Read Sunderland caught up with well-respected writer and broadcaster Kristan Heneage (@KHeneage) to gather his thoughts on all things SAFC. Heneage is a keen follower of North-East football, in particular, Sunderland AFC, and has produced fantastic work for the likes of ITV Sport, BBC Sport, Yahoo Sport and The Guardian.
Firstly, thank you for the interview with us at Read Sunderland Kristan. What do you make of Sunderland’s start to the season?
I think there’s been cause for concern in some of the play. The games against Leicester and Norwich were the type of capitulations that we saw far too often last season. I also then look at games like Aston Villa where we saw real spirit and character emerge from a difficult situation.
We often try to project a team’s season after a handful of games and I think that’s unfair. There has been some shrewd signings and I think we’ve seen those players come to the fore early on. If you can continue to put those players in the best position to succeed you’re likely to see good things happen.
Dick Advocaat made a massive U-turn and decided to stay at Sunderland for an extra year this summer. Do you think that was the correct choice by Advocaat and from the club for appointing the Dutchman?
I think to be brutally honest, it was the only choice. He knows the club now, he knows the players. That’s a sizeable advantage on any new candidate coming in. The concern for the long-term is what happens next summer. I think it would need to be a good season for him to want to stay. You don’t retire light-heartedly and you also don’t perform a U-turn so quickly.
What Sunderland need to be doing now is preparing his successor. If you can convince him to remain at the club in some guise that’s brilliant. As for the short-term he was the best option. Avoiding relegation was impressive and it clearly meant something to him as he shed tears. When you have someone like that working for your club I think it can only be a benefit as they’re always thinking with the club’s best interests.
Sunderland were very busy this summer in the transfer market, how do you think they did?
I came away with really polarising opinions. I thought Jeremain Lens and Yann M’Vila were shrewd, important signings. I saw potential in Adam Matthews but with players like Younes Kaboul I didn’t see the point.
I think in the context of the squad, a few players didn’t seem to be the tools required. DeAndre Yedlin is a player I admire and I’m fully aware of the skills he offers, I’m also aware of the deficiencies. If he’s at right-back his game is similar to Matthews. If he’s a right-winger he’s keeping out one of the forwards.
I look at teams like Swansea and Southampton as examples of signing for the system. Andre Ayew, Jordy Clasie, they’re signed because their skill set works cohesively with what already exists and how the team wants to play. I’ve sometimes felt Sunderland are opportunistic in the market. They pick up Steven Fletcher or Jack Rodwell because they’re available not because they’re necessarily what is needed.
In Lens and M’Vila you see a slight departure from that and I hope it continues.
Is there any particular signing of Sunderland’s that you have been impressed with, and who do you think will make the biggest impact this season?
I think it’s between Lens and M’Vila. Lens gives them a dynamic edge in the final third that I think they’ve missed. Adam Johnson is a very good player, he’s also not someone I’d build my attack around. You watch Lens and he’s incredibly fast, good at finding space and he can finish. Having that buzz around the likes of Fletcher and Defoe will be invaluable in finding space for them to operate.
If it’s not him then for me it’s M’Vila with a special mention to Fabio Borini. M’Vila is such an enigma, like a lot of French midfielders in the Premier League. Samir Nasri, Hatem Ben Arfa, he’s an impressive talent that seems intent on self-destruction of his own career.
The Lyon Chairman Jean-Michele Aulas used to say you should buy problem players and help them overcome their issues. The benefit in that is you get a high quality product for under market value and in theory an added degree of lyalty. As we saw with Newcastle though there’s also a chance the player walks for free at the end of his deal after a hit and miss time.
I’d like to think M’Vila knows he’s running out of time to act on his potential.
Are there any Sunderland players who you feel may struggle this year?
I think it’s going to be a tough season for Lee Cattermole and Sebastian Larsson – albeit for very different reasons. I think In this team there are players that offer what Larsson does already but do it better. I don’t see how he dislodges M’Vila or even Cattermole in central midfield and he’s not dangerous enough to play in attack.
Meanwhile for Cattermole I think Advocaat may lose patience.He’s given away too penalties and his reactions have looked a little slower than in previous years. We’re seeing the Premier League consistently increase in speed and due to his reputation yellow cards are easy collected. I’d say next summer if they could find a buyer then take the money.
Finally, the first Tyne-Wear of the season takes place next month at the Stadium of Light, with Sunderland looking to make it 6 in a row against their near rivals, how do you see that one turning out?
My stomach churns just thinking about those games. It’s like you have a koi pond swimming inside you. I think because of the new players and manager at Newcastle it’s impossible to gauge. In previous years Sunderland have out-fought Newcastle. On paper you may say the Magpies are more technical but they’ve yet to be the better team in a derby match.
That’s something that Steve McClaren has to address and I think he’s working on it if you watch them play and who they’re signing. What I would hope for Sunderland is that if they win, it’s a supplement to great league form and not seen as a potential catalyst.
The blunt truth is that derby results have kept Sunderland up in recent years. The unpredictable nature of them means that’s a risky strategy as common sense dictates eventually there will be a draw or even a loss. I’m completely of the opinion these games can dictate the tone of a season and for Sunderland it has to be A highlight rather than THE highlight.
