There have not been too many consistently solid performers for Sunderland in recent weeks. Their erratic results prove how difficult the team are finding things under Phil Parkinson. Roker Report’s @Gav1879 posted an article praising Alim Ozturk. He thinks the centre-back has been one of the most consistent performers in a Sunderland shirt for a while now.
The writer insinuates that while the player is far from perfect, he brings dependability to the backline. When the story was shared on Twitter, fans agreed with this assessment.
They think that Ozturk deserves a bit of credit. In their eyes he is well suited in League One and that he makes up for Tom Flanagan’s defensive liabilities.
He has done well
— Josh Gibson (@JoshGib76204214) January 8, 2020
I have always said hes not fast but if he stays back he can bully the strikers into mistakes just by his size
If he stops them and boots the ball back up field then as I’m aware job done that’s stopping the ball from entering our net if he finds a player the same time even better— lee ferdinando (@dumboVI) January 8, 2020
Agreed, think league one suits him but he needs a steady head alongside him to get the best out of him
— Ian Price (@Pricenator) January 8, 2020
Makes up for Flanagan who’s a liability defensively
— George Blackburn (@GBL1807) January 8, 2020
Steady 7/10 every week.
— The Baz. (@paulbasnett10) January 8, 2020
Is Alim Ozturk Sunderland's steadiest performer?
Yes
No
Another supporter really hopes that Ozturk, who is valued at £180k (as per Transfermarkt), is rewarded for his hard work by scoring a screamer soon. They think it will blow the roof off the stadium.
Would love to see a30 yard screamer from him to blow the roof off the stadium… he has been good recently. Composed, and made me less nervy..
— Daniel Gowens (@dangledowns) January 8, 2020
What do we think?
While it is clear that these fans think Ozturk has more to offer, they appreciate his ability to do what is necessary on a consistent basis.
Perhaps if his teammates could do the same, the team would not be in such a dire state at the moment.