Your Cats questions ...
We’ve put your questions to our chief Sunderland AFC writer, Phil Smith, with a host of topics covered from around the Stadium of Light.
We had dozens of questions submitted via social media and our WhatsApp service, with Phil addressing all manner of subjects – ranging from Netflix to standout performances and much more.
Here, Phil tries to answer your burning questions during this uncertain period in football:
Which player in the current Sunderland squad do you feel doesn’t get the credit they deserve?
I think my affection for Alim if fairly well known but just have a lot of respect for the way he has continually bounced back from the moments where it’s looked like his career here was going to be as good as over.
You can’t put a price on players with that attitude.
Personally, I think for what has been a huge step up in his career at such a young age, George Dobson has proved to be a canny addition given the sums involved.
He’s got a great attitude, always shows for the ball, and covers so much ground.
Yes, there’s been ups and downs for him but when he’s in a good rhythm, and moves it quickly and simply, I think he’s shown promise. I’m also convinced that, particularly if it is to be another season in League One, and hopefully it won’t, Elliot Embleton is going to be a key player.
Ifyoucouldsignoneplayer from a League One rival in the summer, who would it be?
I think everyone recognises that Ivan Toney is the best player in the league and probably by a bit of a margin at that.
One player who has impressed me an awful lot and who I think will surely climb the divisions is Doncaster Rovers midfielder Ben Whiteman.
He just strikes me as the perfect EFL central midfielder, in that he’s got a good passing range, but also covers a lot of ground and can play in a high-tempo system.
Picking a player who would instantly improve the Black Cats and have the potential to climb through the leagues, he would be the one.
I’m absolutely disgusted with the FA's decision regarding the ladies’ football season. Why has that decision been made and yet they have not made decisions on some leagues?
It will be very difficult for clubs affected to accept if the leagues higher up the chain conclude and theirs don’t.
It appears the decision was made largely to give clubs some element of certainty going into the coming months and some clubs have publicly welcomed that.
In terms of declaring the season null and void, it has been reported that the main consideration for doing so was that the discrepancies in terms of games played up until this point meant it was deemed unfair to make decisions such as awarding titles etc. on current positions.
Personally, looking through the leagues, I think a solution based on pointsper-game would have produced fair outcomes and also ensured teams are in the right division for whenever football can safely resume.
Null and void seems deeply unfair, ‘writing off ’ deeply meaningful personal achievements and milestones.
It seems particularly cruel in Sunderland’s case, given the sacrifices that have been made to get the team into its current position.
It will be so harsh if this season does not end with these players being declared title winners as they so deserve. There are a couple of things worth stressing in terms of the wider picture.
One is that the decision has not yet been ratified by the FA Council, so it remains not definite.
Secondly, it’s worth remembering that promotion is dependent not just on winning the title, but also submitting a successful licencing application to the FA. Sunderland had started this process
Sunderland defender Alim Ozturk. but it had not yet been completed. Best and worst player you have seen play for us?
It’s hard to look past Super Kev, but I’ll throw a few others into the mix.
This was fairly early on in my days of watching football so my judgement may be clouded a little by nostalgia but I thought Stefan Schwarz was outstanding during his time at the club.
Likewise, I thought Steve Bould was just total class and a shout for Jonny Evans, outstanding in both his loan spells at such a young age.
On the other side of the coin, the goalkeeping situation in the season Sunderland were relegated from the
Championship is something I’ll probably never experience again.
I’d caveat that by saying I think it was an error to move away from Robbin Ruiter at the end of January.
He had been doing OK for a while before then.
Some of the names Sunderland were looking at, the likes of Eldin Jakupovic, would have been an upgrade and so fair enough, but in the end it proved to be the wrong call. I think we also have to give an honourable mention to Milton Nunez, don’t we?
Are takeover talks still progressing, or is everything on hold whilst the coronavirus situation is ongoing?
Sunderland have been adamant that while the process was slowed by the outbreak, it has not stopped and that those involved believe that as it is a long-term investment, it makes sense to continue regardless.
Of course, it’s absolutely inconceivable that the uncertainty won’t have an impact, given the questions about when Sunderland will resume, which league they’ll be in, etc.
You would hope that, if Sunderland are to bring in the kind of owners the club needs to take it forward, they would see that while this is a very uncertain time, a lot of long-term potential remains there to be unlocked.