A game clearly dominated by Sunderland, but which was decided by some odd refereeing decisions and four very strange goals. Steve Bruce was obviously disappointed with the referee, but he can be proud of the team, who dominated until running out of steam at the end. The defence has been strengthened and looked solid until the last 15 minutes, when Birmingham streamed forward against the Black Cats’ ten men. I was irritated by Cattermole’s petulance, as many doubtless were since the newly-appointed captain showed poor judgement with the second tackle on Bowyer.
So the scoring started with a penalty which looked OK until the replays cast doubt on it, but it was expertly slammed in by Darren Bent. After half-time Stephen Carr obliged with a perfect own goal, under pressure from Campbell with Sunderland coming close on several occasions before that nervous ending. The two Birmingham goals started with nice crosses from Seb Larsson but were both scruffy, with a suspicion of poor defensive play after the new back four had been so imperious in the first half.
As pointed out, we will show weakness at the back if Simon Mignolet does not dominate the penalty box, and if there is not better co-ordination along the back four. OK, Cattermole let the side down, and the lads would definitely have won had he been able to stay on the pitch; much to learn then after the six debutants made their Premiership bows...and that is not surprising.
Faith in the boss, though, he did secure the signing of Welbeck to help fill the gap created by the now departed, and crocked, Kenwyne Jones. I would be happy to see the combative Craig Bellamy join the Black Cats, and if we moved in for Ghana’s striker Asamoah Gyan, as speculated in the Sunderland Echo: http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/Man-Utd-man-in-now.6473790.jp I would have no complaints.
An OK start then, in the circumstances, with a poor referee making the headlines. We will have a clearer view of how things will turn out this season once the team has gelled, and once we know about the rest of the transfer comings and goings…and one departure looks likely to be Ferdinand, after the apparent training ground bust-up left him fuming and with no squad number.
©Lars J.S. Knutsen
Comments
Posted by Chris on 08/16/2010
A reasonable assessment, and one game does not a season make, but....
This game did not reassure me that two of our problems from last season--poor discipline and the inability to hold a lead--have been fixed. As you say, we will know more soon, and I hope this performance is the exception rather than the rule!
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Lars Knutsen was born in Sunderland of Norwegian parents across the Wear from the SSOL back when shipbuilding not car manufacture was the city’s main industry. His first game was in 1968 and he has followed the Black Cats since then, with great memories of the 1973 FA Cup. He hopes the “yo-yo” days are over and defines supporting a team by whether the result affects your mood (but maybe not in the way portrayed in the book “Fever Pitch”!) so has been cheerful recently. He endured school in Newc**tle, has a Ph.D. in Chemistry, a Professorship at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, and works in the Pharma industry as a consultant Medicinal Chemist.
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