Don’t panic, b the goals to fir
What to make of Sunderland’s last three performances? There can be few sentences more redundant than: “There’s no need to panic.”
It suggests there are c ircumstances in which panic is just the ticket.
Still, we know why people say it. There has been only one defeat in the previous 10 fixtures.
It’s just that it was in the last match and Sunderland were well beaten over the 90 minutes by a direct rival.
Four points were wrung from Doncaster and Tranmere Rovers before that. But the flowing football has dried up: hopefully temporarily.
The need for a goal poacher has never been more acute. Two weeks ago we mentioned that while spec tacular strikes are a joy to behold, they aren’t to be relied upon.
Lynden Gooch’s wonder strike at MK Dons hit the net and won the game. Luke O’Nien’s wonder strike at Portsmouth hit the post and...you know the rest.
So what, in this regard, does everyone think of the new signings?
Well clearly Phil Parkinson didn’t land a 20-a-season man. But who thought he would?
Every club wants one and I’m not sure if anyone got one, because goalscorers aren’t likely to be prised away without paying way more than Sund e rland can afford: especially in the January transfer window so beloved of agents – and nobody else.
Was anyone recruited who might actually bolster the goals tally?
One striker, Kyle Lafferty, arrived. But he has never been especially prolific and lacks match fitness.
Bailey Wright is a defender, while Antoine Semenya is a 20-year-old with only 16 Football League starts; and he didn’t finish most of them. He isn’t likely to solve many problems just yet.
Then there is Josh Scowen, who se fee and length of contract remain undisclosed. But does he score goals?
Now and again. However, when a club’s own website describes the player with euphemisms like “will sit deep and do the ugly side of the game” and “let the opposition k b
t w m
i b e t
P