BLACK CATS ARE STUCK IN A RUITER
NEVER mind the Stadium of Light. Chris Coleman was due to turn on the Christmas lights in Newport yesterday.
Next he has to lift the gloom on Wearside after caretaker boss Robbie Stockdale failed to stop the rot, as rock-bottom Sunderland were stuck with another stain on their reputation.
The woeful Wearsiders have established an unwanted record in the English game – a sequence of 20 home matches without a win in all competitions. It’s a staggering statistic and the wretched run, spanning 11 months, is a measure of the club’s agonising demise.
Now it’s over to Coleman, whose decision to quit Wales and become the Black Cats’ ninth manager in six years at least offers a ray of hope.
Kit Symons, who will be Coleman’s assistant, was looking on yesterday and will report that one of their first tasks will be restoring the shattered confidence of Robbin Ruiter. Millwall midfielder George Saville profited from two horrendous errors by the Dutch goalkeeper.
But Ruiter wasn’t alone, as Millwall’s Jordan Archer did his best to rival him on a day for calamity keepers.
Stockdale insisted: “We should have won the game. I don’t think you’ll see many matches with so many mistakes by the keepers.
“I didn’t make a point of bringing it up with Robbin at halftime. He reacted excellently and made a fantastic save in the second half.
“I can’t see why the referee disallowed a goal by Lewis Grabban. I don’t think it was a foul at all and I believe we should have had a penalty as well.
“The fact we have that number of home games without a win is particularly galling because I don’t think we deserve that.’’
Stockdale refused to be drawn on Coleman’s impending arrival, but added: “It’s a tough job, but it’s a brilliant job. Someone is going to be very lucky.’’
Beleaguered Sunderland have been in managerial limbo for nearly three weeks since sacking Simon Grayson. They couldn’t even keep hold of a caretaker manager; Billy McKinlay, who shared the role with Stockdale for one match, joined former Black Cats boss David Moyes at West Ham.
It was hardly ideal preparation for this game, but Sunderland struck first in the 12th minute through Grabban. The one-time Millwall striker forced home from close range after Tom Elliott missed Bryan Oviedo’s right-wing corner and Archer pawed at the ball.
Ruiter was then beaten twice in near-identical fashion by Saville free-kicks. On 16 minutes, the ball squirmed embarrassingly under him and trickled over the line. And four minutes later, Saville executed another leftfooted delivery from almost the same spot and Ruiter could only help the ball into the net.
Sunderland right-back Adam Matthews levelled a minute into the second period when his centre appeared to take a deflection and Archer ended up in the back of the net with the ball.
Millwall boss Neil Harris admitted: “It wasn’t a day for goalkeepers. We had the best defensive away record in the league before this and Jordan was a big part of that.
“This was not one of his better games and he’ll be the most disappointed person here – or joint-most disappointed with their keeper.
“It was a great achievement for us to get in front after going a goal behind.”