Is McGeady s be ignored, o
Following recent performances against MK Dons, Wycombe Wanderers and Lincoln City, I experienced something quite rare before Sunderland’s fixture against Doncaster Rovers on Friday. I was looking forward to it. Last week’s column used the adjective “entertaining” to describe the previous few games. What therefore could have been more predictable than the Doncaster game being so exquisitely boring?
That’s the trouble with writing opinion pieces: you have to offer an opinion. Making your views public always carries the risk of being upended. I just didn’t expect it to happen a mere two days after they were printed.
What went wrong? Well let’s not over-ponder some interesting refereeing. Doncaster looked a wiser outfit to the one that was flattered by the 2-1 scoreline when they were dismantled by Sunderland on December 29.
But the main problem, other than the continued absence of a natural goalscorer, was a discernible lack of inspiration. It looked jaded.
The players most likely to turn a game – didn’t. There was no shortage of effort, it just didn’t happen.
With 20 or so minutes remaining, the home side looked desperate for an infusion of creativity. But the subs’ bench was not overburdened with any.
Which brings us to Aiden McGeady.
McGeady remains the most naturally gifted footballer at the club and probably in the whole of League One. So we can only wonder about his continued ostracism.
It should be mentioned that Sunderland are unbeaten in eight, have not conceded in three, clambered up the table and in certain games have played their best football in years.
This was all done without McGeady, who had been below-par for some time before being cast aside. Should you wish to be hyper-critical, then note that he is also the only Sunderland player to miss a penalty in the last eight years.
But he can do things that no one else at the club can. He could have won the game given time against Doncaster.
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