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Dear Roker Report,
I can only assume Dan Ballard was deemed unfit to play a whole match, otherwise it was a costly error not to have started him — we never looked remotely secure at the back at any stage of the game and ultimately paid the price after a gritty fightback.
Ollie Watkins was having a field day and proved far too elusive for Luke O’Nien, who despite his willing and boundless energy was unable to justify his inclusion and in my humble opinion hardly comes close to being regarded as a Premier League-standard
central defender. It’s of little use keeping trying to defend the indefensible.
We would’ve been far better off with Trai Hume at right back and Nordi Mukiele or Lutsharel Geertruida at centre half. I can only hope that it’s a lesson learned and we can resume defensive soundness against Nottingham Forest.
Incidentally, I’m not suggesting O’Nien takes the whole blame (Reinildo was also having a shocker).
Arthur Gray
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Arthur. Thank you for your letter.
You raise an excellent point and amid all of the grumbling about Habib Diarra’s late missed opportunity, the reality is that we were defensively ropey against Villa and always looked vulnerable in the face of their attacking play.
Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and John McGinn were superb on Sunday, moving our backline around with ease at times, and we never looked fully comfortable as a result.
That can happen, of course, and I don’t see it as anything to panic about, but it was a reminder that against the league’s elite teams, you’ll pay a price for mistakes made at the back, and that was certainly the case at Villa Park.
Dear Roker Report,
The Legends’ Way decision is a bad decision, I think most will agree on that to some extent.
It is a bad decision by the club, but the thing that worries me most is that it’s the first bad decision since David Bruce left?
Are we going back down the road of looking after what the club wants and not what the fans want? Maybe it’s just my pessimism, but I hope not.
Hope you’re all well.
Guy Manning
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Guy. Thank you for getting in touch.
My view on the initial round of selections for stones at the new Stadium of Light exhibit remains unchanged: the idea itself is excellent; a superb way of commemorating Sunderland greats of years gone by, but too many of the names listed among what I hope is only the first crop of inductees are highly questionable — with some of them wholly unjustified.
Let’s hope that at some stage in the near future, the club addresses it, opens the books again, and rewards many of our as-yet overlooked and true red and white greats with a stone on the Legends’ Way.
Until that happens, it’ll feel incomplete, to me.
Dear Roker Report,
There isn’t and can never be any sentiment in football — especially at the highest level. However, I’m afraid it seems to be happening with our very own ‘Mr Sunderland’, Luke O’Nien.
I was hesitant when I heard he was in the first team against Aston Villa.
I just don’t feel 100% comfortable knowing he’s in the last line of defence and whether we like to admit it or not, he’s unfortunately struggling to make it at this level, especially against the high-flyers. He’s always prone to a clanger and he may have gotten away with it in the Championship, but at this level it’ll be severely punished.
He’s been a superb servant for the club, and it’s wonderful that he genuinely believes he can improve, but I just don’t think he is quite up to this level.
Maybe I’m wrong, and I would love him to have two or three barnstorming games to rub my face in it, as he loves the club inside out. He’s a wonderful advocate and influence amongst the youngsters coming through, but maybe his days in the first team are now fading away as the team grows.
Am I wrong, or is this a view that’s spreading among our fans?
Peter Milton
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Peter. Thank you for your letter.
After almost a decade at Sunderland, I suspect O’Nien has become accustomed to dealing with criticism — particularly of his defensive ability — but you don’t play such a key role in our rise from League One to the Premier League without being a resilient character and I doubt that he lets it get to him, which is to his credit.
I actually didn’t mind his selection against Aston Villa.
It made sense to start him with Dan Ballard on the comeback trail and given that O’Nien had been as solid as a rock last time out against Tottenham, but he did struggle at Villa Park and it did highlight the step up in quality that he and Sunderland have often experienced this season.
When everyone is fully fit, I don’t believe he gets into our strongest starting eleven but I also wouldn’t be eager to freeze him out altogether — although the centre of defence is undoubtedly an area in which we’ll look to strengthen this summer.
On the other hand, I think we should’ve all learned to never write this man off, and if he has a role to play during the final five games, it wouldn’t surprise me if he does so impressively.
That’s just the sort of player he is.
