10-Man Sunderland vs 0-Win Aston Villa Post-Catastrophe Flagellation

[Pat McMahon]

Buendia was absolutely wank.

It’s because he’s not good enough - the fact he’s starting is a really bad reflection of where the club is.

I like Emi, but it was pretty clear that he wasn't good enough 3 years ago.  The fact that he's back in our starting line-up speaks volumes really.

Before the game I was trying to recall the last league game we won where Buendia started. I still can’t recall.

[PeterWithesShin]

Spurs at home. 13th May 2023, it was 1-1 when he went off.

[Skipper_The_Eyechild]

I predicted we'd lose so bonus points! I actually didn't want them to go down to 10, we can't break down compact teams as it is.

[JUAN PABLO]

Super cross in by Sancho at the end.

best cross of our season

[Pat McMahon]

Re Rogers, I did hear that he was livid last season at being pushed out wide to accommodate Asensio and it seems to have impacted him - maybe he no longer feels he has Emery’s complete trust. Newcastle aside, I don’t think he ended the season well and has barely showed glimpses of his potential so far.

I also wonder if Watkins was miffed at missing some of our big games last season and feels similarly unloved. On the other hand, I think he plays better when he feels he is the undisputed fist choice up front.

I’m not justifying the form of either of them, just trying to understand what the hell is happening to two of our better players.

[Pat McMahon]

Spurs at home. 13th May 2023, it was 1-1 when he went off.

Weren’t we winning that 2-0 until Kane got a contrived penalty in injury time? If it’s the one I’m thinking of in the run up to the Conference qualification. A fortnight before the Brighton 2-1 win?

You’re still right though if he started that game and we won. Seems like an eternity ago.

[PaulWinch again]

Well I do keep coming back to the fact they stand out because they are high profile. But pretty much everyone is playing badly. It’s not just Ollie and Rogers, we’ve been bad across the pitch.

Unai keeps playing the same way, that needs to change. I think he’s playing it safe and part of the reason our identity isn’t there is because we’re not being bold enough.

[PeterWithesShin]

Sorry yes, it was 1-0 when Buendia went off.

[Pat McMahon]

Sorry yes, it was 1-0 when Buendia went off.

Cheers. I genuinely had zero idea. I’d written him off after the loan last season on the back of a bad injury.

[PaulWinch again]

Sorry yes, it was 1-0 when Buendia went off.

Cheers. I genuinely had zero idea. I’d written him off after the loan last season on the back of a bad injury.

I suspect Unai had too - which is why him starting suggests muddled thinking to me.

[Somniloquism]

Just been watching the highlights in BBC. Malens chance with the defender was called "shoulder-to-shoulder" apparently even though the defender was behind him and slamming his shoulder into the back to put him off balance.

[enigma]

It was boring. Happily though there was a 1 hour delay on the A1(M) so I went along the road toward Brough and J38 of the M6, which is a bit of a stunner with some last day of summer sun setting behind the hills. Podcast about Escobar, almost forgetting how tedious the previous hour or two had been.

The Rest is Classified by any chance?

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

It was boring. Happily though there was a 1 hour delay on the A1(M) so I went along the road toward Brough and J38 of the M6, which is a bit of a stunner with some last day of summer sun setting behind the hills. Podcast about Escobar, almost forgetting how tedious the previous hour or two had been.

What’s the podcast called, is it any good as I might give it a listen?

[LeonW]

Re Rogers, I did hear that he was livid last season at being pushed out wide to accommodate Asensio and it seems to have impacted him - maybe he no longer feels he has Emery’s complete trust. Newcastle aside, I don’t think he ended the season well and has barely showed glimpses of his potential so far.

I also wonder if Watkins was miffed at missing some of our big games last season and feels similarly unloved. On the other hand, I think he plays better when he feels he is the undisputed fist choice up front.

I’m not justifying the form of either of them, just trying to understand what the hell is happening to two of our better players.

To become an elite side, players have to play well to keep their places. Last season Watkins was shocking in the champions league at the highest level and was rightly replaced by Rashford. Same with Rodgers with Asensio. Rodgers delivered in the champions league but was so wasteful in possession.

If they are now sulking at being starters again because don’t have the money to afford a Rashford and Asensio to push them, that suggests that they are not at the elite level as that should have been the rocket they needed to cement their status again. But what we’ve seen is lazy, sulky and poor quality performances. I would rather keep the manager and get rid of the players next summer/ January because we’re not solving the real problem by keeping a number of these players.

[PaulWinch again]

Again, I think we might be looking at performance and tying up a narrative that fits. Who knows you might be right, but it’s not just Rogers and Watkins it’s virtually everyone playing badly. Has Digne gone because he’s got a new deal, has Maatsen turned it in because he’s not immediate first choice, is SJM sulking from not being centre mid etc etc.

So many players are playing badly - it’s not just a couple of them. That might be on them, but it’s on management too. As a collective they are all not doing enough.