Our form over the last three matches has been so poor that currently we are the worse performing team in the EPL and the horrible thought is emerging that its simply because we have the worst players. I know they are technically superior but some seem to be lack fight and be error/injury prone. So we have to face possibility that we will lose the last 6. I know that would mean an almost unbroken losing sequence of McCarthy/Wilko proportions and a position collapse (6 points clear of 7th team in February down to actual or near relegation 3 months later) of McLroy proportions. But its possible. Could we stay up with zero more points? Well our goal difference would be minimum 6 goals worse bringing us close to the bottom teams' GD. And we would have conceded 3 points each to 5 of them. They would only need 2-4 more points from their remaining games. So on balance the answer is possibly yes but unlikely. What must happen to avoid this? One win maybe 1-2 draws even will be enough I think because most of the bottom 6 lost at the weekend. How could we get this? As follows: 1. Luck and more luck with woodwork, penalties, ref decisions etc 2. And I am serious in this. The opposition believing they are now so superior to us that they become complacent (West Ham, Fulham, Birmingham will think this) 3. Bruce to get his selections right. (I would go for experienced scrappers. For instance I would bring Gordon back. He has paid his price for his crime - and what a crime - if we d hung on to beat Stoke I think our season would have been very different) 4. Show some fight! When we take the lead these days it is merely a short term distraction for the opposition on their way to their inevitable victory (losing to Wolves, Stoke and WBA when leading deep into the match is unforgivable) When the opposition take the lead against us, that is it, no chance of a fight back it seems. So where did it all go wrong? The post "should Bent have gone?" was fascinating with excellent replies. I think its all about strikers. We started the pre season with Bent and Jones and a few months later they were gone. Keane and Bruce s finest signings were Jones and Bent - gambles that really paid off. Two of the EPL s finest strikers in my view. And yet we forced Jones out and let Bent go half or season or more before we had to to ensure his contract didn't expire. Bent was a talisman, even when not scoring. Even when not playing! He attracted players to the club and made us look like a superior club. We should simply have refused his transfer request. With these two gone, the opposition can afford to commit more players forward and hence put pressure on our defence and midfield. Middlesboro's decline started with the sale of the then excellent Viduka and Yakubu and replacement by an untried ã12m player from Europe. I hope we dont go the same way! Relegation is very close now and even if we scrape though I worry for the future. That week when we sold Bent and failed to capitalise on the attractiveness our 6th place gave us looks ever more worrying.
I believe that were we to lose all remaining games, we would be relegated. I predicat that 3rd bottom (18th position) will finish the season with about 38-40 points. At the minute, it's hard to see where we can get even a single point. I hope that by pure chance we'll get a win or couple of draws. We're by far the worst team in the league currently. The standard of our football is....well it's the stuff of nightmares. I think we'll stay up - we're bound to win at least 1 of our remaining games. Aren't we? *looks for reassurance.
It's a tricky one, it depends on whether the teams below us are **** enough. But I think we should be guaranteed at least a couple of draws from the last 6, even with the way we're currently playing.
Would have said yes but the fact that we play 5 of the bottom 7 makes it tricky. 1 win will do us. We will not fail or be relegated
Im ****in brickin it like! Think its a hinderence that were playing teams below us in the next few games! We simply have no backbone at all! If we do **** this up and somehow get relegated i could throw the towel in on SAFC! ****in had enough right now, get rid of that fat geordie ****er and get a real manager in with passion, drive and even just a simple understanding of tactics and motivation!
We only need number 4 to happen and we'll be fine! A bit of effort, a bit of desire and we'll stop up no bother. But this is Sunderland.
Effort and desire are needed to stop up!Ricky S got the lads to put a shift in and to keep us up,knowing his job was finished.Can Bruce do that??I have my doubts,as he is clueless at the moment.
To answer the original question possibly! Personally I think we need two wins minimum. If we only got two wins, frankly it would still be another disappointing season.
I've said all season that top 10 would make me happy. I don't think that's out of our reach yet, but we have to get positive results i our last few games.
No chance if going diwn. All on Bruces caee niw yet 3 month ago u wee a progressive well run club. Bruce lost the thing that made Sunlun a decent side. Not his fault. As a result Sunlun struggle for goaks without Bent. He is a **** and thats why your season fell apart. Yes or No? ?
I don't think we'll go down simply because Blackpool seem to be in free-fall. I can't see Wigan getting out now, and Wolves haven't done as well as I thought they would recently. But I think it will be a close call. It's not just that we're on a losing streak. It's the way we're losing. It's totally gutless! That's the real worrying thing. I think we could go down, and probably deserve to go down on recent performances. But I think Blackpool will keep us up.
Even if, clueless as I am, I took over at the helm tomorrow, we'd still muster a point from somewhere surely. So I believe Bruce, clueless as he is, will do the same.
