Summer of Hope scuppered by another Sunderland Drama!
So here we are again. Another summer of optimism. Another transfer window where fans trawl through every rumour mill on social media, hoping and anticipating that a player will come along and make us all feel a little tingle in the nether regions because Sunderland have actually attracted, or rather persuaded, an international star to come to the North East over the Capital. A time when every Mackem wipes the slate clean and believes that this could be the season we get it right. This could be the season we replicate or even go beyond the dizzy heights of those seventh placed finishes Reidy & co took us what seems like a lifetime ago. And finally put the Stadium of Light (and NOT the one in Lisbon) on the map as a recognised “European stage” football stadium.
Unfortunately these thoughts are becoming reminiscent of Groundhog Day for many a Sunderland fan. As for every pre-season, for most of this century, we dream and then sadly see those dreams crushed relatively early on in most of the seasons since the “Peter Reid” era.
I am, however, one of the many pessimistic fans that still believe our club will one day shake off the stigma of being a “bottom half/relegation dog fight” team and look at becoming an established European club sometime before I’m too old to worry about football over whether or not I’m going to wake up from my next naptime!
So, how do we do it I hear you say? What can we do differently this summer to make such a pipe dream become reality?
Well if I knew that then I wouldn’t be sat in an office typing this story…. But I can give you my opinion on what MUST be done to steer us away from being a basement Premier League club and potentially board that crested wave of success Leicester rode to become the most unlikely success story since Vinnie Jones managed to carve out a Hollywood career for himself.
First things first…… PRAY WE DON’T LOSE SAM ALLARDYCE!!!
It’s extremely unclear where his future may lie but at the minute it doesn’t look great. With S.A leaving the Austrian training camp this week, returning to England and now meeting at the home of FA Vice-Chairman David Gill. The club stating he was only leaving for to tie up transfer dealings and tying it all in with the fact he has not yet come out and publicly pledged his commitment to SAFC is worrying to say the least. The England job is known as the pinnacle for most English managers and if the call came I don’t know many who would turn it down, especially a candidate who has voiced his desire for the role in the past.
But one thing is for sure, what Sunderland need in order to progress onto the path of is Stability and loosing S.A will scupper that opportunity. If Big Sam is to be lured away by the poison chalice, as it seems quite often to be, then based on the past 5 years Ellis Short, along with new Chief Executive Martin Bain, will more than likely look to appoint a manager whose qualities lean more toward keeping us in the league rather than moving us up it.
The big worry I have if the worst case scenario plays out is that along with a new manager comes a new vision and players can take time to buy into that vision, as well as a new playing style, etc. In fact they may not buy into it at all which then brings disharmony to the table, something which has happened on more than one occasion and can develop into a rife disease that spreads fast once it starts.
It is very rare these days that a manager can take over a team and instantly win over both the players and the fans but with Big Sam we have found that. Sunderland fans had a taste of what Allardyce can do with a small budget and a short space of time back in January. So what excites us as fans is what will the outcome be when he actually has the time to scout and money to spend?
Such success with every new addition in a transfer window is something that we have never experienced as SAFC fans but with Big Sam, the future looks so much brighter than it has done in some time. So to have that taken away from us would be almost as cruel as unveiling a 4ft Honduran striker that you bought by mistake to a crowd at half time and making him out to be the next big superstar….. Possibly even worse than that.
Going Forward
If the England call doesn’t fall on Allardyce’s doorstep (which we all continue to pray daily that it doesn’t) then I’m sure Big Sam will have a plan for the next stage of his Sunderland project. And based on last season’s performances what we do know is that investing in creativity and end product must be at the forefront of his mind.
I speak to so many Sunderland fans that, like myself, are just crying out for a playmaker to come in and boss the centre of the pitch. A player who can spray the ball about and has the ability to dictate play and the pace of the game when we have possession. We have flirted with the idea when bringing in the likes of Ki or M’Villa but neither have provided that impact, consistency and creativity that makes the big money playmakers, the likes of Xabi Alonso or Toni Kroos, stand out over an entire season and command the transfer fees and wages they do. I understand that we can’t afford or attract that calibre of player in the position we are in but it’s up to Big Sam to find a cheaper solution and based on previous dealings I believe he can find that diamond in the rough rather than a polished brick we’ve been accustomed to at times.
A front man is also a must and something Big Sam has already highlighted. We cannot rely on Defoe bagging us the goals to not just keep us in the league but to move us up it. So the question is does he go for what he and Sunderland are accustomed to, which is a big man up top to link up with Defoe, feed off him and attack from the flanks OR does he continue with the more modern way of play and go for pace and play through the middle.
I believe that the best way to play is to stick with the 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 and revert to 4-4-2 with a big man upfront as a plan B. If we can find someone who can link up well with Defoe and provide a real goal threat but at the same time has the engine to revert back to a 4-5-1 formation when under the cosh then that’s what I would look for and have a big, strong striker waiting in the wings when we need to go for broke in the final 10 minutes.
I am aware we may already have that player to support Defoe in Duncan Watmore but he is still learning and having a little bit more experience and composure in that position gives more time for him to develop into a really top player. An experienced addition also takes a little pressure off Watmore as expectation to perform is lowered knowing someone is there as back up and he is not solely relied on to produce the goods. If we can get him, Sakho from West Ham, can fit that bill and will prove to be a better option that N’Doye was last season.
Another option, on a free transfer, is Hal Robson-Kanu. Before the Euro’s I would have been lynched and maimed for mentioning him but during the summer he proved he can score goals against world class opposition with one of the finishes of the Tournament and he showed that his work rate was second to none. Something that, for free, I would be prepared to take a chance on.
On a side note Jeremain Lens, the forgotten man, could also play a big part this season if he can re-discover the form that drew SAFC’s attention in the first place. He proved he can still bring something to the party with a decent run out against Watford at the end of the season and may yet prove a few people wrong as long as his attitude is right going into the new season and if we don’t move him on of course.
Sticking with the 2 K’s
Now we also know defence has always been a hot topic every summer but for once I feel that in Kone & Kaboul we have a partnership that has started to show real signs of class. The defensive duo only shipped 9 goals in the final 10 games they played together and also chipped in with a few goals during our latest great escape. Which is another thing that under Allardyce’s predecessors, we lacked when attacking set pieces. So defensively with maybe the addition of a young centre half, someone like Tyler Blackett who has been deemed surplus at Man Utd to learn the ropes from the two K’s and O’Shea, I would say we are pretty comfortable in a position we are usually looking to shuffle around every pre-season.
Then we come to the only other uncertainty in the squad. Right-back was usually a position where if a player was reliable and could establish himself quite quickly then they could be one of the first names on the team sheet for many a season due to the unwanted nature of the position as so famously put by Jamie Carragher when describing it to Gary Neville on Monday Night football. However with the new style of play, the modern day full-back has now become a sort after position and very interchangeable, which may be the reason why no one at Sunderland has managed to hold onto it for an extended period of time.
Yedlin began to show signs that maybe he could be the player to step into that role and make it his own. His pace and drive to get forward gave all the indications of a great modern day full back and although not great defensively he did begin to improve toward the latter stages of the season. He did however have a great knack of getting into some fantastic attacking positions only for his final ball to prove about as useful as a chocolate fireguard and therefore many great goal scoring opportunities were lost.
That being said, Big Sam may still have gone back and shown interest for a possible second loan spell or made an offer deemed too low but chances are Spurs quoted a lot more than what Davide Santon was available for and we chose the latter option to allow for more spends in the positions previously mentioned but we all know how that has since panned out so don’t rule out seeing Yedlin in the Red & White next season just yet.
So just when we all should be getting excited about what’s next for our club and we can finally start to believe that luck may have fallen at our feet, England have come along and clouded these feelings with doubt and uncertainty. What happens within the next 24, 48, 72 hours is still unknown but what we do know is that whichever way this pans out it has provided an unwanted distraction from a recruitment drive and strong pre-season preparation desperately needed to build something that the fans of this club so rightly deserve.