A long trip to Wearside if up next for a struggling Palace side so there was no-one better for TEB to find out more about the hosts this season that the guys at We Are Wearside.
Q. How have you got on since your trip to South London?
Indifferently. We lost every game in December but the turn of the year has brought more form and more belief. Sunderland had a good transfer window, picked up three massive wins but we have not captialised on all of our good performances, such as against Manchester City and West Ham United. February was a fairly pleasing month, as the fixtures were hugely daunting, but we managed to put in some good performances and pick up four points which keeps us in the hunt for survival.
Q. What were your thoughts on that game?
Sunderland cannot afford to have a poor March, the teams around us have been picking up points and we risk being left behind with very little time left should we have a poor run. Home games, like always, are massive and if we can pick up another couple of wins this month we have a big chance of staying up. That said, if Palace stay asleep for much longer in the league they could be dragged a little closer to the drop zone than they ever expected. It is an interesting and very important game.
Q. What do you make of your business in the transfer window?
Sunderland had a fantastic transfer window, for once. New signings Lamine Kone and Wahbi Khazri have been exchanging man of the match performances since arriving and were both responsible for the big three points we earned against Manchester United. We moved on loads of the wage-sapping wasters (plenty of those in our squad) and gave ourselves a chance of staying up.
Q. Has Sam Allardyce had the impact you hoped for since he was appointed manager?
Yes, I think he knew this was going to be a tough job and that has showed. It has been a struggle watching him experiment with the side and with the shape but I think that has a lot to do with a lack of pre-season and preparation which, as we know, Allardyce is very keen on. Had he not had the opportunity to bring in a few players in January I think it would have been too difficult a job, but we have a chance now and should we achieve it, I would anticipate us finally having a nice boring and uneventful campaign next season. That would be bliss.
Q. Is there a feeling that the board lacks ambition seeing as you face another season fighting relegation?
There is that feeling in the stands, but I think our poor performance in the league are down to poor decision making. The wrong managerial appointments and disastrous switch to the Director of Football model (which we have ditched since Allardyce’s arrival) meant our squad was saturated with average players on huge wages, making progression very difficult. If we stay up, this is the best chance we have of bucking that trend with contracts expiring and Allardyce’s relentless approach to getting shot of the dead wood.
Q. The big question is, will you stay up?
Sunderland have the best squad since we finished tenth under Steve Bruce and the most competent manager too, so it would be very Sunderland like to be relegated this season. I think we will be okay, but a slow month in March could make things very difficult.
Q. What are your thoughts on Palace this season?
The horrendous league run aside – what an opportunity to go to Wembley! I tried to sell my soul when we went to Old Trafford in the Semi Final of the Capital One Cup in 2014, accepting relegation should we reach the final. Thankfully my offer was not taken and we stayed up, and made it to the final in the most bizarre fashion, but that experience will remain the most exhilarating until we eventually get there again. The only downside is the horrible desperation to do so. Good luck, your league form needs to improve as the bottom teams always pick up points towards the end of the campaign.
Q. Name a player from each side that the opposition should be concerned about.
Khazri has been very impressive since arriving. He is a different sort of winger in that he is hugely combative, he will put his foot in and no doubt give a few fouls away, but he will also be our main creator going forward. We have scored four goals since he arrived, he has scored one and assisted two. Khazri also takes a fantastic corner (he actually beats the first man which is unheard of up here!) and makes us very dangerous from set pieces. He cannot do a ‘rabona’ though as you may have seen recently and has no left foot.
Connor Wickham tends to go on a run of games with goals, so him notching two at the weekend and being our former player is a big concern.
Q. Your prediction?
I think, being at home and Palace in such poor league form, Sunderland have to fancy themselves. Football never seems to work that way, but I am trusting the logic and plumping for a 2-1 home win.
Q. Please tell us a little about what you do and share anything that you are currently working on.
We are just your typical football blog site, plodding along but we do have a brand new website coming soon which could spark something a little bigger – we will wait and see!
