Canny day out yesterday, bit short as had to drive straight home. But good to have a bit of a sing song, although maybe we were all a bit flatter after their 2 goals. Worst performance of the season imo. Everything just seemed flat. Effort levels, tackling was off, zero attacking threat and some really weird personal performances. I thought Mepham looked really unsure which isnt him. Everyone knows what I think of Neil, but yesterday he wasnt anywhere near his own level. Folk say he has been rubbish for a while, I dont agree, he has still done lots of our donkey work. Yesterday was rubbish though. He wasnt the only one mind. Jobe wasnt at it and nor was Hume. Lads you can normally rely on. Isidor is a massive worry for me, he brings very little to the side at the minute. Service is garbage but he needs to graft harder, like Mayenda does. Le Fee isnt a left winger, no idea why he dropped Watson tbh. Oxford were great I thought. Spot on game attitude throughout. Roughed us up early, not illegally, but certainly tested out commitment. Then played front foot footy and at 2-0 just had a good shape. Credit to them, glad to sed them survive to be honest. One thing I am puzzled about is Regis setup second half of the season. We have become quite a tepid side to watch. I was so excited with the first half and consistently said we would be better second half of the season. We have been a lot worse though. We seem to have lost our way in an attacking sense. Everything a lot slower and too patient. The search for the number 10 worries me. We played two wide men and two 8s for the first half of the season. We were a bodies in the box sort of side, with running power. Now we have almost gone the other way. All the above said I still feel confident. Nobody else is in great form. I still believe in the players like Jobe, Hume, Mepham, Neil, Mayenda, Rigg to turn up and play in big games. We need a team effort though, all 15 or so right at it. Get that and we can do it. A performance against QPR would help and I cant think of many better sides to play at the moment.
Agree.... our two problems as I see it, we concede too easy and we don't score goals...we play play nice tippy tappy football in brief periods...but sadly our weaknesses are now being cruelly exposed
To this point I believe it's been really rank management. I am of the belief that winning mentality is important. Not apathy.
Surely there's only so many times you can repeat that ... ... what you believe may not be the case, same as anyone else.
Definitely. QPR are the perfect team to play. Manager is leaving in the summer. Beach and a chance to get some vibes going. We dominate and last few weeks are forgotten. We need some confidence and believe back.
Yeah, same as others saying the games are not important. I am posting as I wish, same as others. Same as you. Cheers.
I don't think anyone has been "fine" with it, it's more that people have the memory of 2 years ago and believe that injuries cost us promotion and felt the manager had earned our trust so were willing to accept his view. I think it's fair to bear in mind that it wasn't just injuries to our defence which cost us against Luton. Remember how angry many of our fans were when Stewart got ruled out for the season against Fulham. Most weren't talking about building a winning culture at that point, they were arguing that we shouldn't be risking our best players in meaningless games. I don't think we've got the balance right and I think RLB has put a lot of pressure on himself (there's maybe influence from others in the club on this decision too). I think we should have been taking a couple of players out and resting them whilst trying to stay competitive and then rotating that. But I do think it's important to realise that this decision has been influenced by experience.
I think most were saying once we had no chance of top two, that the results were of secondary importance and that avoiding more injuries were the main concern, , surely this was the issue with a relatively weak squad in key areas and a few key first choice players unavailable.
Purely bored and having a think, given we’re getting nothing out wide at the moment would it be worth trying a new system in a nothing game like Saturday (I know we all want to win it) something like this? Patterson Mepham Ballard Onien Hume Neil Jobe Cirkin Le Fee Mayenda Isidor
RLB won't change system. It will be the same as yday but with Cirkin/Mayenda in. The approach and mindset is everything. Saturday is vital for me.
I’d feel a hell of a lot better if we play a good tempo and win to nil like, I know it’s a lottery and no one in the play offs is flying, there’s an argument for Bristol city but I’m getting jittery
2 parts. It would be incredibly naive to not be mildly concerned at least. I’m a ‘don’t fret in it fix it’ person by nature. Personal life, work life, and SAFC life, but I can’t deny I’m a little anxious about it. I also though, and many seem to have just erased it, remember the first chunk of season when RLB was praised for the setup and intensity we showed. Are we sandbagging now? We won’t know until the first leg down in Bristol (it will be Bristol, Sheffield United to go up, we have been better than both over 4 games this season…). Part 2. The atmosphere at the home games dipped around October after being almost back to great, and never recovered. When we have bigger crowds, there’s more whinging without doubt, but also more families who are often calm. It is a shame as I guarantee for the playoff game it will be an absolute cauldron as it always is for the big games. Is it expectation? Why have so many realigned expectation to ‘we are a PL club’ before we’ve got there. I guarantee everyone that goes games knows many have done this. It’s garbage to say ‘most clubs are like this now’ they absolutely are not. Your top clubs are watered down. No doubt by tourists and visitors. I will list you Leeds, Wednesday, Coventry, Luton, Boro, QPR, Oxford, Pompey and Derby straight off the top of my head in our league with vibrant home atmospheres. Premier League? Let’s look at clubs we’d like to class ourselves a similar size to, or bigger. Leicester have a great atmosphere, they’ve had an awful season. Still loud. West Ham, Everton, Forest, Villa, Wolves and Palace have great noise and atmospheres. Like it or lump it that lot up the road too. We have this axis of fans spending all week on socials slating the club as ****e and dragging down the opinions and excitement of others, then calling out the atmosphere it creates and turning it back to the club for more negativity. I don’t give 2 ****s if anyone disagrees with my opinion. We reap what we sow, You cannot create an atmosphere then drop your fanny because of what it is. Teams play better and are lifted by fans. Up to Christmas every other week one of our players was mentioning the support in interviews. It’s stopped dead. We are 2 parts, the club and its ‘support’, we feed and thrive on each other. If we are to complain about the team tossing it in, we’ll surely we can’t have the double standard that we have also. This won’t matter for the playoff games it will be bouncing. But if you have the audacity to say ‘Sunderland till I die’ then slate the club and drag it down, then that’s part of the issue. We have had the most torrid few years, we are rising. We have, and I include the ones that are negative as negativity comes from caring and passion, some of the loyalist and most deeply routed love for our club of anyone. We live it. Let’s **** all of this, let’s all 45k or so of us in our home leg ****ing blow the lads up the park. We can worry about the long term after. SUPPORT. Triumph in adversity happens. It happens when everyone pulls together and battles for the same cause.
It’s pretty obvious what’s been going on with the side. They’ve chosen to rest players and give minutes to reserves while the do so. I hoped better yesterday and accept its ****e for those who travelled. I was have some dinner and a walk on the beach with my daughter enjoying the good weather. There’s a reason they’ve done what they’ve done and it’s pretty obvious. No ones happy with the results just some can regulate their emotions and see what’s behind it. You have better ideas. They should put you in charge, you have all the answers to everything.
Professional exercise scientists have a theory that reducing the intensity of overworked players is key to preventing injury and maintaining peak form for major events. I agree that gambles were made with injured players in the last two windows. Samed, Poveda as signings and controversially maybe I think keeping Cirkin and Ballard was a defensive risk too far.
Fecking hell, i wish i could put a bad shift in at work to then be taken away on a jolly....... Sunderland have flown to Portugal for a training camp ahead of the final game of the season and their play-off campaign. Head coach Régis Le Bris said the camp was an important step in the club's play-off preparations and that it would be a demanding week for both players and staff. The Black Cats lost their fourth Championship game in a row on Saturday, with Oxford United running out 2-0 winners at the Kassam Stadium despite Le Bris naming what will be very close to his starting XI for the semi finals next month. Le Bris and his players will return for Saturday's final day of the campaign against QPR as they look to build some positive momentum heading into the play-offs. "It's not connected at all with today's game," Le Bris said. "We are in a situation where it will almost be like a pre-season camp. We will live together, spend time together - it's very important. It's not a reward, it's preparation - this is really clear. We'll train properly, we'll have meetings to prepare the next games. "We will have a vacation [later in the summer], this is not that. It is preparation."
