da realsbet： 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…
da stake casino： Sunderland’s results are continuing on a downward spiral and that shows no sign of stopping soon, unless Phil Parkinson changes things significantly.
The former Bolton boss has realised that things aren’t working and to his credit he has tried a variety of possible solutions without success.
A key problem is the lack of threat in attack and Parkinson has altered both playing personnel and formations in a bid to fix that, playing two up-front against Gillingham but only seeing three shots on target in return.
Jack Ross’ similar struggles would hint that the squad simply isn’t good enough, yet players like Aiden McGeady, Chris Maguire and Will Grigg have previously proven themselves very good players at this level or higher, so their underperformance is puzzling.
However, an inspection of their attitude reveals the big problem that is acting as a thorn in Parkinson’s side, and until he addresses it his failures in the north-east are likely to continue.
For example, McGeady and Maguire were captured tucking into McDonald’s after the defeat to Gills, which shows a disregard for their own fitness and shows that their minds aren’t focused on the right thing.
It is a signal of disrespect for the manager and a lack of care that they have lost another game, being left on the bench despite their obvious talent.
Parkinson should be worried by such a development. It shows a flagrant disregard for what he’s trying to build with the club and if they aren’t on board then he must cut them adrift despite any qualities they may have.
Both McGeady and Maguire consistently failed to live up to their ability this term and the time has come for Parkinson to say enough is enough.
If he does that he will show that he is taking no prisoners nor making any more excuses for underperformers, and that should motivate the rest of his squad to play better, as their livelihoods are perhaps more dependant on playing for the Black Cats than the above pair.
With the rate things are going some fans think relegation is more likely than promotion under Parkinson, and therefore he needs to make significant changes immediately.