Smithy answers your questions
After Tuesday night’s late drama against Fleetwood Town, Sunderland now turn their attentions to the trip to Coventry City on Sunday.
Ahead of that clash, we’ve put your burning questions on all things Sunderland AFC – from takeover talk to squad selection – to our chief writer, Phil Smith.
If Sunderland can get through this weekend unscathedhow confident would you be of a top two finish?
I think Sunderland’s form since the turn of the year means they’re in the mix whatever happens on Sunday.
Clearly, though, a defeat would be hugely significant, moving Coventry six points out and with a game in hand.
A win for the Black Cats would bean unbelievable boost moving into the final ten games of the season. It’s going to be some game. Sunderland have a great chance.
Defensively, their form over a long period has been exceptional and though they might not be the most potent side in the division at the other end, the form of Gooch and Maguire means that hasn’t been too detrimental.
There’s a good spirit and I really don’t think they’re going to be far off, whatever happens on Sunday.
Are any of the new signings (e.g. Smith, Semenyo, John) anywhere near making a full appearance?
Tommy Smith is probably closer than you’d expect for someone who hasn’t played since October.
He played in an U23 game shortly before joining Sunderland and trained at Ipswich Town in January.
He was also one of a number of players to get a bit of action behind-closed-doors against
Carlisle United on Wednesday.
Having said that, the return to fitness of Joel Lynch( who also featured in that game) push es him down the pecking order a little further.
In terms of the other signings.
I think Kyle Lafferty, Antoine Se men yo and Josh Sc owen are all very close.
They all scored against Carlisle and when Phil Park in son does decide to freshen things up a bit, they’ll be right in his thoughts.
I’ d be amazed if we don’t see Scowen soon.
Declan John is an interesting one.
He’ll be down on match sharpness but has now had a lot of time on the training ground to work on his fitness and also get integrated in the system.
I suspect he’s behind the others but possibly not too far.
Antoine Semenyo has really impressed me despite his limited game time. Could he play up top with Charlie Wyke?
I think that versatility was one of the reasons why Sunderland wanted to sign him.
He was brought in primarily to bring a slightly different skill set to that attacking midfield role and even in the brief cameos he’s had, we’ve seen that.
But Bristol City seem to see him long-term as a number nine so that’s an option.
I suspect we’ll see more and more of him as the season winds towards a conclusion.
Phil Parkinson has spoken about how impressed he has been with him on the training pitch, not just because of his very obvious ability, but because of how quickly he has understood the style of the team and the demands in his position.
We’ll see him primarily in that slightly withdrawn role, I’ d imagine, and with increasing regularity.
Should we rotate the squad against Coventry? A few players are starting to look a bit leggy.
It was a really interesting press conference from Park in son after the Fleet wood draw.
He was thrilled with the late goal and praised the character from his side, and though he didn’ t want to dwell on the negative, more than once he noted that the first 20 minutes of the game were a big disappointment.
The point being, it’ s the first time in a long while where you feel he might seriously be considering freshening it up.
I wouldn’ t expect any major changes, the key partnerships and structure have served the team well for a while now, and I’m not convinced a crunch clash at Coventry City is the time to overhaul things.
There’s a few very much knocking on the door, though, and one or two changes could well be on the horizon.
Who is going up and who is going to make the play-offs?
It’s absolutely impossible to call.
It looked as if there were four or five pulling away a couple of weeks ago but Fleet wood’s form is impossible to ignore and now that they’ re out of the cups, Oxford United seem to be finding a bit of consistency again.
They’re one to watch in terms of putting pressure on the top six because they’ve played some good stuff throughout the season.
My feeling for a while had been that if you finish above Rotherham and Portsmouth, you’ll go up automatically.
I still think that’s the case, but it’ s impossible to ignore not just Coventry’s form, but the way they’ve got results against the teams around them of late.
The return of Matt Godden to fitness seems to have made a big difference and just given them that killer instinct.
It’ s going to be a brilliant few weeks, and I think Sunderland have a fantastic chance.
What do you think will happen with Duncan Watmore this summer?
It’s too early to tell. I think Duncan is one of a number of players where it’s fair to say these conversations will be a lot easier if Sunderland can get promoted.
Duncan is obviously the last player at the club on a contract signed in the Premier League area. Clearly that’s now significantly reduced due to the two relegations but it’s still a factor to consider.
It’s been a strange time for Duncan.
He’s frustrated with his gametime and Parkinson has said as much, and yet it’s also been probably the longest and best block of regular training he’ s had for the best part off our years.
That was a really good assist the other night, laying it off rather than trying to shoot on the turn out of panic.
Parkinson is clearly a fan but he has plenty to prove if he can fight his way into the XI.
What did you make of Joey Barton and his Fleetwood team?
They were very good out of possession and their work-rate was very impressive.
I thought they ceded the initiative by taking too much time out of the game too early, when Sunderland looked relatively vulnerable.
Later on you expect it, and both Parkinson and George Dobson said as much, but it was odd in the first half when Madden and McKay looked strong every time they got near the ball.
He’s doing a very good job there and their recent form is superb. They’re contenders.
His post-match remarks deflected from what his team are doing, and clearly a lot if it, particularly the stuff about long balls, was nonsense.
He’s doing a good job but they’ve got good players ( just look at where that midfield three have played and come from).
Can we expect to see Will Grigg back in the squad soon?
Lafferty’s cameo off the bench, and indeed those of W at more and Se men yo, means it seems unlikely we’ ll see Grigg unless there is a big dip in the team’s form, or an injury.
It’s a fascinating debate because he is a very different optionto anything else Park in son has.
For his part, the manager has consistently said he believes he still has a role to play.
He scored in the game against Carlisle yesterday and Parkinson told us earlier in the week that he had been doingextra training to make sure he is ready for the time comes.
Parkinson has also previously said that he believes he’d be far more effective in the current style and shape, because the two attacking midfielders means he wouldn’t be isolated as he often had been.
It’s tough to see him getting ahead of the other attackers but Park in son has made a point of stating that he is not out of the picture.