Match Day Thread Sunderland v Blackpool - Tuesday 12th February - KO 19:45

I think I'd like him Marcus I'm in the negative old git club as well !

Wyke and Grigg up top
Morgan and Watmore out wide
Catts and Leadbitter Centre
My full backs would be Oviedo (everytime if fit) and 09 now, he deserves the shirt.

We were top loaded with midgets yesterday, Honeyman and Gooch struggle against the big lads in this league.

Anyway, I'm off to upset the lad who's just parked outside the house

 

Don't think we can play Catts and Leadbitter - no pace in CM we'll get destrpoyed. O'Nien should be CM (I'd also put Hume ahead of Oviedo if he regains the form he had before his injury. He's as good going forward (better distribution) and better defensively than Oviedo IMO)

 

Clark and Ball weren't the quickest of people in our Play Off team, I get what you mean but its how JR sets the team up, they sit back while the full backs bomb on , both plus Hume can play football.
All opinions tho, I'd need to see more of Hume, would like to see more of Oviedo but he's made of glass.

Grigg is to lightweight, first impressions to lead the line alone, be like sticking Phillips up there on his Jack, time for Charlie to step up and help out.

 

Could we go for Oviedo LB and Hume RB do you reckon? I think I remember Hume playing there in at least one game and doing really well. O'Nien should deffo start but he's probably better at CM as you say.

 

Was a completely different game when Clarke and Ball played though - they were allowed to take players down without cards like they get nowadays and that helps when you don't have the pace. If Leadbitter and Catts are in CM (as much as I am a fan of both) I think we'll get destroyed by pace. If I looked at a teamsheet with and the opposition had 2 midfielders, one 32 and the other with a poor injury record and no pace, I'd get my fastest players running at them. Yellow card a piece and they can;t stop them

 

Hume played against Stoke reserves in the checkatrade I think at right back and looked a class above. Just love the way he plays the game - he doesn't blindly put his foot through a ball - he looks for a run or a makable pass/cross and makes it.

 

Lets hope JR comes up with the right combo, 5 wins on the bounce would put us right back on track, Barnsley or Luton will hit a sticky patch, we're due a good run.

 

You can't leave Honeyman out of our midfield, small as he is his workrate is phenomenal and he linked really well with Leadbitter last night.
I understand the small size of some of our squad compared to the opposition but if we keep the ball on the deck more and move it quickly as we did second half then we cause teams problems.
Our worst player last night was McGeady by a country mile and our best were the two centre halves.
We fell into the trap of lumping it up to Grigg the first half who had no chance against two big CHs.
At least Jack changed it shortly after HT when we improved massively as a team.
Finding a fluent 11 is Jack's main problem but he has to do it quickly.

 

Did anyone else just naturally expect Grigg to be a bit bigger, given his goal scoring exploits Stu this very physical level?

We certainly need 2 up top as has been said, to maximise his abilities.

 

I think most people expected these two on from the start, certainly the ones I had spoken to before the game.

 

I expected him to be like a 'proper' centre forward, Nads (over 6') and I was surprised to see that he's about 4'12" . . . . and he seems to be cock-eyed (judging by how good he was at missing those sitters last night)

 

Hope JR is reading this, some good points made here, onwards and upwards, a few wins on the bounce will put us back in the mix, Blackpool came along a game too soon imo.

 

It did for JR but hindsight's an easy thing, and he'll be kicking himself today.

 

I don’t think he’s that tall fella!

His movement was very good though if we get the team working around him he will be golden. Obviously when you take a superb touch and do the keeper you shouldn’t miss but there’s worse happened.

I’m not sure who his perfect partner would be though, I’m utterly unconvinced by Wyke, I know he’s had a nightmare with fitness so will give it time but he doesn’t look a fit.

I wonder if we could play an effective 5-3-1-1 with Watmore/Maguire as a false 9, keep the ball on the deck to play to our lack of size strength. I may be grossly overestimating our abilities to pull that off though.

Morgan is the one for me, little happened but he looks like he wants it and wants to do something. We need a bit of that.

I don’t think Grant and Catts together is forward driven enough I’d swap one out, who goes in? **** knows. Power? **** knows.

We are so close which is why we don’t lose.

 

I think Wykes record at this level speaks for itself, he's been isolated by our tactics when he has played. I'd stick with him , play a system to suit these two.

Wyke + Grigg = Goals

 

Yeah you’d hope so, if he can find his feet you’d think he’d be a great foil for Grigg, as I said I certainly won’t write him off as he’s had a nightmare with fitness.

Morgan should make an impact, I’m just tossing ideas about thinking ‘how do we close out games’

Maybe a 5-3-2 with wingers effectively as wing backs, O’Nien in with Grant and one more as an attacking CM, maybe Honeyman?

We e certainly got players and options but we can’t quite find the formula. We are frustratingly close.

We are in a position centrally that we have been since Hutch left, we simply don’t have a goal or final ball threat from CM, and my god that’s a difficult thing to find at this level ain’t it?

I remain utterly convinced we will go up mine, I’m just starting to think a trip to Wembley will be involved.

 

Perhaps O'Nein now he has found his feet.

Have we all written McGeough off ? I wouldn't just yet.

 

Personally think he may be a slow burner for next season, when there’s a bit more time on ball and ability comes through.

Not sure I’d be using him a lot this year to be honest.

 

We beat a lot of clubs to his signature, I'd agree theres ability, he may be another wildling who can't settle this side of the wall, there's been plenty.

 

Aye, he’s certainly been a disappointment, seemed like a perfect signing based on the reports, we keep going back to physicality and he’s just far too small, but could just about come good up a level.

I think midfield in real terms has been the key shortfall, we have, and have all season, had goal scorers, but often you’ve been game and we’ve not really looked like scoring whereas stats have shown 12 shots or whatever, we’ve known they haven’t been clear cut.

I’ve really high hopes for Morgan, and I’ve no doubt at all Grigg will score just as openly as Maja.

We’ve lost the ‘games in hand get us into top 2’ factor now so it’s sleeves up and make it happen time.