With the club it’s baby steps
The start of the football season is notoriously unreflective of how it will end. A year ago, Sunderland began with a narrow defeat at Manchester City and a laudable performance. Murmur was that if they played like that consistently then all would be oojah-cum-spiff; not to say hotsy-totsy.
Well they didn’t and it wasn’t. You probably heard. It was in all the papers.
Hull City’s and Middlesbrough’s first two fixtures brought them six and four points respectively. Both were relegated.
Meanwhile, Newcastle lost both of their first two, but were not especially damaged. In 2006-07 Sunderland lost their first four, then proceeded to win the league.
Despite this, I suspect that Sunderland’s entertaining opener against Derby County on Friday might actually be representative 2017-18.
It wasn’t as bad as some had feared: not as good as others had hoped. It simultaneously reassured and failed to inspire.
Derby aren’t sensational but are seventh favourites, have finished in the top half in six consecutive seasons and usually sniff around the play-offs.
It’s only one game, but the Sunderland players who were there last season and lack confidence because of that very fact, looked more than capable of coping with the Championship. The newbies performed quite well too.
The main concern was that Derby looked the fitter team the longer the game progressed; something that was compounded by Sunderland’s perplexing reluctance to make a single substitution.
Overall though, it showed an improvement in attitude, application and atmosphere. The squad is not surplused with sublime footballing talent. But if they can eschew the habits of recent years and play to their ability – and as a team – then no more can we expect.
Baby steps. The entire club is in a precarious position and confidence is fragile. Which brings us on to tomorrow night’s awkward number at Gigg Lane.
The League Cup is not now important to Sunderland. They aren’t going to win it and the usual arguments apply about the benefits or otherwise of a cup run.