Sunderland supporters are split. Some believe Gus Poyet should be sacked on the spot, while others feel, long-term, the Uruguayan is the answer. One faction regard his open letter begging for their backing last week as an embarrassment; the opposite camp maintain it was a fabulous gesture.
After Sunderland’s eighth 0-0 draw of the season, Lee Cattermole waded into the debate. “We’re heading in the right direction,” said the team’s best midfielder, newly returned from injury. “The whole club feels more stable. We just need results.”
A campaign which, so far, has produced only four Premier League wins has left Sunderland perched precariously just above the relegation zone, but Cattermole seems convinced the only way is up.
“All the players, even the senior players, will say they’ve improved under Gus,” he said. “But it doesn’t happen overnight. You have to be patient. I think the manager’s doing a very good job. We’ve had a lot of draws but we’re definitely more solid. All the lads are behind the manager.”
Poyet responded to criticism of perceived negativity by switching formation to 4-4-2 and asking his team to defend slightly further up the pitch. Detractors could argue that dropping Patrick van Aanholt, a pacy attacking left-back, and replacing him with the more defensive Anthony Réveillère represented a regressive step but Sunderland had little luck in a dire game alarmingly light on creativity.
If Wearsiders were on shaky ground in suggesting Joleon Lescott should have been dismissed for an early foul on Danny Graham, when it was claimed he was last man, Adam Johnson’s first-half goal was ruled out for a controversial offside.
With West Brom’s much-hyped Saido Berahino not merely disappointing but appearing to take the afternoon off, Roy Hodgson may have regretted making a rare trip to the north-east – although England’s manager possibly noted that Cattermole can play a bit.
Hodgson’s former teamWest Brom have been defeated only once in 10 games under Pulis. “We’re a lot more difficult to break down,” said Chris Brunt, their left-back. “The emphasis is always on the clean sheet and looking to score from set plays. When you don’t concede, no matter how badly you play, you’re always in the game.”
Darren Fletcher certainly seems to be enjoying a new lease of life. “The spirit’s great, everyone’s together for the cause,” said the former Manchester United midfielder. “If opponents have the ball, there’s no panic as long as they don’t have it in dangerous areas. We’re very comfortable with letting them play from side to side.”
Big on possession, low on invention; Sunderland will not be the last team to walk into Pulis’s trap.
Man of the match Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)
