The View From Churchmans

What a truly great afternoon's entertainment. I didn't feel that confident before the game, although I did expect it to be an exciting match - and not just because we've had several decent encounters with Sunderland in recent years. They're obviously under a lot of pressure to prove themselves, and spurred on with the inevitable large away support, I thought they'd give us a worthwhile test. But while the game easily surpassed any expectation ... More...

Let's imagine it's 7pm this evening, and you're in the bar, having seen the team sheet, and are writing a script for how the evening's events will unfold. Let's not be too radical; how about this? With a fairly solid defence, a lively midfield and a static front two, we pass the ball around well for 45 minutes, but there aren't any goals. Then after the break, Coventry come out with a plan ... More...

Only one decent performance separates us from the awful early-season displays and this afternoon, but that one performance against QPR meant the whole squad, as well as the home crowd, seemed to begin the afternoon feeling as if we really could be challengers this year, rather than relegation fodder. It doesn't take much, does it? However, it took about two minutes for the defence to be exposed as the same old shambles it's been ... More...