Fan Letters: “The difference between Sunderland and Leeds United was clear to see!”

Dear Roker Report,

Firstly, thank you for such balanced yet personal opinions on Sunderland AFC.

I’ve just recovered (I think) from Leeds and I saw a talented Sunderland squad against a team which is funded by parachute payments and the sale of Premier League players from when they were relegated.

The reality is that we weren’t able to battle toe-to-toe and the difference was clear to see.

This has to be the first game in which Enzo Le Fée struggled, and I know others may think differently, but that’s my take and I do find our head coach’s defensive mindset a little worrying.

I have two concerns moving forward.

If we get promoted. we’ll need to recruit some experience to support the young squad, but if we’re not promoted, how many players are we going to lose?

How the 2025/2026 Championship is going to look is a question for another day, but I think Luke O’Nien is the only player who isn’t being considered by clubs at a higher level and there have to be some players who want to take a step forward.

I’m proud of this squad and the fact that since our promotion season, we’ve felt like a team with a united spirit — something we missed during the previous decade.

Steve Jones

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Steve. Thank you for your letter.

I’ve heard quite a lot of people mention the subject of parachute payments when discussing our games against the former Premier League sides this season, and whilst I do think it plays a part in their ability to compete so strongly, I don’t think it’s the be all and end all.

We’ve been competitive in all six games against Burnley, Leeds and Sheffield United this season (not to mention our two victories over Luton Town) and it’s not unreasonable to say we should’ve achieved even better results against them.

In Leeds’ case, their ability to change a game from the bench paid dividends on Monday night, but I don’t think there’s a huge gulf and that made the loss even more sickening.

We competed strongly, but the game swung on key moments in which we came off second best, and that’s the step we need to take in order to fight for the top two on a consistent basis.

 

Dear Roker Report,

I wonder what you guys thought of the away end concourse at Leeds?

I thought it was really dangerous, with a single staircase for exit and entry and a narrow concourse for 3,000 fans? Add in only one set of toilets, and TV’s and the bar intruding into the space and I felt more at risk than I have at a football match for ages.

It was particularly bad at half time with a real crush of people trying to get to the bar/ toilets and then back to their seats — obviously with people also trying to enjoy their drinks and watching the replays on the TV etc.

I hate to think what would’ve happened if there was an emergency evacuation for any reason.

I mentioned it to a steward and a PC and was met with apathetic responses.

Is it just me being a grumpy old git?

Ian Chester

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Ian. Thank you for your letter.

A friend of mine who was at the game on Monday night texted me at full time and described the away end at Elland Road as a ‘throwback’ and ‘antiquated’ — and I’m not sure he meant that in a positive sense.

It’s a very old stadium that’s had little redevelopment done, and judging by the TV pictures and images on social media, Sunderland’s fans didn’t exactly have great views, with support pillars appearing to obscure the on-field action.

Charming to some, I guess, but a pain in the backside for others.

Dear Roker Report,

A brutally disappointing result for the Lads after a brave, gutsy performance.

I predict that Leeds will win the Championship and struggle yet again in the Premier League. If the referee had awarded four minutes of extra time instead of five, we would’ve come away with a very hard-earned point. Fine margins!

So, what can we learn to take into the rest of the season and into the next one?

• Could we have been more careful with the ball during the brief periods we were in possession, especially during the second half?
• Were we guilty of giving away too many free kicks inside our own half, especially in the second half?
• Do we need to add a different kind of number nine to the squad?

It was good to see Anthony Patterson ‘going long” but we need a target man such as a Charlie Wyke, Kevin Kyle or dare I suggest a Niall Quinn, who’s capable of playing with his back to goal and giving us extra precious time to move out when we’re under the cosh.

Wilson Isidor has been brilliant but he’s not going to hold up the ball when we need to relieve the pressure, and neither is Eliezer Mayenda.

• Could we have put on Chris Mepham as a third centre half once Leeds introduced Pascal Struijk and Joe Rothwell?

It was obvious what they were going to do and they were allowed to do it very successfully.

Did anyone else spot Struijk’s shove on Mayenda prior to him scoring the equaliser? He wouldn’t have pushed Mepham over quite as easily.

• Back to my old gripe: do we lose the ball in midfield and wide areas more than we need to because of our ‘inverted players’?

For example, would a right-footed right winger have attempted the tackle which Patrick Roberts committed for the free kick which led to Leeds’ first goal? Would a naturally right-footed player have got his right leg around the opponent and made contact with the ball? Fine margins!

It occurs time after time to Jobe, Chris Rigg and of course Roberts. I’m not criticising them; I’m pointing out what I think is a weakness in the way we set the team up. I know other teams do it — particularly one or two at the top end of the Premier League — but they don’t appear to lose possession as regularly as we do.

Last season, virtually the same Sunderland team was making a hash of it in the Championship and Leeds were a Premier League club.

They’ve come down with a load of cash and we were within eleven minutes of beating them.

We’ve come a long way. Now’s the time to be honestly self-critical, attempt to put right and improve those elements of the team which need it and move forward once more. We aren’t that far off being a very good, very mature team with a bunch of young lads wearing those red and white stripes.

I trust you’ve noticed that I’m writing this at 3:00am in the hope that once I’ve got it off my chest I’ll go back to bed and go to sleep.

I think I’ve previously mentioned that a football-daft neighbour of mine says that being a football supporter is akin to suffering an illness!

Haway the Lads

Alan Jackson

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Alan. Thank you for getting in touch.

I’ll address the points you’ve made in sequence, but I’d also highlight that last season, both Leeds and Sunderland were in the Championship, with Leeds getting to the playoff final, where they lost to Southampton, despite having the benefit of parachute payments from the 2022/2023 campaign.

On the way we approached things in the second half on Monday night, I do feel that it was all too rushed at times, and that we did make things easy for the hosts by conceding possession cheaply and gifting them opportunities from set pieces.

I would’ve loved to have seen the Lads build on the 0-1 lead and continue to press for a second goal, but we seemed to slip into a ‘safety first’ mindset, which ultimately proved costly.

I’m sure that sections of our fanbase would like us to add a ‘classic’ Championship number nine to the ranks — a big, strong and physical forward, but given the development of Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda, the thorny issue is where such a player would fit into the squad, and how much game time they’d get at Sunderland.

I was surprised that Chris Mepham wasn’t brought on during Monday’s game, as he would’ve certainly offered us greater security in the face of the Leeds bombardment via balls being played into the box. We defended manfully for much of the game, but it was obvious that we had nothing left in the tank by that stage.

I also don’t think that the ‘inverted players’ issue was particularly problematic for us on Monday.

The challenge from Patrick Roberts was rash and could’ve been made by any Sunderland player. Instead, I think it was the longstanding issue of our weakness from set pieces (including the need for Anthony Patterson to be more commanding) that was our undoing.

Finally, I agree on the need for us to be self critical.

This has undoubtedly been a season of progress, but we’re not a team without weaknesses and as the players continue to develop, they’ll hopefully understand exactly what it takes to compete for the top two during a forty six-game season.