For people who don’t follow Sunderland Football Club, but are aware of the team’s results, the situation must look pretty grim. Since Phil Parkinson took over as manager back in October, he has only managed to win two games (WhoScored.com). It is a record that puts serious doubt into the fans’ minds regarding their eventual finish in the league at the end of the season.
But to those who genuinely care about the club, and follow the Black Cats closely, the situation is much worse than what is originally presented at the first-team level. Not only is the senior squad incapable of consistently taking points from games, but the academy teams are also struggling to remain competitive. This week Roker Report posted the shocking results of the club’s U18 and U23 league fixtures. The post shows that the U18s have failed to win a match since August 2018, while the U23s haven’t won since February 2019.
Fans were frustrated by the results. They suggest that the club is in a free fall. One fan claims that when the academy was playing successfully a few years ago, the club never managed to promote the players to the first-team.
I have serious concerns about where this club will be in another 5 years if things do not change soon.
— Michael Bartley (@schmeichel1b) December 17, 2019
This is wild! Every aspect of the club is in free fall
— Andy Lynn (@andy_lynn) December 17, 2019
If you go back only a few years (pre 2017) the U/23s or reverses were very successful. But hardly any of them made it through to the first team. Even the team that played against Porto, there were two current first teamers Gooch and Hume. Note that Asoro and Maja played
— Tim Reus (@Timothy_Reus) December 17, 2019
Check the stats for the first team. Not much better.
SD has screwed it up and needs to proactively sell out.
— Hummy (@eathummous1) December 17, 2019
Do you think the academy results shed light on the club's future?
Yes
No
Another supporter doesn’t think losing every game can be good for the players’ development. He feels that it is damaging to their confidence. One fan remembered a game when the u18s were losing 2-0 within the first two minutes.
Keep getting fed the “bigger picture” card from them too, but the fact of the matter is getting hammered every game can not be doing anything for confidence in such an important part of there career.
— Connor Gardner (@ConnorGardner) December 17, 2019
My son was ballboy at the last u18 game in the fa youth cup against Birmingham, they were 2-0 down within a minute and a half
— Lee Johnson (@leeroy1984) December 17, 2019
What do we think?
It is obviously tough to place too much blame on the players. It is evident that the problem at Sunderland Football Club is much bigger than that. With that being said, the club must quickly find a solution to the problem, and quickly. The results, unfortunately, speak for themselves.