Dear ALS

Just read your report on the reserves game versus Man City at the SOL... well written and funny as usual.

As one of the Hetton lot who attends the games at the Hetton Centre I have to admit some disappointment that this game was switched to the Stadium of Light, especially as the Hetton Centre pitch has no game on it until November 19th (the last one being the ladies versus Tranmere on Nov 9th. Try as I may I can't find out why this game was switched, does your spy know anything? Cos no one at the SOL or at Hetton will admit to why it was done.

I personally blame the grounds man at Hetton who doesn't want anyone to play on his wonderfully cultivated surface. In fact I have heard a whisper that he wants to make a garden of it and show in next year’s Chelsea flower show!

In the Man City report a mention is made of the female steward at the right hand end of the stand at Hetton. Is this the plump sunburnt one with the pony tail, or the ugly grey haired female that looks like John Rocha (my mate Clive Lee calls her Hiawatha), because both of them are ex KGB and not Stasi as thought!

Given the fact that the average attendance at The Hetton Centre for the reserve league games is currently over 1500, and last night's attendance at the SOL was 491, I think it was total folly to switch the game, unless the Hetton Centre grounds man was too busy planting his bulbs to mark the pitch out!

Cheers,
David Gardner

Dear ALS

On the back of Saturday's loss to a very average and pedestrian Portsmouth, the performance made me look at where it went wrong and if there were any parallels to be draw with previous SAFC sides of the past?

The first 40 minutes we were excellent, one touch football, Steed, Rico and Reid all dominating the Pompey quartet, while Whitehead had one of his best performances since Pascal last played a match without his mittens. Cisse was forcing Campbell into retirement and I felt we could only go on and notch another 2 or 3 by the time the 90 minutes were up. As we are all aware we very unlucky to only go in 1 up at the interval and then ultimately went to lose a game, that in a lot of observer’s opinion was there for the taking.

So what happened?

In my humble opinion it looked that the players were running out of steam, not ideas, but physical fitness. As a club we are looking to take that next step to finally establish ourselves as a Premier League club with premier league players. As Royson entered the transfer market this summer he brought in untold riches of talent... A Champions League winner with a fetish for flashy underwear, the former African footballer of the year , the younger sibling of England's most expensive defender, a Frenchman who Sven wanted for England and a glove wearing full back who had a reputation of being difficult. Make no mistake these were big singings for our club amongst the others that entered the SOL in the summer window.

I was and still am excited by these signings as they are a statement of intent some would argue by the club that we are wanting to push on and start a special chapter in our history. However there is a nagging pain that I still have, that I need to get off my chest. For all the quality and excitement that these players bring are we missing something that we have always had at the club? Grafters. Now don't get me wrong. Give me a Glenn Hoddle over a Carlton Palmer any day of the week. However when I look at the squad as a whole are there any leaders out there.

The question is: Have we replaced substance for style to get to the next level?

In the summer of 2002 Peter Reid was given the largest transfer kitty of any Sunderland manager until Keane (three season's too late some might say) he looked to take the club up a level. He brought in Tore Andre Flo and Marcus Stewart for a reported £10m. He added Claudio Rayner the winter before; we had SKP who with the right service proved could get you 20 -30 goals a season. Four international keepers in Sorensen, Myhre , Macho and later Poom. It was a team scattered with internationals, but we all know what happened in that 19 point season. Previously when I mentioned parallels between our current crop of stars, the 02/03 squad comes to mind. Reidy replaced the likes of Rae, Hutchinson, Craddock, Summerbee, Makin with Rayner, McAteer, Babb , Piper and Wright.

Now some may think that there was an improvement, but for me we lost what we had built up in the previous three seasons. A hunger to prove others wrong. The underdog who would scrap and fight until the last whistle. I saw this on Saturday as I think we settled for the draw. Up to last season under Keano we were doing that right up to the final whistle. I firmly believe that this kept us in the Premiership with no little skill or talent I may add, but our shear fitness and hunger saved us from trips to Bloomfield Road and Ninian Park this year.

We were out bullied at Stoke recently and I think that the physical side of things we need to improve. If there is a kitty in January and if Roy can ship out our dozen or so deadwood. He needs to bring in a top, heart on your sleeve, no fear, hairy arsed central defender to go along side Franz. We have to face facts we aren't going to get Jonny Evans and I am not talking a John McPhail tight shorts and all, but someone who can mix it up when we need too. I agree fully with what Roy and Niall are doing attracting top players to the club, but let’s not look past the basics as well. A crunching tackle sometimes gets a bigger roar than a 30 yard screamer.*

I am 110% sure that the fate of this team won't be the same as the class of 2003 and we will finish in the top 10. There is just too much talent to follow previous seasons. But I just can’t help think at times that we may have lost the underdog attitude as on Saturday we went with a whimper, which we very un-Keane like...

*exception of Rico's free kick against the unwashed dated 25.10.08...

Any parallels?... Er no?
Déjà vu?... Definitely not?
I'll get me coat!

Haway the lads
Stu Tench