Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! RokerReport@yahoo.co.uk
Dear Roker Report,
I have been reading with interest the comments regarding the crowd during certain matches at the Stadium of Light, and most of the comments are bang on the button.
I don’t know what it is, but we seem to become a bit fatigued as the season wears on.
I think we maybe got caught up in the hype about how brilliant we are and once the home record went against Liverpool, we fell somewhat flat. We were noticeably unremarkable against Fulham — disrespect meant whatsoever, but had we been playing Arsenal at home after
Liverpool, I have no doubt the rafters would’ve been coming off. However, we have to do our bit on the terraces.
Let’s not forget that the team is made up largely of kids, albeit they’re cracking players on their day.
They thrive on the support we give them, and if we are flat, they will unfortunately feed off that. We’re still not mathematically safe and we need to focus on that and forget all the nonsensical talk of Europe. If it happens, wonderful, but let’s get realistic first; let’s all get our second wind and make it as uncomfortable as we possibly can for Brighton.
For the first time since Reidy was here, I genuinely believe we’re all in this together. We have to get this team across the line, and we need to be cheering every tackle, every ball won and every pass made, so let’s frighten Brighton to death.
We can do it. We all know we have the most intimidating atmosphere in the Premier League when we are all up for it. Let’s get at them and make it known we’re all back at full force.
Peter Milton
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Peter. Thank you for your letter.
You raise some very interesting points and I do agree that against Fulham in particular, we did look a bit jaded and disjointed — a far cry from the team we’ve been for much of the season.
Was that due to fatigue, tactical issues or just a lack of confidence? It’s difficult to say and it was a very disappointing day all round, but I do think the fact that we have two challenging away games before we return to the Stadium of Light could be beneficial.
If we can find the solutions to our troubles on the road and pick up positive results against Bournemouth and Leeds, the visit of Brighton will take on a different feel altogether and hopefully everyone will be bang up for it. There’s still a lot for us to play for this season and I hope that message is being reiterated by Granit Xhaka and Régis Le Bris.
Dear Roker Report,
What’s with all the negativity?
We’re fine. Stop being ridiculous.
Some of our fans are in danger of spoiling this season.
Gerald Fowler
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi Gerald. Thank you for getting in touch.
I agree that there have been some slightly over-the-top reactions to recent results and performances, but at the same time, it’s fair to say that the Lads aren’t hitting the standards they’ve previously set for themselves and that we need to fix the issues we’re currently facing.
It’s not a crisis but it is a slump, and we need to turn it around if 2025/2026 is to end on the same kind of positive note on which it started back in August.
