Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

When their keeper hasn't a save to make the problem lies in creativity Smyth did everything right bar hit the target Rodgers header in between the posts and it's a goal different outcome, can't keep blaming injuries but they do have an impact on any team. Morgan has been asked after jumping the league's to run midfield missing Pritchard, Conneelly, Butcher and Uwakawe big ask showed glimpses of what he can do with a couple of decent through passes and his link up with Rodgers when he broke into the box and shot again off target. So it's easy to criticize players especially those coming in but upto the gifted goal we matched Sunderland apart from working the keeper, maybe a slight change to formation going forward might help and more use of the channels.

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

I only hope young Toby Savin doesn't bother visiting the forum after last nights defeat to Sunderland.
The attempts by some to blame him for the result are both unfair & ludicrous.
Funny, but I always thought there were 10 other players in the team?
Where were they when the goals went in, having tea-break perhaps?
The first goal - a freakishly high header, would have evaded a giant octopus.
On the second, he was clearly impeded by one of their players.
None of our attempts were on target. Had they been, the result might have been different.
Last nights result was not the fault of one individual, the reason was simple.
THE BEST TEAM WON!
It happens more often than you think...... Lets get used to it!

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

Don't think anyone is blaming Toby for the defeat but to say it wasn't saveable when he tipped an almost identical back header over is daft it was a mistake one of numerous made last night by players on both sides, goalie errors usually cost you a goal we didn't work their keeper if we had the result could have been different we move on losing like winning is a habit we need to turn it around, nobody knows apart from medical staff when any player from the casualty list will be back and when they are no guarantees they hit the form button straight away the lads that are picked need a result to boost them and us.

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

do not rate rodgers, morgan or phillips for that matter. at the moment savin is a second choice keeper. in fact you could see the first 3 quite easily playing for someone like southport or altrincham sooner rather than later. its not their fault, they are what they are and you cannot expect em to be part of a team that constantly wins games againt sides in division 1.

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

Rodgers is a good enough utility player and Morgan has done well in my view.
Phillips has been poor.

We can't have a squad of 25 who are all first choice league 1 players.
The cost would be unaffordable, the dynamics wouldn't work and the morale would cause divisions within the squad which could undermine what ASFC is all about.

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

Phillips is a strange one youth carreer at Blackburn then Liverpool been at Norwich now at Burnley, also represented England at under 16, and 17 level plenty must see something in him another that's come into a side that isn't performing.

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

but we could have a 20 man squad though. ok you might have to put kids on the bench or play em in a dire emergency. would they be any worse than some of the squad who would never get into another division 1 side or in fact division 2 for that matter. even some out injured like sama you could put in that catogary also.

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

Thing is we have that.
I'm confident majority of our '2nd string' would comfortably fill in a scenario where it's one or 2 of them.
Problem we have is it's 6 players having to step in at once.

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

Well said Josh my point exactly about Morgan throw in at the deep end, been here before about squad depth doesn't change budget , to have a Magready in our squad we would have 19 players on a pittance, hard job to pick players at the bargain basement end Coley does it time and again.

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

Toby Savin was having a great season up to the point where he was replaced by Baxter, which was inevitably going to happen soon after the latter joined us. Since then he's had virtually no proper game time, which you must need to keep sharp. And when the call came again, he had to step up and step in behind a defence which is, shall we charitably say, beginning to show the strains of a long hard season. As an ex-member of the goalkeepers' union, I have nothing but sympathy for him.

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

Im on my own here but I think Accrington Stanley gave Sunderland a run for their money . We stuck to it and never gave up .I thoroughly enjoyed it and keep it up lads . You can hold your heads up high despite coming second in the game.

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

sorry greeny but we did not have one shot on target thats not a run for their money to me. its simply down to too many injuries of our squad in my eyes.

You took the words right out of my mouth.....
 

It is at times like this that I wish I had the literary skills of Yonmon, which would allow me to make quotes and references to Jim Steinman ;)

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

And just to clarify, I agree with this chap ;)

:) :) :)

Re: Sunderland match thread.
 

A crippling injury list, lowest budget in league 1 50 points with 12 games to go missing chances that at this level you pay the price but Sunderland looked anything but special ordinary in fact we can certainly hold our heads high.