A customary defeat, what more can I say?

A trip to Chelsea isn't a game that your season will hinge on, especially if you're stuck at the wrong end of the table fighting over who doesn't have to play Plymouth, Burnley and Stoke next year. This was a game that would be spent browsing through the latest scores on your mobile, hoping the teams around you would also go home empty handed, leaving the table looking exactly the same as Saturday morning, when Sunderland sat looking down at the bottom three.

However not everything goes your way, granted we were only beaten 2-0 but Reading's demolition of Liverpool and Boro's victory over Arsenal means once again we're sucked into the quagmire and face a must win game against Villa next week.

I'm a fairly optimistic person, but even I couldn't envisage anything but a Sunderland defeat yesterday. With goal difference as important as a point nowadays it was vital we kept the score to a respectable amount, which we did so in a bizarre way I'm relatively happy.

But when I take a step back I'm angry at myself for being happy at a defeat, a defeat where we showed no real attacking threat even at 1-0 down, performed schoolboy defending of the highest order to gift the game to Chelsea and where I've paid £50 and took a full day off work to see a defeat everyone knew was coming.

The first 45 minutes was typical Sunderland, tireless but clueless. We worked hard but on occasions defended like zombies, allowing Chelsea to stroke the ball past us at will and create a few decent chances that on another day would have been converted. Greg Halford followed up last weeks encouraging performance with a back to normal horror show, giving Salomon Kalou the freedom of the pitch which ultimately proved costly.

A lot has been said of Greg Halford's ability to correctly mark his opponent and once again he showed us how right we were, Kalou was left alone at the back post, both Higginbotham and McShane in an act of childish unison ran towards the Ivory Coast international who simply floated the ball over to the waiting Andriy Shevchenko who couldn't miss from six yards.

It's frustrating because once again our effort can't be faulted, every player tirelessly chased every ball and made Chelsea work for their goals. But why bother running about like headless chickens when as usual one moment of inexperience and a basic lack of quality costs us a match winning goal.

A quick comment on Liam Miller's sending off, regardless of who is in the right and who is in the wrong if you're stupid enough to raise your hand in front of the referee then you deserve to be sent off. I'm frankly not bothered what Terry and Pizarro done to provoke him, I'm more bothered about Miller's three game ban during the season's most hectic period of games. Well done Liam.

Anyways analysing a match with a ready made winner and a result of no importance is difficult to do, actually a say a result of no importance, Reading and Boro have both picked up bonus points this weekend against the 'Big Four'. Maybe we should take a leaf out of their books and turn over Man United on Boxing Day, and while we're at it catch that pig flying over the Stadium of Light.

James Henderson
ALS

Comments

[James]

Exactly Bob. But it goes back to the old question of if you were a top quality player why would you want to play for a team hovering around the relegation zone? Keane will have his work cut out attracting the quality players we need but if he can then come the summer he will have solid foundations to build a stronger team that is better coped to the life of the Premier League.
If we manage to stay up this season then we can push on and improve, however relegation would be disasterous and more damaging than any other time we've found ourselves back in the dumps of the Football League. This transfer window will make or break our season and with it, the next few years of our club.
What did you make of Saturday's game?

[James]

Exactly Bob. But it goes back to the old question of if you were a top quality player why would you want to play for a team hovering around the relegation zone? Keane will have his work cut out attracting the quality players we need but if he can then come the summer he will have solid foundations to build a stronger team that is better coped to the life of the Premier League.
If we manage to stay up this season then we can push on and improve, however relegation would be disasterous and more damaging than any other time we've found ourselves back in the dumps of the Football League. This transfer window will make or break our season and with it, the next few years of our club.
What did you make of Saturday's game?

[Bob Houghton]

I couldn't agree more. A team of "triers" also need a bit of quality which we lack at the moment.Just look at the likes of Anelka and co. That alone might give the faithful some hope that we may just hold out for a draw away to the likes of Chelsea or even nick it. At the moment it seems the Magic carpet is in for a service. lets hope the Transfer window allows Roy Keane to buy the spare parts needed to continue it's journey.