Nobody will expect our revolutionary 2-2-2-2-1-1 formationMore quality centre half's needed..another 3 would be
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Luke O'Nien
- Thread starter Dodgy
- Start date
Wakoro
Winger
I just don't know why people think a 31 year old who never played in the premier league in his career would be suddenly good enough to do so.
Not only is he not consistently good enough, despite having a couple of decent games against certain lower quality teams, he's also a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off and do something mental to give a pen away or get sent off. He's made just 9 appearances and still managed to get sent off, then last week dived in unnecessarily which could have easily went wrong.
He's at fault for 5-6 goals now too.
For me he shows how certain populist politicians get elected, despite not being competent, so long as they have a charismatic personality people will be blinded & will support them no matter what they do.
Not only is he not consistently good enough, despite having a couple of decent games against certain lower quality teams, he's also a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off and do something mental to give a pen away or get sent off. He's made just 9 appearances and still managed to get sent off, then last week dived in unnecessarily which could have easily went wrong.
He's at fault for 5-6 goals now too.
For me he shows how certain populist politicians get elected, despite not being competent, so long as they have a charismatic personality people will be blinded & will support them no matter what they do.
ajthemackem
Striker
Who was at fault for the others, out of interest?
Or are you saying he's at fault for every goal scored when he's played?
offmenut
Striker
That's exactly what he's saying.
He doesnt even realise how mental it is
Jolly Rodger
Goalkeeper
Just let it go , why have you got crucify the lad !“Learn” has to be the most overused word in football talk. Every time anything goes wrong in any match for any team they claim they will learn from it.
Have to say we did not learn from being caught asleep at the beginning of the first half yesterday. Happened again in the second half.
offmenut
Striker
You can't
Alderete has to go to the lad crossing and then you think 09 should leave the middle of the goal with a villa player running in unmarked to take up a position at the back post.
What you think he should do and stay on the back post is ludicrous imo. If alderete was in the middle and hadn't been pulled to the front then maybe
09 is the only one defending the cross and he gets blamed for not being pulled to the back and keeping an eye on Rogers.
Unfortunately it was a great villa move with several players getting behind our players (sadiki for the lad who crossed - pulling alderete out of position. Mukiele letting Rogers run past him) but of course it's 09s fault for being the only centre half and in the first few mins realising the cross is going to be at the back post and not for Rogers running in
It's absurd how much our support want to blame 09 for that goal !
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Lawrenceslongthrowin
Striker
Still galling like, we probably didn’t deserve anything then could of won it but to not get a point at least is a right kick in the nuts
Thatheaderman
Striker
Clown
HearMeRoar
Goalkeeper
Non-executive Director Leo Pearlman’s post on LinkedIn suggests they aren't listening to the overraction from fans in regards to game loses like the one yesterday.
“Something happened in early February that has stayed with me, but only feels relevant to now share.
We were playing Liverpool Football Club, at the Stadium of Light. At that point, we were the only team in The Premier League yet to lose at home. A remarkable position for a newly promoted club to be in, one that, not so long ago, would have felt unimaginable.
It was a huge test, playing the reigning Premier League champions with a stretched squad. We were a goal down at half time, perhaps hadn't reached the lofty heights of previous home performances, but the game was still very much in the balance.
A fan near me stood up & began berating the players as they walked off. Lack of quality, lack of effort, questioning the team's commitment on the day.
A few rows back, another voice cut through, three times, loud & clear:
“Remember where we’ve come from. Stay humble.”
It wasn’t just any voice, it was Granit Xhaka, our captain, watching from the stands & in that moment, he said everything that needed to be said.
Yesterday, we lost away at Aston Villa & I’ve thought about that moment of disappointment a lot since the final whistle, because context matters.
Villa are an outstanding side, top four, European semi-finalists, a club operating at a level we can only dream of at this stage. Yet we went there, first season back in the top flight in over a decade & were a stoppage-time save away from winning the game. Not hanging on, not hoping to avoid defeat, but winning.
I’ve written a lot this season about how good this team is, but this feels different. This is the first time I’ve come away from a defeat thinking, this might actually be the high point.
Because what this team has, beyond the quality, beyond the results, is something far more valuable. Belief, togetherness, a sense that they’re building something that’s only just getting started & a connection with our City & fans that doesn't come along very often.
We’ll miss chances, we’ll lose games we think we should win, players we love will move on, others will come in. That’s football.
But this, what we’re watching right now at Sunderland AFC, is the best I’ve seen in my lifetime. So next time frustration creeps in & it will, I’ll go back to that voice from the stands.
“Remember where we’ve come from. Stay humble.”
Because this isn’t the end of the story, it's another step on the journey.
Remember where we’ve come from & dream big about where we're going.”
Wasn't sure which thread to put it in but this one feels apt
“Something happened in early February that has stayed with me, but only feels relevant to now share.
We were playing Liverpool Football Club, at the Stadium of Light. At that point, we were the only team in The Premier League yet to lose at home. A remarkable position for a newly promoted club to be in, one that, not so long ago, would have felt unimaginable.
It was a huge test, playing the reigning Premier League champions with a stretched squad. We were a goal down at half time, perhaps hadn't reached the lofty heights of previous home performances, but the game was still very much in the balance.
A fan near me stood up & began berating the players as they walked off. Lack of quality, lack of effort, questioning the team's commitment on the day.
A few rows back, another voice cut through, three times, loud & clear:
“Remember where we’ve come from. Stay humble.”
It wasn’t just any voice, it was Granit Xhaka, our captain, watching from the stands & in that moment, he said everything that needed to be said.
Yesterday, we lost away at Aston Villa & I’ve thought about that moment of disappointment a lot since the final whistle, because context matters.
Villa are an outstanding side, top four, European semi-finalists, a club operating at a level we can only dream of at this stage. Yet we went there, first season back in the top flight in over a decade & were a stoppage-time save away from winning the game. Not hanging on, not hoping to avoid defeat, but winning.
I’ve written a lot this season about how good this team is, but this feels different. This is the first time I’ve come away from a defeat thinking, this might actually be the high point.
Because what this team has, beyond the quality, beyond the results, is something far more valuable. Belief, togetherness, a sense that they’re building something that’s only just getting started & a connection with our City & fans that doesn't come along very often.
We’ll miss chances, we’ll lose games we think we should win, players we love will move on, others will come in. That’s football.
But this, what we’re watching right now at Sunderland AFC, is the best I’ve seen in my lifetime. So next time frustration creeps in & it will, I’ll go back to that voice from the stands.
“Remember where we’ve come from. Stay humble.”
Because this isn’t the end of the story, it's another step on the journey.
Remember where we’ve come from & dream big about where we're going.”
Wasn't sure which thread to put it in but this one feels apt
Thatheaderman
Striker
Good.
Very good Villa team , but of course a good season where praise is abound has suddenly turned shit and players are shit because we didn't get to 6th.
Ffs 6th.
Sing in the Roker
Midfield
Is that because it’s mistakes that make that happen.
Johnny Gently
Central Defender
It's his job to make those decisions and in my opinion he made the wrong one, their top scorer was free at the back post and won't have an easier goal all season.
Why sack Durban
Winger
Pearlman talks poorly on a number of issues. This is just a different kind of claptrap
---Nemo---
Striker
Until I read your coruscating demolition he had me nodding in agreement.
Why sack Durban
Winger
That’s champion mate
Well hes talking bolocks cos we were level till 61 minutes!
Southern Monkey
Central Defender
We’re all gutted how it turned out. We didn’t deserve anything and on another day if Villa score one of those 2 on 1s they had during the second half we could have lost 5 or 6-1. Getting back into it showed character but things also went out way for those 2 goals. To get that to click like that and still not get anything hurts.
People on here on the one hand think Europe would be great and help us retain players and add better quality players in the summer. Others spend more time in the past saying because that was so poor we should just be thankful where we’re at now.
Both can be true. But re Europe we have 5 games to make it happen, we missed a huge opportunity on Sunday, but we still have a chance. But it’s here and now stuff, next year could be harder, we may well finish lower in the league, this could be our best chance for a number of years.
People on here on the one hand think Europe would be great and help us retain players and add better quality players in the summer. Others spend more time in the past saying because that was so poor we should just be thankful where we’re at now.
Both can be true. But re Europe we have 5 games to make it happen, we missed a huge opportunity on Sunday, but we still have a chance. But it’s here and now stuff, next year could be harder, we may well finish lower in the league, this could be our best chance for a number of years.
SAFCDownUnder
Winger
I read all the criticism of O'Nien being at fault for virtually all the goals and I expected to see him having an absolute nightmare. But having watched the whole game on playback that is not what happened at all - just the Luke O'Nien agenda junkies spouting off again. I'm not saying he's a world beater, but he was not solely responsible for that loss either.
1st goal, Le Fee (hero on here, so not to blame) was ball-watching and let McGinn run into space for an easy un-challenged cross for Watkins. Alderete (another hero) was slow to get across to the danger and OK, O'Nien could have got closer to Watkins but it was a perfect cross, almost on the goal line, so I'm not sure how he could have stopped it anyway. And why was our shorter CB left to do the aerial work instead of the taller Alderete?
2nd goal, Rigg completely lost Maatsen's run leaving him with freedom to pick out Watkins. Again, Alderete slow to get across to block him at the near post and left a huge gap for the cross. And again, why is our taller CB not marking anybody? If O'Nien had got a touch on it, it could only have been an OG anyway.
3rd goal, stuff up between Le Fee and Reinildo gave them the ball for a quick break. Rogers was in his own half when it started with Mukiele (hero) alongside him, but as soon as McGinn got the ball Rogers sprinted all the way to the penalty area, leaving Mukiele gasping for breath miles behind. O'Nien was blocking Watkins' route to goal, but Alderete just stood and watched Rogers run onto Watkins pass.
4th goal, nobody challenged Digne as he crossed into the box. Both O'Nien and Hume (oh no, two boo boys together, what can you expect!) were around Abrahams and he did well to get a little touch on a great cross, but you could again ask why was our smaller CB marking their giant centre-forward, instead of Ballard, who was out of position?
Then there's the attacking cock-ups - why did Sadiki side foot his effort at goal instead of busting the net, and why did Diarra go for a little dink again (obviously he forgot his last disastrous little chip!) instead of placing it in the corner, just belting it, or giving it to Talbi who had an open goal?
And there's the good things that O'Nien did, like the great block on Maatsen at the end of the first half when Sadiki had gone to sleep, and he was in for another dangerous cross.
So, O'Nien was not single-handedly to blame for the loss and he played no worse than the rest of the team. And Le Bris needs to sort out the fact that our tallest CB should be the one expected to mark a tall striker!
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chriswallace85
Striker
Neeone else just think Villa's goals were good goals?
