Sunderland's struggles continue in uninspiring loss to West Ham
For Sunderland, it's not getting better. For 88 minutes of Dick Advocaat's first game in charge, they had fought and scrapped towards what would have been a tedious but potentially important goalless draw, but finally as the ball dropped to Diafra Sakho in the box, he drilled in a low finish to end West Ham's long run without a win, and increase Sunderland's relegation worries.
This was supposed to be the first game of the rest of Sunderland's season, but it felt an awful lot like the previous 28. There was little invention or attacking flair, and a rearguard that never looked entirely secure.
Two years ago, in seemingly terminal drift, they sacked Martin O'Neill with seven games of the season remaining, and appointed Paolo Di Canio, who picked up two wins and two draws to save the club from relegation. Advocaat, appointed on Tuesday after the dismissal of Gus Poyet following last Saturday's abject 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, was given two more games to perform a salvage operation.
Defeats earlier in the afternoon for Leicester City and Burnley, the two sides in action below Sunderland in the table, at least meant Sunderland couldn't sink ay deeper into the mire, while Aston Villa's recent improvement under Tim Sherwood was checked by a 1-0 home loss to Swansea. Advocaat could perhaps take heart from the fight and doggedness of the performance -- qualities that had been sorely lacking last week -- but there was precious little quality.
Advocaat's first team selection was something of a surprise, with Connor Wickham being used behind a front two of Steve Fletcher and Jermain Defoe, while Sebastian Larsson operated as the deepest-lying midfielder, flanked by Jordi Gomez and Jack Rodwell. The shape almost made an immediate impact, Defoe breaking down the right and pulling the ball back for Wickham. He chested the ball down and caught his volley powerfully enough, but the shot was straight at Adrian.
Thereafter, though, the first half lapsed into the sort of scrappy, scratchy affair that was always likely between two sides so utterly out of form. Sunderland seemed content to waste time almost from the off, their attacking intent limited to long balls aimed at the trio of forwards. Wickham, as so often, flattered to deceive, the occasional deft or intelligent touch lost amid a morass of scuffed flicks. Defoe's running at least offered some sort of outlet, but this was a side playing without any semblance of confidence.
As West Ham settled, the game was increasingly played in the Sunderland half. Diafra Sakho headed a Mark Noble cross just wide, Alex Song had a long-range volley parried by Costel Pantilimon and there were a string of corners, without any sense of coherence or rhythm. Sunderland, never fluid anyway, was disrupted by an injury to Wes Brown, forced off after 12 minutes to be replaced by Santiago Vergini.
Carlton Cole came on at half-time for Matt Jarvis, who had barely been involved in the first 45, as West Ham switched to the diamond midfield with which they had been so effective earlier in the season. The intention, perhaps, was to take advantage of Vergini's relative weakness in the air, but the effect was to make the game even more congested and tetchy than it had been before half-time. Sakho put another headed chance just wide but the second half then sunk into a morass of misplaced passes and niggling fouls. Even the stadium clock gave up the ghost nine minutes after half-time, awakening the possibility that the horror might never end, that an entire stadium had been thrust into an eternity of awful football.
Advocaat's attempt to add some energy was to remove the ineffective Fletcher and replace him with Adam Johnson, with Wickham moving up alongside Defoe. The attacking midfielder had been suspended as he faces a police investigation into alleged sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl but when bail was extended earlier in the week, the club lifted his ban. He was, not surprisingly, greeted with boos and a chorus of abusive chants.
That did lift Sunderland to the extent that Patrick van Aanholt, charging forwards from left-back, forced Adrian into a diving save to his left, but that was a rare opportunity, and the game was still largely spent with West Ham flinging balls into the Sunderland box.
Eventually, the away side's luck ran out. It was an awful game and, for Sunderland, an awful result.
In post-game comments, West Ham's embattled manager Sam Allardyce was happy to walk away with three points.
"It is nice to get a win to make everyone's life a little more comfortable this weekend. We are really chuffed," said Allardyce. "Even though the game at times was a bit scrappy, we deserved it."
As for the questionable non-call in the build up to Sakho's goal, Allardyce acknowledged that luck was probably on his side.
"Yes, there was probably a foul (in the build-up), but it is about time something went our way rather than against us," said Allardyce.
As for Advocaat's first game in charge, he was less impressed.
"The luck was not on our side. Everybody saw it (the foul) and not the referee, but I do not want to complain," said the Dutch manager.
As for Sunderland's future, Advocaat isn't giving up yet: "In just three days, you cannot change too much."
