Sunderland fans witnessed something ‘maddening’ in their 1-0 defeat to Millwall which caused outrage throughout social media.
Spectators at the Stadium of Light were forced to witness another Sunderland defeat on Saturday. Former star man Duncan Watmore returned to haunt his former club as he scored the only goal of the game.
It was another poor performance at the Stadium of Light, with Sunderland now without a win at their home ground in their last six matches.
Frustrations around the stadium only begin to grow as many fans gleefully hope for the end of the campaign to come.
However, performances from the first team are making it increasingly difficult to watch the club with the entertainment of the games extremely poor.
Now, journalist Michael Graham has criticised the style of play citing that it is ‘maddening’.
Sunderland’s style of play ‘maddening’
One thing that was questioned after the defeat to Millwall was Mike Dodds’ formation. The manager opted to play a 3-4-3 system. This was criticised by some due to its seemingly defensive nature.
However, Graham believes that the formation should work but the way the players are performing is hindering the attacking movement.
He said: “3-4-3 system is incredibly attacking if you do what its strengths are, which is to overload the flanks. Every time we see a forward run though we see it as a nice opportunity to play backwards. It’s maddening.”
As a result, Sunderland went another game without scoring a goal. The club now has only scored once in their past four games, a problem that has been persistent throughout the season.
Read more: Everything we know about Sunderland’s pre-season plans.
Sunderland fans’ patience is wearing thin
After yet another uninspiring defeat, fans are far from pleased with another lacklustre performance.
Despite having nothing to play for, the starting XI is still expected to perform but showed no signs of ever getting a result throughout.
Fans have now taken to social media to express their anger at how lethargic their side was in attack. Multiple claimed that their side was ‘toothless’ and that those sorts of ‘boring’ performances are completely unacceptable.
Big changes needed this summer
If anything is apparent from 2024, big changes are needed at the club. On top of a new incoming manager, a whole new attack must be brought in.
The fact that multiple managers have struggled to get any output from their strikers shows that they are not good enough for this level.
If Sunderland are serious about promotion to the Premier League this issue needs to be sorted out as soon as possible.
No matter which manager comes through the door, if this form continues into the new campaign, it will be over very quickly.