Sunderland will struggle unless Keano recruits this week
I saw the Sunderland-Liverpool game and it pains me to say that Sunderland, for all their fighting spirit, lack quality and experience all over the pitch.
In defence, they need someone better than Nosworthy and McShane - those two are awesome fighters but they need at least one player in there who has the experience and discipline that comes with playing for a top side. Maybe a player like Sami Hyypia would do them a lot of good.
Sunderland also need a better central midfielder and I can’t shake the thought that someone like Darren Gibson (on loan) or Darren Fletcher (sold) would do great at Sunderland - they are both fighters and will fit into Sunderland’s style of play perfectly.
Up front, Chopra and Stokes make a good pairing and I think when Edwards comes back from injury and if Richardson stays fit, those two will get plenty of service from the flanks. Stokes needs more experience - he should have rounded Reina instead of shooting first time in Sunderland’s best chance of the first half - but he’s a decent player and should improve over the course of the season.
Craig Gordon has done well - he’s going to have a lot of critics after his high-profile move and I myself have been critical of him in the past couple of weeks but the reality is that he’s been exposed by his defenders and although a couple of the goals he’s conceded should have been stopped, he’s done quite well overall.
Overall - I think Sunderland will struggle this season if Roy Keane does not bring in reinforcements, especially in midfield.
The above has to be kept in context - I expect a team managed by Roy Keane to be at least out of the bottom 6, if not in the top 10. And for that, Sunderland must bring more people in (although they are already far better than a few of the teams playing alongside them).
Comments are welcome.
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I couldn’t agree more. I would like to think of myself as an optimistic Sunderland supporter, but after the Liverpool game it became apparent that we do need some experience and quality to go with our grit and determination.
I am still suprised that Anderson is not playing alongside Paul McShane or Nyron Nosworthy. I think he is the player of experience that we need at the back. I’m not sure Danny Higginbottom is Premiership quality, if he is to be signed, only time will tell.
We also could do with a left back. Ross Wallace is a great player, but we are not utilising his ability as winger playing him as a left back. In my opinion, Ian Harte would be the sort of player we need, so long as we can get him fit.
Another player who would be the answer to Sunderland’s midfield needs is Danny Murphy, or a player of his stlye. We have creative players on the wings (when fit) in Edwards, Wallace and Richardson, but nothing very substantial in the way of creativity in the middle.
I agree that Stokes is a good player, and he needs this season to develop, but we do need a big man upfront to be a target man. Chopra has the quality and finishing ability to be the next Kevin Phillips, but what made Phillips great was his partnership with now chairman Niall Quinn, and I can’t help but feel we need to mimick that partnership again. We are being strongly linked to a move for Kenwyne Jones, and I think he has done well in the Championship, but he would be yet another player who does not have that Premiership experience that we are in desperate need of. I don’t know how available Peter Crouch is, but he would be perfect for us.
Despite all my worries, I think Roy Keane is more than capable of providing what Sunderland need. In Keane I trust…
A lot of the Sunderland players are playing nervously,and as if they are still in the Coca-Cola Championship, and its costing them.
I think they’ll get better as the season progresses, but if they got some experienced players, they would have a brilliant season. I hope they do any way!