Great article from Roker Report. .. https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/20...ohnsons-sunderland-need-a-cultural-revolution Will they rise to the challenge of performing as a we expect a Sunderland side to do? The squad remain an unbalanced rag tag of a group of players who have been thrown together with seemingly little thought or planning as to how they will be utilised. The work rate is not under serious question, but the mistakes, the silly mistakes which have proved so costly season continue – the lack of mental strength to see games out – to capitalise when we are on top - to take care over the final pass or finish are all too regular an occurrence. The sum of the parts is less than the whole. It is the managers job to fix that, but how many have failed? The weaknesses, for example the lack of power and pace are well documented, we all know that. But that is just part of the story. I believe that the bigger part is that for whatever reason this group of players just aren’t, as a collective performing to their capability. They aren’t doing everything that they can to get this club out of this division. It may be that with so many players out of contract in the summer that too many no longer care.
Most of the squad have been with us since we dropped into this league, most have proved they aren’t good enough for this league, most have now seen off 2 mangers, most will never be good enough to get us out of this league. I’ve gave them plenty of opportunities to prove me wrong but they can’t. It’s a bang average league 1 squad that deserves to be where it is in the league table. In the summer we will have an opportunity to let the majority go and start again under a completely new regime from top to bottom. I’ve give up on this season because I can’t see us signing the 5 or 6 quality players we need.
Our current squad will in the main be kicked out of the club in the summer. Hopefully the ones with longer contracts will have theirs paid up and told to f*ck off out of the club. Hopefully we start from scratch again but with a difference. THIS TIME WE GET IT RIGHT.
This squad is easily good enough to win the league tbh. There's something about them that's just wrong though. How can Grigg be so absolutely dreadful here, missing sitters. How can Maguire only motivate himself every 5th game. Di Canio, whatever you think of him, was absolutely appalled at the attitude of the players ... ... he asked them to train, behave and play like professional athletes and match the passion of the supporters. According to the players that made him insane. In my opinion it's time the lunatics stop running the asylum..
Yeah mate we need the right mix Maybe we need square pegs in round holes if it means playing our more skilful players each week I mean the quality in this division is very poor
Di Canio had a completely different squad of players though. Barring maybe one or two the players dont lack effort or motivation (most of the time), they're just bang average league one players. We need a bit better quality.
Burge, Flanagan, Onein, Power, Leadbitter, McGeady, Wyke, Willis, McGuire, Grigg then the young lads on top have been here for the vast majority of our league 1 stay. Out of that lot come the end of the season I would only keep the kids.
He said since we came down, Burge, Willis, Grigg and Leadbitter weren't here when we started our first game in league one. I'd argue Embleton, Hume and Diamond were nowhere near the first team either but even if you do include them that's only 9 out of 25 here at the end of August 2018
The individual players are pretty much good enough to play in a promotion side with a few exceptions. For whatever reason Grigg and Graham don’t look good enough and I’d say Burge is barely adequate for promotion chasing side. McFadzean isn’t good enough either but most are. What are not is a proper team. You could parachute most into Hulls side and they’d be as good or better individually but as a side they don’t compliment each other regardless of combinations. There simply isn’t an out and out leader, no really physical athletic players in midfield or up front and not enough pace. I don’t think they particularly lack effort but they are missing something psychologically and look to be playing within themselves. As for Dicanio then he was a strategically clueless, egotistical disaster of a man manager every bit as poor as Moyes in my opinion. He might have identified some issues but was never in a million years equipped to deal with them.
We have not got a decent keeper or goalscorer, the 2 most important positions in a team, looks like a mid table finish for us I am afraid
Great post this. I have said on several occasions to friends etc, just because they want to play for the club, it doesn't mean they're good enough. Time and time again opportunity after opportunities have been blown when there's a chance to close a gap near the top or to simply move up the leauge.
Whichever way you look at it that 9 are and have been regular 1st team or on the bench. Willis, Grigg & Leadbitter have all contributed massively to our 3 year and counting stint in this league. I like Leadbitter & Willis but Grant is getting on & Willis is always injured, we need to wipe the slate and start again. I would be over the moon for them to prove me wrong and win promotion mate but like I said earlier they have tried and failed a few times now. Diamond, Embelton & Neil are the future let’s build around them.
We're into the last week of January now, it's time to face facts, this squad aren't going to take us up to the championship this season I'm afraid. I doubt if there's any breathtaking signing about to happen, so we're stuck with this bunch of unskilled and unmotivated journeymen until June. Even if we scrape into the playoffs I doubt we have the balls to win them, we need to start planning for next season now. I was cautiously optimistic that KLD would have taken over early January and set about trying to salvage something from this disgrace of a season, but times against that now, and that Plymouth result, and the performance of our players was a kick in the guts. I really hope the takeover happens soon, and we get some strong business management behind the scenes, with the power to change the club top to bottom, with all summer to begin the rebuild. Until then, I'll just be happy with a few good performances to hopefully alert other clubs to take these Muppets off our hands.
I think you've spelled 'opinions' wrong there mate. Any team that can go to Lincoln and win 4-0 has to have the potential to beat other teams. We have another week of the transfer window left, which is usually the busiest. We have O'Brien starting to look like a striker and important players like O'Nien coming back. Johnson is gradually ramping up the pressure and imposing his methods. I've no idea if they'll definitely work but I don't know, for a fact, that they won't.
We have been hovering around the 8th row in the table for over a year now. Our distinct advantage, I believe, is that our roster contains two full sides capable of finishing 8th. Hoping for a late season surge.
Y I'd love you to be right Marra, but any team that can go to Lincoln and win 4-0 shouldn't be rolling over like limp wristed fannies against Plymouth at home, so we just need the real Sunderland to turn up every week, but at the moment it's not happening, let's see which team turns up today, fingers crossed but I won't hold my breath.
