Coleman in gutter after yet another home defeat
challenges Modou Barrow of Reading lay-off with cruciate knee ligament damage, decided he was not going to be able to take his place in what was due to be an unchanged side, Darron Gibson was a far from like-for-like replacement. McNair is a versatile player and it is hard to know for sure exactly what role he would have been asked to play but the Northern Irishman tends to bring energy to the middle of the park, whereas Gibson is more mobile, less studied. Donald Love, a defender by preference, may not be as a good a midfielder as Gibson, but he may have been able to play closer to the way player up to that point, in the second half. When Aluko’s cross deflected into Dave Edwards’ path, it provided a chance the striker was never going to pass up.
Even at 1-0, it was still rigidly 10 men behind the ball, 4-4-1-0 as much as anything else, and the fans were unable to hide their frustration.
At one point, Paul McShane, Joey van der Berg and Luke Moore took the mickey, passing the ball yards between themselves under absolutely no pressure. It was like piggy McNair does with little time ime to rethink tactics. Bryan Oviedo had been Sunderland’s best player in the first half, showing some excellent skills for or a left-back, until he went down clutching ching his knee in the 57th-minute. His replacement, Brendan Galloway, was only drafted into the squad as a result lt of McNair’s injury.
Joel Asoro makes a difference rence again Sadly, it was too late to have any bearing on the scoreline but t for the third game running Asoro made ade an impact from the bench. in the middle without the piggy.
Joel Asoro, given a long tutorial by Coleman before he came on, injected some much-needed energy when he took the place of Aiden McGeady, one of many senior players who badly lacked it, but within seconds of his introduction, Modou Barrow volleyed the ball through Robbin Ruiter at the near post. Game over.
The penalty Asoro won and Lewis Grabban converted was a not very consoling consolation goal.
Fortune favours the brave. No wonder Sunderland lacked any luck. S u n d e r l a n d were far too passive once Dave Edwards put Reading in front, happy just to sit back with 10 men behind the ball. At times it allowed Reading’s defensive players to just pass the ball between themselves with no thought of doing anything other than eat up minutes like Hansen, Lawrenson and Grobelaar at the end of a pre-backpass rule Liverpool game. Within seconds of Asoro coming on, Reading had gone 2-0 up and they would soon extend that to three but playing on the leftwing in place of the disappointing Aiden McGeady, the 18-year-old injected some life into Sunderl a n d’s play. Vito Mannone saved his 75th-minute shot but a shove in his back as the ball was returned to him earned the Wearsiders a penalty Grabban tucked away. Asoro produced a run right across the area which ended in a blocked shot and even a nifty line in long throw-ins. George Honeyman looked Sunderland’s best outlet once he took McManaman’s place on the right and Lee Cattermole was jeered off when he made way for Lynden Gooch. With some of the senior players looking so jaded, why not give some of the kids more of a go?