No excuse for embarrassing Sunderland play-off build up which Coventry will love
The Black Cats simply have to deliver against the Sky Blues after a month to forget
Now we must all hope that Sunderland are able to flick a switch and everything will be fine in the Championship play-offs. The defeat against QPR was extremely worrying against a team who had nothing to play for other than professional pride.
Fair enough, Oxford United were desperate for points when they beat the Black Cats in the previous outing but there’s no excuses for not being able to beat Rangers. Especially as the Sunderland players were supposedly in ‘play-off mode’.
One goal scored in their last six matches - five defeats and a draw - is frankly quite embarrassing going into the game against Coventry City. Four goals scored in their last 10.
Strikers not scoring - for example Wilson Isidor has gone 13 matches without finding the net - and still a defence that’s conceding poor goals. It was shocking how much time Nicolas Madsen had to score QPR’s winner last weekend. Jimmy Dunne had a free header from a free-kick in the second half he should have buried as the marking from a set-piece was non-existent.
Sunderland rallied but were toothless and came closest through centre-back Dan Ballard with a header. Normally a team would not enjoy having to play the home leg first and would fear the second leg away from home.
I can’t imagine Frank Lampard and his Coventry players would be all that fussed about going to the Stadium of Light for the second leg next Tuesday night. In their last three home matches of the regular season, the Stadium of Light was not so much a fortress as a mattress for visiting clubs to come and relax while leisurely picking up the three points.
Much has been said of the departure of Mike Dodds as having an effect on players since he moved to Wycombe Wanderers. It is said that’s because “Doddsy” knew the players well and was there to put an arm around them as a friend. But has his departure made a difference to results? Really? The same Mike Dodds who oversaw a calamitous end to last season in temporary charge when he made even Michael Beale look like a world beater.
Whatever the issues around the previous five matches, when Sunderland have lost, we can only hope the team confound the odds and surprise us against Coventry. We must hope and trust that head coach Regis Le Bris is right to say his players can pick up the intensity now they have 'something to chase.'
Hope is about all we have to go on as things stand.
Sunderland in the Championship play-offs, and fans can watch the big games with Sky Sports' discounted TV bundle.
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