At half time today I was already drafting up a piece about how we should not be too downhearted following our defeat, that the Keane era is long term and there are gonna be more set backs. There was a lot of uplifting stuff in there about keeping our heads up, the quality of our side, finding the right combinations of players etc. A pity to have to delete it all really.
As if.
Though in all fairness the basic principle is the same we should not get too excited by the victory just as we should not have been too depressed had we lost. This isn't to say that I'm not thrilled by Keane's first victory, not to mention back to back wins against tough opposition, having even come from behind today.
There's reason to be optimistic, lets hope we can put a good little run together now and kick the shite out of the dirty Leeds scum on Wednesday. We're playing some good football now and the gremlins appear to be slowly but surely departing our side, all our signings looked quality (Connolly's one on one miss aside) especially the youngster Ross Wallace. I'm very excited about his future at the club and I've heard lots of good things about him up here in Scotland.
I was surprised to see Chris Brown in the starting line up today, more so that he played so well, even getting a goal for himself. So much so that I owe the lad an apology, I have been one of his most outspoken critics over the years feeling that he was getting in the squad purely because he was a try hard local lad. I'm really delighted with his form since his return from injury and it's great to see his level of play matching an attitude that has been commendable from day one.
Oh and a note of praise for our fans at the game today all 5,000 or so of you. Every 1 in 5 people in that stadium were in a red and white shirt and the noise levels created were tremendous. Long may it last, lets justify our reputation as some of the finest supporters in the land.
Sunderland can really push on from here but it's a long season and there are gonna be set backs. I still don't think we are certs for promotion this season but I would be more than happy for the boys to prove me wrong. I'm glad I don't have to pick the starting 11 and Keane has already had to make some tough decisions, I'm sure the critics were getting ready to get stuck in at the dropping of Hysen but Wallace played a blinder. Keane is already proving his class as a manager in spite of his critics both inside and out of the fan base and I'm sure he has already started winning people round.
But who stays and who goes? There are far too many in our squad and everyone is fighting for their spot. Let's hope that the potential for disharmony in the dressing room is out measured by the improved positions on the pitch as some of our under-performers fight for their very careers.
His true test will be when the chips are really down and nothing is going right. God knows that happens to this club a lot, but if he can handle it with the same calmness and experience as he did at half time today at Derby then the future is looking bright indeed.
FTM
Regards
Michael
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