A win against Blackburn Rovers at home is to be expected of every team this campaign. Retaining a laudable goal deficit against a team with such depth and strength as Tottenham is questionable. It being his second game in charge, nobody would have condemned Martin O’Neill a loss against Premier League title contenders, operated by one of history’s greatest English managers.
It was a case therefore for Sunderland to assure supporters that the frantic buzzwords coined against Blackburn (resilience, dominance, et al) were not facades covering a weak squad still unable to replicate its potential. So it must have been comforting for O’Neill, and indeed supporters, when an opening half concluded with a 0-0 scoreline. Sunderland lack goal-scorers; this has been accepted since the start of the calendar year, so preventing Tottenham from strong-holding their opponents was paramount. Most fans could appreciate that.
However as Tottenham’s quality depleted – having started without Bale and losing Lennon – it was refreshing to see the Wearside 11 launch a persistent attack at the Spurs back line. While for the most part it was fruitless, supporters applauded under the mere fact that O’Neill’s vision of Sunderland was to make that effort. Even after a Roman Pavlyuchenko scorcher, the goal deficit failed to phase squad mentality as Sunderland’s attack made for an unsettling final 30 minutes for Tottenham. The result itself was academic but secondary to Sunderland’s effort.
A footnote of the match itself was the notary bench-warming of Nicklas Bendtner and Lee Cattermole. The guaranteed harness Steve Bruce provided both – Cattermole especially – was nonexistent as Martin O’Neill proved all players are susceptible for demotion; the pair’s disreputable acts of vandalism a fortnight prior clearly the instigation of O’Neill’s decision to start neither. It was a bold managerial decision on his part supported by Bendtner’s short performance; his concluding shot spinning disastrously wayward. He was a shambles.
The performance of Nicklas Bendtner aside it was another chance O’Neill sought to utilise his younger options, with Connor Wickham leading the Sunderland attack. Though he was short of goals the youth was not disappointing and will only improve. A more viable winning option awaits him next week at Queen’s Park Rangers where his price tag may begin to pay for itself.
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