majority tbf, defeat on Monday and at home against Everton next weekend will pile on the pressure from both media and fans. It's inevitable. Gus needs a break and more to the point for his hapless players to show some balls for a change and help the manager out but if we are still stuck in the bottom 3 at the start of December, questions have to be asked as to whether we have actually improved under Poyet. I'm afraid for Gus right now if I'm really honest.
I don't see why we can't use wingers properly. Makes you hark back wistfully to the days of Summerbee and Johnson. We have wingers, but seem mired in a defensive 4-4-2 ATM. Yes, it's hard to break down, cock-ups aside, but where are the goals coming from? I'd have Mavrias in for a look-see on Monday meself.
