There were times during Sunderland’s chastening winless run that David Moyes said he had forgotten how to smile. It was hard to begrudge the Scot a rare opportunity to grin after his team defiantly came from behind to beat Bournemouth, but he was straight-faced again when explaining the importance of giving something back – both to the players from whom his coaching staff have demanded so much, and the unwavering supporters that made a 700-mile round trip with everlasting hope but precious little expectation.
On another day Sunderland could have been thrashed but, despite facing a better team, they dug in and continued to fight even when reduced to 10 men with an hour played. Their perseverance paid off handsomely. “One win doesn’t keep you in the Premier League and if we don’t get to two we won’t be moving up any further,” Moyes said.
The team’s visit to the local Nissan factory last week was a reality check for some players and a motivating factor for all before this victory, and Moyes was at pains to point out he was particularly taken aback by a chat with one worker who was travelling from Wearside to the south coast to watch a defective team.
“A boy told me he was leaving for here at 5am on a bus,” Moyes said. “But if you’re following the team at the minute we’re not giving you anything to shout about. Sunderland supporters deserve a bit of credit.”
Still, this is no time to sit back and take stock. They host Hull City immediately after the international break and a victory then could lift them off the bottom. One of Moyes’s biggest calls before that will be whether he sticks with two strikers having switched to 4-4-2 at Bournemouth, giving Victor Anichebe a first start as a supplement for Jermain Defoe.
Sticking with his winning formula would help Defoe, who has scored 21 in his past 39 games – an impressive feat considering he has ploughed such a lone furrow. History indicates he thrives off having a burlier partner and, considering the paucity of decent service he has endured for some time, Moyes is tempted to continue with it.
Just do not expect it to last against the big teams. Moyes admitted his team were “overrun” in midfield for much of Saturday but he had to change something because his only experienced central player was Steven Pienaar, who ended up getting sent off.
“If you look through most of Jermain’s career, I think he’s played with someone alongside him but in our team it’s very difficult to have only four midfield players,” Moyes added. “We don’t have much possession and that means your defenders are often under the cosh but we had to try something because of what we had with injuries. We had very little choice.”
Anichebe scored the equaliser and won the penalty for Defoe’s winner having broken a rib in the opening minutes. It was quite a turnaround for a striker who has only 36 goals in 235 games and appeared at a loose end at West Bromwich Albion last season. “He has great strength and ability, I just hope he keeps showing it,” added Moyes, who managed the Nigerian at Everton. “Vic was out there and there weren’t many takers for him in the summer but I’ve always had belief in Victor. He’s got more than he shows sometimes and people don’t recognise that he’s a very good player.”
The ceaseless running of Duncan Watmore is another positive but Moyes is urging the 22-year-old to curb his enthusiasm. “He’s got something but needs to learn when to slow down and speed up. Technically, his development will improve.”
So too, you expect, will Sunderland’s results if they continue to battle as they did on Saturday.
