Better display, and point could be vital
Well, Saturday was fun, wasn’t it?
We might not have won, and we desperately needed three points, but the Lads at least put in a performance that, for the most part, we can be proud of.
There was plenty of fight and determination with a smattering of quality, which is about all we can ask for given the current state of the squad.
Some of the defending and goalkeeping was comical – nothing new there – but it all added up to an enjoyable afternoon of football, which is not something we’ve been able to say much this season.
While it may only be a point, it could be a crucial one.
Given the paucity of quality on show this season, supporters have every right to take pleasure in a performance that at least gives some hope that this ramshackle squad can dig itself out of a horrific mess of its own making.
Sunderland dominated a feisty first half and our usually suspect defence – more on that later – stood up well to the Middlesbrough test, even when the game pitted our 10 against their 11.
I say test, but this was an extremely average Boro side who did not look up for their biggest game of the season.
This is not the first time I’ve watched Sunderland play teams who have spent a fortune and are expected to push for promotion look distinctly ordinary.
In fact, once Adama Traore saw red in more ways than one, I felt pretty confident we would go on and win the game.
On Traore, if this is the standard of one of the division’s best players, then it highlights just how poor it is. He was rubbish.
It was not his red card that was the turning point, however. Losing Paddy McNair to an injury that required the attention of the physio two or three times before he succumbed to it and was substituted, left a huge hole in the heart of Sunderland’s midfield.
Typically, without him, Sunderland reverted to their usual selves at the start of the second half – farcical defending, dreadful goalkeeping, disorganisation and a side suddenly bereft of confidence led to our one-goal lead being swiftly reversed.
Lee Camp’s decision making, and lack of presence, were crucial in him giving away the penalty and conceding the third goal. That said, his counterpart in the Boro goal, Darren Randolph, was arguably worse.
Maybe the Championship is just riddled with bad goalkeepers and ours, poor as they are, are no worse than anyone else’s.
Unbelievably, Randolph cost more than our entire summer spend and, frankly, I think I’d rather take my chances with Camp, who cost nothing, a cool £5m less than the Boro stopper.
In Camp’s defence, the third Boro goal came as a result of John O’Shea looking every inch a man who should not be playing every single game in a busy Championship schedule.
You could almost hear his joints creaking as he turned to chase Patrick Bamford. The striker was able to take his time and slot home. I’d join the increasing number of voices calling for O’Shea to be dropped, but the alternative is a dreadful and seemingly disinterested Tyias Browning. I’d rather not waste our time developing someone else’s player who clearly doesn’t care one bit about this club or its plight.
The equaliser, coming in the sixth minute of injury time – who knows where that came from, by the way – was particularly sweet.
Callum McManaman, impressive after coming on as substitute, scored with a lovely finish.
Both he and Jonny Williams, who also scored with a tidy, controlled finish, will be pushing for starts in Sunderland’s next crucial game in the battle against relegation.
On reflection, a draw was just about fair and, with our goal being so late in the game, it gave us the added pleasure of silencing the gloating away support.
It was a satisfying moment and one our supporters should enjoy.
There will be no time Chris Coleman or his players to do the same, and they will already be looking for a way to build on this modicum of momentum in a way we failed to after the Bristol City comeback.
Unlikely as survival looks, this is a poor division.
Cut out the mistakes and we can just about do it.