Assessment of today.
I thought our first half performance was several notches up from what we've seen lately, even in the draws we've got. We looked positive, the attacking players were linking up really well and it's the kind of performance that could yet get us out of trouble. It gave me (and still gives me) cause for hope this season. Unfortunately, old habits crept back in in the second half and we were hanging on for a good 25 minutes, during which Sunderland could and should have scored a few.
When defending, we have a tendency to allow the player in possession to run way too far without making a challenge. It happened several times today and the worry for me is we aren't learning. We did the same thing when McAtee got the ball for Sheff Utd, and you'd think that knowing he ran nearly the full length of the pitch and scored, that we'd actually do something about it today. But no. We were very lucky that one of those runs didn't result in a goal. Put a foot in, foul them (like they constantly do to us without getting booked), just don't let them run so far.
I also think part of our problem with red cards is that our midfield provides very little protection for the defence. Carey and Patino are good players but positionally they're all over the place. Sunderland's dominance in the second half diminished significantly when Dougall came on because he's experienced and knows where to be. We must sign an experienced holding midfielder this month, it's essential.
Poveda is a very good player. I've no idea why he hasn't been playing, but if we're to stand any chance of staying up, he is a player that needs to be on the pitch. Excellent performance from him, I hope he can keep that up. You can tell why he's been involved in the England youth setup.
Overall despite the lack of wins, I'm quite positive about our chances and the reason is that I don't think it would take drastic changes to the team for us to stay up. Even a couple of good players in key positions (especially midfield) would give us a good chance I think. If it's true that Bowler is back, then having him and Poveda in the same side would take some stopping. Sunderland are imo a top six team and they struggled to contain Poveda today - imagine having to worry about Bowler too.
Sorry for the positive post, but I found today encouraging purely because I saw a performance in the first half that previously I wasn't sure we were still capable of. I'm fairly certain Appleton won't be sacked, but I still think if Bowler comes back and one or two others come in in key positions we'll stay up with or without him in charge. Our players still have that same attitude and work ethic that got us into this league. It's up to the board and recruitment team now but it's definitely within our means to do it. None of this we can't compete crap - we can and should be able to attract the necessary players.