‘KEEP GOOD START GOING’
EXPERIENCED MANAGER GRAYSON VOWS TO STAY LEVEL-HEADED DESPITE ENCOURAGING SIGNS AT SUNDERLAND
With more than 600 games as manager under his belt, Simon Grayson is far too experienced to get carried away with Sunderland’s encouraging start to the Championship.
But Grayson is pleased with the results and style of play Sunderland have produced in the opening fixtures and hopes it continues.
While he won’t get carried away, he doesn’t want to dampen spirits either and says the fans should embrace the strong start.
Sunderland drew with Derby County on the opening day ahead of the superb 3-1 win over Norwich City, with a Carabao Cup win over Bury sandwiched in between.
Ahead of tomorrow night’s trip to Hillsborough to face promotion contenders Sheffield Wednesday, Grayson is keen to see the momentum carry on.
“I am level-headed,” said the former Blackpool, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Preston North End boss.
“If we go on a run of losing games I won’t get too down or pessimistic, it is about staying level-headed throughout the campaign.
“But I am pleased with how we have done so far, of course I am.
“Any team wants to start the season playing decent football and getting decent results and we have done that so far.
“I am pleased but I still know what we can do and what is around the corner potentially too.
“You have to rein it in a little bit but I want people to enjoy and embrace the positive results. Our supporters are intelligent, they know we won’t go through the season unbeaten.
“We are all in this together. Don’t get too down or too carried away and see where it takes us.”
He added: “We have started the season in a decent manner, getting the four points from the two games.
“Hillsborough is a tough place to go to but we need to remain level headed, we know the twists and turns in the Championship over the course of a season. “We want to build on the two results and get three more points.”
Sunderland were backed by 1,200 away supporters at Carrow Road and Grayson admits it is important the fans are buying into his plans for the club with Sunderland’s campaign quickly up and running.
“That is important, of course it is,” added Grayson.
“New managers want to get their philosophies across very quickly and ultimately get a good victory and performance in straight away.
“That was highlighted against Derby, we built on that at Bury and then Norwich was a different type of victory – to get performances and results early on is crucial to any manager.
“We are not getting carried away with ourselves, though.”
Sunderland hadn’t won a league game in August since 2010 before Sunday’s victory and with that hoodoo broken, hopes now turn to the first back-to-back win at Hillsborough and the first home league win with Leeds United the visitors on Saturday teatime – both
“I am pleased with how we have done so far, of course I am” SIMON GRAYSON
tough asks.
Grayson added: “If we can go through to the end of August undefeated then we will have had a great start but the Championship is so tough that you go to Hillsborough on Wednesday, a team desperate to get their first victory and then face a strong team like Leeds United who will be looking to build on their start too.”