Will Grigg’s not on fire, so how do Sunderland light his spark?
Ten points from four games have raised hopes that Phil Park in son is beginning to implement a method that can power Sunderland towards the top of the League One table.
Most encouragingly, they have produced three goals in the first half of their last two games, giving both Lincoln City and Wycombe Wanderers little to no chance of taking any points away from the Stadium of Light.
Their attacking statistics are excellent and have been transformed from the long winless run pre-Christmas, when the Black Cats were persistently failing to create clear chances and test opposition goalkeepers.
Their expected goals are up, their shots tally is up significantly,as is their number of accurate crosses into the box.
A number of players are beginning to offer a regular threat, with Charlie Wyke, Lynden Gooch and Chris Maguire showing some of their best form for the club.
One player notable for his absence, however, has been Will Grigg, leaving the Black Cats with a January dilemma ...
THE BACKGROUND
One of Park in son’ s key messages when arriving on Wear side was that he had to get more goals from Grigg.
Yet the 4-0 win over Wycombe marked the fifth consecutive game that the striker has been an unused substitute.
Firmly behind Wyke in the pecking order, Parkinson has then turned to Marc McNulty when searching for fresh legs off the bench up front.
Hope had been high that Grigg had turned a corner in Parkinson’s second game, a 5-0 win over Tranmere Rovers.
It wasn’t just that Grigg had got on the scoresheet that boded well. His link-up play had been superb, dropping deep at the right times to join in with the build-up.
As Sunderland performances began to drastically decline, so did Grigg’s. In fairness to the striker, the two were clearly linked. The supply-line dried up completely, Grigg asked to try and thrive on servicethat was never suited to his skillset.
It was all about playing with his back to goal, clearly not the recipe that had brought him so many goals in the past.
Park in son admitted that he had urged the striker to think about his body language on the pitch.
The quality of Sunderland’ s attacking play has improved significantly since then, and they are far less direct than they have been.
Nevertheless, Wyke’s role as a traditional targetman remains key.
Asked about Grigg’s future on Thursday, Parkinson was non-committal, but urged patience and readiness.
So what happens next?
THE OPTIONS
The arrival of Kyle Lafferty looks set to push Grigg further down the pecking order, and it is expected that Park in son will add another striker before the end of the month. Liam Boyce is the obvious candidate.
Such an addition would leave Parkinson well stocked up front and would likely lead to a rebalancing of the squad, and something of a dilemma.
Seemingly not central to Park in son’ s plans, Grigg would be an obvious candidate for a move, but the reality of the situation is complicated.
As it stands, there has not been interest from Championship clubs and so this does not seem to be a viable exit route should he depart. The most likely destination remains a fellow League One club, where despite his Sunderland struggles, his reputation remains intact on the back of regular success over a long period of time.
Blackpool have been credited with an interest in a loan swoop but it is well known that Sunderland paid a lofty fee in the dying embers of the last January window for Grigg.
The Black Cats could not hope to make a sale without making a significant loss. A loan is perhaps more realistic but raises an even greater concern: what if Grigg finds his form?
It has not worked for him on Wearside but his quality in front of goal cannot be disputed, and Park in son has regularly re marked on his outstanding finishing abilities on show in training. If a fresh start allowed him to rediscover that form, Sunderland could face the unpalatable prospect of watching him power a direct rival to the promotion places, as he has done so often before.
The options, then, feel limited. Swindon Town and Salford City have been credited with an interest and while a move to League Two would be far more palatable for Sunderland, you strongly suspect it will be far less so for the player.
Sunderland will perhaps hope above all else that the improvingstyle of play, and the increase in chances created, may at some stage allow Grigg to be reintegrated into the side. Despite his lack of minutes, Grigg has drawn praise from both Parkinson and assistant Steve Park in for his exemplary application and attitude through a testing period.
There is the potential for McNulty’s loan to come to an end this month and that could bean easier solution to balance the squad. Parkinson has admitted that could be considered if he strengthens as he hopes.
G rig g’ s future seems harder to discern and it will be fascinating to see how it unfolds in the coming weeks.