Will Michael Beale last? Is Yann M'Vila coming? YOUR questions answered after Sunderland 0-1 Hull City
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00:00 Hello Phil and James here at the stadium of Leith, Sunderland have just lost 1-0 to Hull City.
00:06 We're going to be taking a look at some of your questions. Phil's going to start off.
00:11 These came to us on Twitter. Phil, what have we got? Who have we got it from?
00:14 Let's start with a fairly obvious one I think from @Aco16 who says,
00:18 "What's changed since Beale arrived? How's the in-upgrade?"
00:21 Well I think the first thing I would say is it's really, really difficult to improve on what Tony Mowbray was doing
00:27 with this group of young players in my opinion given some of the deficiencies we know in the squad in defence and midfield up front.
00:33 And so I feel like he's been on a little bit of a hide-in to nothing.
00:37 What I would say is that in terms of have we seen, you know, he's now had a couple of weeks with his team on the training ground,
00:43 have we seen improvements? We haven't. I think if anything they've actually got worse in the final third.
00:48 I think there's obviously been an effort to try and tighten things up.
00:51 But actually I think it's taken away from the team and to be honest the big question when we said when Mowbray left
00:56 was can someone come in and get a tune out of these strikers and make something more clinical?
00:59 Well they've gone the other way. But I would say that's not all on Michael Beale.
01:02 I think almost trying to put him out there as an upgrade on Mowbray, put him on a hide-in to nothing I think.
01:07 And I think the people, you know, who made that decision have got to be accountable for that.
01:10 Yeah, I think one of the things I would add is it's always very difficult when your sporting director says he's observed
01:17 some of the best coaching sessions he's ever seen and then Sunderland don't perform on the pitch.
01:22 It just set the expectation really high.
01:24 Yeah, and I think also as well, in the first few games I think you almost have to write them off with Beale
01:30 because he had so little. I mean bringing him in over the Christmas schedule, he had no training time.
01:34 The last couple of games I think you have to say have been different because he's had a full week.
01:38 And so it's his sort of game plan and we saw tonight that there were some kind of his tweaks with Neal pushing further forward.
01:44 And actually the press to start off with was pretty good and I thought they created some openings.
01:47 But then after that the intensity just disappeared and let's be honest, they should never have lost that game.
01:52 But they didn't do anywhere near enough to win it. It was too pedestrian, too on pace, too predictable, really, really poor.
01:58 Right, next one.
01:59 So this one's from Christine Smith who says, "No shape. Playing with no right side of the attacking player killed us tonight.
02:04 Shape just not right. Disgust."
02:06 I completely agree. I think obviously this is another one where Beale's got a bit of an issue at the moment.
02:10 Adjie Lisi going down, no fit left back. That is always going to cause you a problem with the balance of the side.
02:15 I think we have to say that. But I thought a really strange decision to have him put Seal in at right back,
02:19 which I could sort of understand. He did okay there. But then to leave Pritchard off the right,
02:23 I thought it just made something so one-dimensional because we all knew that Everton was going to go down the left-hand side with Clarke.
02:28 Fair enough, the first sort of few minutes Pritchard picked up some nice little pockets, came in field.
02:33 But I totally agree. I thought that really didn't work, especially in the second half when I thought it was just so predictable.
02:40 I sympathise with him in terms of the left back's being injured, but that was a strange call.
02:43 I feel like they're trying for attacking fluidity in a sense that Pritchard was coming in at the central attacking midfield spot
02:50 and then Job or Roosin would then drop into his position. But for whatever reason, it's just not clicking at the moment.
02:57 And you know, suddenly missing Patrick Roberts as well.
02:59 He's a big miss. We talked a lot about Roberts sort of.
03:02 I know he hasn't scored or assisted this season.
03:04 But when he's not playing my word, you see what he brings.
03:06 Oh, you absolutely notice it. Who have we got next?
03:07 So this one's from Mike Smith. He says, "Why have Job and Ekwa suddenly turned into backwards, sideways, slow-paced, lack of passion players?"
03:14 See, I disagree with that when it comes to Ekwa because he tried to play the ball forward numerous times and ended up losing it on occasion.
03:21 Job isn't the same.
03:22 Personally, I think the work rate from both of them is absolutely fine. I don't think that's an issue.
03:25 I just think Job is tired, to be honest, personally, and someone might disagree.
03:30 I see signs of fatigue in his decision-making.
03:32 I think that he doesn't release the ball as quickly as he did at the start of the season.
03:36 I don't think he's getting in the box as much as he did.
03:38 I think that's just fatigue. I might be wrong.
03:40 Ekwa, again, I don't think it's a problem with the weather.
03:42 It's just not his position. I just don't think he's a defensive midfielder.
03:44 I don't think he's got that tenacity and he doesn't necessarily have that physicality.
03:48 I just don't think it's his natural game.
03:49 I think he wants to get in the final third. He wants to carry the ball.
03:52 He wants to get up the pitch.
03:53 And for me, please, just sign a defensive midfielder and release Ekwa and Nail.
03:58 It's just not working.
03:59 So I think the point is a valid one in that I don't think either at the moment are at their best.
04:04 And I don't think they're contributing to some of them winning games.
04:07 But for me, it's a tactical thing.
04:09 And I personally, I think Job needs a bit of a rest.
04:11 I also think it's very hard to hit Roosan.
04:15 I was in favour of Roosan at the start, but it's very hard for your centre midfielder to hit Roosan
04:18 when he's up against two centre-backs.
04:20 And Hull really defended quite tight and congested the pitch.
04:26 It's very difficult for even Dan Nail, Ekwa and Job to find Roosan at times.
04:30 Sunderland tend to have most of their joy out wide.
04:34 And if goals don't come from those areas, it's a struggle at the moment.
04:37 Yeah, listen, this one's come from numerous Twitter accounts.
04:41 Does Beal last the season?
04:43 Listen, I think that ultimately Sunderland gave him a two and a half year contract.
04:47 It's not a short-term deal.
04:48 They obviously believe in him.
04:50 I don't think he was necessarily their absolute first choice, but there's a reason they gave him the job.
04:54 I do think he lasts the season.
04:56 I think Sunderland have backed themselves in with this one.
04:58 I think they'll give him time.
05:00 Obviously, the sort of unknown factor is how bad does the mood of the club get if results don't turn?
05:06 And that's a great unknown.
05:08 But I think, to be honest, it reminds me a little bit when Phil Partinson came in.
05:11 Not a hugely popular appointment, but I think that the club will probably be quite stubborn.
05:17 And to be fair, Beal deserves a bit of time to turn around results.
05:20 But it does remind me of the Partinson appointment, particularly because I think now that the manager changes,
05:25 as it did with Jack Ross that season, people begin to realise that actually there's a lot of things we need to discuss
05:31 at this football club.
05:32 The recruitment, the ownership.
05:34 So, yeah, it reminds me of that spell a little bit.
05:37 And I do think Beal gets the season, rightly or wrongly.
05:40 But, yeah, I obviously see that if Sunderland continue to fall out of playoff contention,
05:45 which they're in danger of doing, then all bets are off, I guess.
05:48 But I think it's unlikely.
05:49 I've got a question for you, Phil.
05:50 Is Yannick Vier coming back?
05:52 Well, I just asked Michael Beal there.
05:55 I think, let's be honest, it probably wasn't the perfect time to discuss transfer.
05:58 And you didn't get a very long answer.
05:59 But he did also say that he'd not discussed it with anyone at the club, which would suggest that it's highly unlikely.
06:05 Yeah.
06:06 More good news for our watchers.
06:08 Hope you've enjoyed this six-minute celebration.
06:11 I think, shall we call it there?
06:12 We'll call it there.
06:13 Because it's now past 11.
06:14 Yeah, we're knackered.
06:16 People have already missed the traitors for that dreadful game.
06:18 So we'll let them catch up when I play and crack on.
06:21 Yeah, absolutely.
06:22 Thank you for watching.
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06:27 Thank you once again for watching.