Can the Wycombe-whipping Black Cats please turn up? Off days won’t do
Sunderland take on fourth-placed Ipswich Town on Saturday in a clash that is probably League One’s biggest game of the day, but both teams will go into it on the back of disappointing defeats.
How that affects either team’s morale remains to be seen, but as Ipswich are only two points off second place, Sunderland would be wise to expect a game just as tough as the last one at Portsmouth.
Phil Parkinson’s men, though, should remember that the last time a team right up there at the top, Wycombe Wanderers, visited Wearside, Sunderland – in my opinion – produced their best performance of the season to send Wycombe home not knowing what had just hit them.
Sunderland were brilliant that day, they were all over Wycombe, from the first minute.
They were quick, hungry, and the game was wrapped up within half an hour.
The trouble is, for every home performance like the Wycombe one, there is a Burton Albion or a Bolton Wanderers.
The list isn’t short, as Sunderland have struggled for any sort of consistency at home this season.
Sunderland have dropped points in seven league games at the Stadium of Light so far. That is far too many. So are we going to see the team that demolished then top-of-the-table Wycombe, or the one that failed miserably against bottom-of-the-table Bolton?
The fact that you don’t know which Sunderland will turn up is the reason we are not even in the play-off positions currently.
The players have underachieved for much of the season and if they don’t find consistently-good form, then automatic promotion could again be just out of reach.
Top-drawer performances, every three or four games, won’t do.
They have got to be on it week in, week out, keeping off days to an absolute minimum and when that does happen, you go to Plan B and grind out a result.
Promoted teams know how to do that.
For the vast majority of Sunderland fans, Saturday will be a chance to see the new signings brought in over the last week or so.
Josh Scowen, Antoine Semenyo and Declan John will all be pushing to get into the starting XI and after the Portsmouth defeat, Parkinson may well decide to freshen things up.
Bailey Wright is another new face who only the away fans have seen, so there is plenty for the home supporters to look forward to on Saturday.
Really, though, it is all about getting three points – no matter what team Parkinson names.
*The Sunderland Echo has launched a new SAFC weekly podcast call ‘The Roar!’ published online and in all the usual podcast places every Thursday evening.
To get involved, simply tweet a question to @sunechosafc