This season is starting to look fairly worrying. Playing the way we are I’d guess we’d pick up enough points not to get caught up in the relegation zone but we look way short of getting anywhere near the play-offs. Particularly worrying is that we seem poor compared to last season’s displays and that last season’s roll up our sleeves and get stuck into a difficult task has been replaced by a disjointed team that is getting annoyed at itself, reminiscent of the problems that befell us as we imploded out of the premiership.
I didn’t know how much of this game I’d see. It was 50/50 whether I’d make it in time for the kick-off. As it happened I was able to climb off the back of the motorcycle that had whizzed me down the M4 and to the away stand at about twenty past eight. My heart immediately sunk as I saw a long queue of Sunderland supporters. Fortunately for me (but very unfortunately for them) that was the cash turnstile – Reading clearly hadn’t budgeted on many turning up on the night. The ticket turnstiles were clear and so I was straight in. My heart sunk again – we were 1-0 down from almost the first minute. As McCarthy’s game plan had been “keep it tight” this was not encouraging.
I hate watching Sunderland unaided by the pre-match pint (not helped by the group I was with all having had said assistance). That may account for my mood in the 25 minutes of the first half that I saw. It was awful. While I’d managed to get to the right ground I thought I must have got to the wrong time period. It was like watching the dieing days of the Reid era. Ball comes slowly across our back four, builds up to about 25 yards out, can’t get any further forward, comes to a deep Darren Williams who hoofs it up and either immediately or in very short order the opposition has a goal-kick.
The second half we were attacking the end we were behind. Things started a little livelier than they had seemed in the first half but frankly still weren’t getting very far. After about an hour or so Mick changed it round. The back four stayed the same but Lawrence came in for Oster, Thornton came on for Whitely and Elliot came on for Stewart. This team was undoubtedly livelier but had no greater end product. We had a lot of possession and pressed a lot but this just gave them a chance to break and Poom had to make a string of outstanding saves. Poom is perhaps weaker than Myrhe in some areas but as a shot stopper he is quite some way ahead. It at least kept us in the game but my paper this morning says we had only two attempts on target (and I can only remember one). With that sort of statistic we are really, really going to struggle.
What’s to be done? The defence is appearing leaky but doesn’t look that bad. I assume Caldwell was injured (I’ve been out of circulation these past few days so don’t really know what’s going on – international duty?) which is why Collins was playing. He seemed alright but the opposition getting quick breaks through the middle is becoming a depressingly familiar sight this season. We need that sorted – of course it would help if we weren’t so frequently having to commit midfielders forward as we chase games. McCartney I thought had a good game – overlapping well and doing his best to support the attack. Arca I thought was dreadful – frequently doing no more than running around in circles in random parts of midfield. Personally I would have taken him off and left Oster on but I’m sure the boo boys would do their best to prevent that ever happening. Mind you both Arca and Oster were shocking at taking corners – I can’t actually remember one reaching one of our players until Thornton came on. Whitley is such a very limited player – just the sort of guy you need if you’ve scored a goal in the first minute but of almost no use if you’ve conceded and need to take the game to the opposition. Thornton I am very prejudiced towards. While I don’t think this was one of his better outings, at least he gives us something, at least he makes you want to watch the match rather than go and stick your head in a bucket of sick. We just need him to be able to play 90 minutes and, like Mick, I’m not sure he can do that. I hope I’m eating humble pie about Liam Lawrence by the end of the season but at present I see nowt in him at all. All floppy hair and running into people. Up front, Kyle worked as he does but just didn’t connect with enough balls and seemed not to link up with either Stewart or Elliot. Stewart either scores or he is nowt. He didn’t score. He was very angry at himself when he was taken off – he has the frustration of a player with a lot of talent, who is not that old yet but who just can’t get that talent working again. Elliot I liked – he runs at defenders and worries them and has decent ball control. I think we’ve got a good ‘un there. Whitehead also I’m beginning to warm to having not been impressed for most of his debut at Plymouth. Properly coached by a fellow central midfielder I think he could come good.
We still could have a good season. We need to start games with some of our livelier players and get goals in the first half hour. As we were walking away from the ground we discussed how it might all start to look a bit brighter if Healy and Piper come back and hit form reasonably early on. However, a perhaps more realistic hope is to get some fresh blood (maybe from a premiership loan) that will spark some of our decent players in to taking games all the way to the opposition goal.
Nil desperandum as they say in my town of birth. Well maybe not despairing but definitely worrying.