Folk are digging out their long coats, scarves, hats, and gloves in preparation for yellow and amber weather warnings, a potential visit from “the Beast from the East”, and even, apparently, “thundersnow”.
What they all mean, of course, is that it’s winter! Simples. Regardless of the weather, I for one can’t wait to get back to watching the Lads play. There won’t be another international break until March, but with cup games etc., there will be another seven Saturdays with no Sunderland game before May.
It’s a great time to be following the Lads. Everyone has caught “the bug”, and we’re all discussing the possibilities and “false dawns” of the past. How many points might we get over the December period? How will AFCON affect our squad?
What is fundamental to our continued success, however, is the mindset laid out by RLB and supported by the experienced head of Granit Xhaka, which is the stumbling block of “over-confidence”. Of course confidence is a good thing to have – to start to believe in your own ability, and as a collective, the team’s ability to challenge in the Premier League. But running alongside this positive is the danger of being too confident – where you begin to lose some concentration, or even slightly disrespect the opposition and what they can offer.
Régis Le Bris has stated several times that we need to stay humble, and that our target remains the 40-point mark – and rightly so. By repeating that mantra, if you like, he is reminding the players and the fans to stay realistic and to maintain the standards we’ve attained so far. Taking an eye off the ball for a split second can change the outcome of any game.
During Thursday’s press conference, it was refreshing to hear some of our Little General’s answers. He was asked about why we’ve started to kick towards the Roker End in the second half in recent games. Although his answer was that it wasn’t a conscious decision by the club, he stated that he wasn’t superstitious. When you think about it, it’s one of those things that fans like to get a hold of and use in a discussion as to why we might win. The pragmatic to the pragmatic Frenchman, however, brings us back down to reality – why on earth would the direction in which we kick have any bearing on the game?
He was also asked about the new lettering above the East Stand, and does he understand why fans get excited about what seems like a superficial change at the ground? His answer this time was to say that anything which gives the fans even a small, extra pride in their club can reflect in a positive atmosphere, which in turn lifts the players. He often expresses how the little details can build to make a difference.
This echoes for me the achievements of Steve Brailsford CBE, the once very successful British sports director and cycling coach. Any small detail that he could bring to the British team to give them an advantage over the opposition, he would implement – even down to the cyclists bringing their own pillows with them on trips abroad to aid with a good rest!
RLB is a master at detail and planning, and even though by his own admission he is still learning (we should never stop learning), he is very well aware of preparing for each game “in real time”, as he put it himself.
He doesn’t plan for the game after this one, or two games in advance – but for the next 10 minutes or 15 minutes, approaching each game and each decision as it is needed. Each game is a reset, and past performances mean nothing. Drawing at home to Arsenal was fantastic and has set us all believing and hoping of what might be (and yes, we’re allowed to “get carried away” – it’s good for the soul!), but as RLB pointed out, that doesn’t mean we can expect anything from Craven Cottage. It doesn’t work like that.
We reset. We go again.
Consistency is the hard part – to tackle each game with the same determination, aggression, and effort.
So as we make a welcome return to the banks of the Thames, to the ground of Johnny Haynes, Bobby Moore, George Cohen, Alan Mullery, George Best, Rodney Marsh et al, we reset, we go again.
Ha’way me bonnie Lads!
