Wearside has been a place where the sombre mood often persists for eight to ten months and then lo and behold, the fans get some joyous moments. The club has given them one hell of a ride and this season is following a similar trajectory. After a woeful start to the season, Sunderland picked up their first win in the 11th game week against Bournemouth and it started a purple patch as the club has managed to win three times in six games, not the worst return considering they went ten games without a win.
Sunderland’s chief executive Martin Bain has revealed that the club will be short on funds in January, In fact, he stressed that the need to clear some of the £140m debt is imperative and short-term solutions are no longer their priority. The club has spent money carelessly in the past, and sadly for Moyes, he’s the one who has to bear the brunt.
Moyes did a brilliant job at Everton under similar circumstances and if given time, he could do a similar job at Sunderland. The owners have placed considerable faith in the Scotsman and recent results have vindicated that. However, it’s only going to get harder.
The Black Cats don’t have the worst team by any means. The injuries have made it incredibly hard, though. The likes of Jan Kirchhoff and Fabio Borini, who played a key role in their survival last season, were long-term absentees and they will take time to slowly settle in and get back to their best. The new arrivals, N’dong and Januzaj have played well but only in patches. In short, if all of them click, the team could be much better than a relegation threatened one.
In times of limited funds, free transfers and loan signings should be the way to go. There are quite a few around and it’s up to the backroom to assess the ideal player who can add more quality and balance to an alright team which has been castigated unfairly.
Nevertheless, it’s going to be a tough time as most of the clubs will spend some money and in times like that, all Moyes can stick to is a bit of pragmatism. Fixtures against Burnley, Stoke City and West Brom are their best chances of picking up some points as interlaid games against Liverpool and Spurs will be extremely hard. The team has finally found an identity, even though it was pretty obvious (playing on the counter).
