Stewart Donald on the verge of facing a season-defining period at Sunderland - opinion

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Sunderland’s dire run of form shows no sign of getting better any time soon due to the repeated failings of players and the manager, with the quality of the squad simply not good enough.

That explains why Phil Parkinson has been unable to lift the performances of the players since coming in, the same players who underperformed under Jack Ross and cost him his job.

There are several areas in need of strengthening. Even the defence now seems a worry with Joel Lynch’s terrible display against Burton, and that had been one department Parkinson could rely on somewhat.

Of most concern currently is the lack of goals, however. Aside from the 5-0 win over Tranmere – which is increasingly looking like an anomaly – Sunderland have scored eight goals in ten other games Parkinson has managed.

Even though Ross oversaw 19 draws in League One last year with several ending 1-1, that is still perhaps better than what the new boss has offered, and until things change drastically finding a solution looks an impossible task.

While Will Grigg seems a shadow of his former self with one league goal this campaign, and creative players like Aiden McGeady and Chris Maguire are struggling with inconsistency, the priority needs to be improving central midfield.

There is a complete lack of creativity from the options in the middle, with Max Power, Grant Leadbitter and George Dobson averaging 0.4, 1.3 and 0.3 key passes per game respectively this season.

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The latter has shown signs of being a good addition since his summer arrival, and at 21 there is potential for him to grow into the type of player Sunderland need – while his return of 1.7 tackles per game should be appreciated.

Nevertheless, the Black Cats need someone who can pick a pass. A player who is able to find a way through the opposition defence to create chances for Grigg and the wide players would be crucial to give Sunderland the threat they sorely lack.

That means Stewart Donald has to direct funds in that area and support Parkinson’s decisions on new recruits. This could be season-defining, as a failure to do so could end up being more expensive in the long run if they relinquish Parkinson of his services and fail to go up.

Any transfer presents a risk but attempting to find a solution needs to happen regardless, and if it pays off it could get the team and the club moving in the right direction once more.

In other Sunderland news, fans have been discussing the prospect of a former favourite replacing Phil Parkinson as manager, which is something they’d like to see.

from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/2R0PhHH