Neil’s home truths offer hope of a brighter future
At the end of a fractious week, some home truths.
“In terms of what we're looking for, as a team, that isn't going to be enough for us to be where we want to be,” Alex Neil said.
Neil’s arrival did not spark a sudden resurgence in Sunderland’s form – and was never going to.
This drab 1-1 draw underlined a lack of confidence and balance. It was for the most part a brutal contest to watch, scrappy and undermined by inconsistent refereeing.
The hosts had some quality and fight, but are without a win since early December. For the most part, they looked comfortable against a toothless Sunderland side.
That Neil addressed some key shortcomings so directly afterwards was welcomed by supporters. The first step to solving problems is to admit you have them, after all.
Many will hope that honesty is replicated by the ownership group in the weeks ahead.
From the poorly-timed dismissal of Lee Johnson to the weakening of an already fragile defence, through the lengthy pursuit of Roy Keane and the two wretched defeats that came within, it has been the worst spell of Kyril LouisDreyfus’ tenure.
He is young, learning and has done some good work, but on and off the pitch there has of late been a disconnect between the mission statement delivered to fans upon his arrival and the recent reality.
It is summed up by the fact that, despite saying the club had been ‘asset-stripped’ in his first interview, he has this week been sat pictured next to a member of the Madrox consortium at games.
On Saturday evening, the Red & White Army supporter group tweeted: “The club needs to realise [Charlie] Methven attending away games and sitting with club
employees/board members is a slap in the face for many fans. Just before he had to resign from any official role, he was condescending, patronising and ignorant towards Sunderland supporters.”
They would know. The comments – which he later expressed regret for – made at a meeting between the supporter collective and club shortly before his resignation were deemed so misplaced that the minutes have to this day never been signed off and Stewart Donald called another meeting to state the views were not shared by the club.
All that before we even begin to reflect on the footballing errors of that period, the academy departures and lack
of structure still being felt to this day.
There should be no role, official or otherwise, for a key architect of that turbulent, damaging period.
Supporters have been clear on that.
This is just one issue, highlighted to underline the task ahead for Louis-Dreyfus in rebuilding trust and confidence.
As for Neil, the most instructive period in this debut game came towards the end.
In every game, he has said, he will go for the win and here he affirmed it. Sunderland were playing well without troubling their opponents unduly when he turned to his bench, introducing Jermain
Defoe to play alongside Ross Stewart.
Even when Stewart tired, the move to replace him with Patrick Roberts was a positive and proactive one.
There is no doubt that through sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, Louis-Dreyfus has assembled a squad with some eye-catching quality for the level, and real assets for the future.
The issue right now is that through that front end of the pitch, too many are short of match sharpness. It means Sunderland are overly reliant on young players in their first full senior season, many of whom Neil has instantly sensed are tired.
It is compounded by a lack
of options to rotate in defence, meaning an open style that might favour the talented forward players is too big a gamble at this stage.
Here Neil moved to introduce a midfield anchor, sacrificing a forward. You strongly suspect that is not part of his longer-term plan.
Neil was alarmed that as the game opened up in the final 20 minutes, it was Wimbledon who looked stronger and more threatening.
It is, he thinks, a reflection of how ‘disjointed’ his squad currently is.
He has a week to try to start putting that right, to start to improve the sharpness of those more established attacking players and to begin instilling the principles of his philosophy.
Sunderland’s press was again virtually non-existent here, and that will be something Neil is keen to address.
He knows he has the players here to get Sunderland promoted this season, and that is why he has taken the job on. On that front, nothing is yet lost. Bailey Wright's return was encouraging and Jay Matete was exciting.
What Neil perhaps had not fully appreciated, but does now, is the gap between where this team could get to, and where it currently is.
Neil’s candour has given fans hope that on the pitch at least, he will make inroads before it is too late.