Gus Poyet is still struggling to accept that his Sunderland players surrendered 8-0 at Southampton last Saturday and freely acknowledges that, in another country, a similarly heavy defeat could well have seen him sacked.
Providing they are one-offs, such dramatic Premier League reverses tend to prompt shrugged shoulders more than anything else but Poyet’s fierce pride prevents him from affecting a similar air of resignation.
“I’ve seen teams lose 8-0 in England and nothing happens, the manager is still managing and the players are still playing. Everybody moves on,” said Sunderland’s Uruguayan manager. “But I can tell you it is only here in England and I don’t have that acceptance inside me. In another country, maybe an 8-0 defeat means you lose your job. In England that is not the case – at the moment.”
Although Poyet was so disgusted with his players he did not summon them in for extra training last Sunday as he “could not bear to look at them”, he is concerned that Sunderland’s slightly skinny squad is struggling to cope, especially in defence. Despite maintaining that he has “no issues” with being a head coach rather than a traditional manager and consequently leaving recruitment responsibilities to Lee Congerton, Sunderland’s managing director, Poyet hinted that he needs a stronger squad.
“I picked the team, I made my decisions,” he said. “The rest is not my department. Whether we make money or not, whether we travel by bus or by plane isn’t my choice. I accept my responsibility, the rest I won’t take.”
With Arsenal visiting the Stadium of Light on Saturday he is relieved his defence will – subject to international clearance – be bolstered by the arrival of Anthony Réveillère. The 34-year-old former France full back was a free agent after being released by Napoli during the summer.
Poyet trusts Réveillère can help ensure there are no repeats of a defeat which initially left him too ashamed to leave his house. “I didn’t go out the whole of Sunday,” he said. “I didn’t want to see anyone because it’s embarrassing. But I’m on my own here and I’m a bad cooker so I had to go out eventually to a couple of restaurants to eat.”
Sunderland’s players are dealing with the ignominy by either refunding fans who travelled to St Mary’s the £24 ticket price or, if individual supporters prefer, donating that sum to Grace House, a local children’s hospice.
“It was a decision they made,” said Poyet. “After we had a meeting about Southampton on Tuesday, they asked me for a few minutes and decided it. Credit to them. It’s not like I don’t have an opinion but I cannot put myself in their situation because I haven’t been there, so I don’t know what I would have done. I was lucky never to have been in that situation. Maybe it’s not luck, maybe I didn’t allow my team-mates to put me in that situation.
“I think the most I conceded was six, against the dream team of Barcelona. I can tell you they could really play. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if we’d been playing them on Saturday; it might have finished 25-0.
“I don’t think my players have any explanation for what happened. It was just a consequence of decision making so bad I cannot believe we did it. Southampton are very good but we didn’t do it against a proper top team. It was Southampton not Real Madrid.”
