Sunderland fans make their feelings known by chanting a plea after suffering a 2-1 defeat at Ipswich Town over the weekend.
It was another disappointing defeat for the Black Cats with Conor Chaplin’s header making sure that the Tractorboys would stay in the Championship top two with victory over their playoff chasing opposition.
Southampton had comfortably beaten Sheffield Wednesday in the 3pm kick off that day to jump above Kieran McKenna’s side, but Ipswich managed to put a stop to their five-game winless run hours later.
Jack Clarke got on the end of Abdoullah Ba’s pass, and placed the ball past Vaclav Hladky had put Sunderland ahead on 26 minutes.
Ipswich were then level shortly after through Kayden Jackson, who pounced on a loose ball to sweep the ball into the corner of the net after good work from Woolfenden, Travis and Chaplin in the build-up.
Chaplin then got a 75th minute winner, Davis picking out Chaplin with a fine free-kick and Chaplin’s headed effort went straight for the top corner to clinch the win.
Come the final whistle, Sunderland fans who packed out the away end demanded that their club signed a striker in the January transfer window.
Sums it up that #safc pic.twitter.com/OYN6wXvArz
— jake (@jakesafc2508) January 13, 2024
The result sees Sunderland drop out of the playoff places through goal difference, level on points with 6th place Coventry who beat Leicester that weekend. Ipswich meanwhile are 2nd with 58 points from 27 games played, three clear of 3rd place Southampton, and 7 behind leaders Leicester.
“It was a really good win and I’m really proud of the players,” Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna said to TownTV.
“It was a hard-fought game against a very good team, like many are in this division, but I think they have some fantastic players in a technical sense.
“We had to work really, really hard for it in a period of the season where we’re facing challenges game-by-game, in terms of availability, and are having to adapt after having a really settled side for a long period of time.
“There were some good things in the performance and we created enough chances to win the game. Sunderland at their good moments as well but we are very pleased with the performance.
“I thought we had the better of it before their goal, but not by loads, and they scored from the second phase of a set-piece, which we need to do better from.
“But the group doesn’t panic, they stick with it and we get the goal back. Our execution wasn’t fantastic all night, from a technical point of view, but we are going from having two central midfielders who have played almost every game together for 12 months to two who have done it for three training sessions. We are adapting and developing in other areas, too, and the players have done that really well.
“It wasn’t our smoothest but all of the ingredients were there in terms of commitment, effort and running.
“I’ve made my feelings clear on Kayden before and anyone who works so hard for the team should always be supported,” Kieran adds.
“He’s stepping into a centre-forward role now, having training and played for the team as a right winger for more than 12 months, so it’s not easy to adjust to that again.
“He’s a really good outlet for the team who works tirelessly and has contributed to a good team performance. Like his goal at Sheffield Wednesday last season, if you get him in that right channel he has a nice finish on him.
“The second goal was excellent and it was great to see us get back to scoring from set-pieces, because it was the first we’d scored in a while.
“Games come down to fine margins and it was great to come out on the right side of those.”
“It was a good game between two good teams,” Sunderland’s Michael Beale said, as per East Anglian Daily Times.
“As the away team coming here, sixth or seventh in the league against the team second, I thought we had enough of the game to get a result out of it. We had two big chances before we scored in the first half.
“And obviously the big miss (by Aouchiche) in the second half, and then how naive we are to give away a free-kick when the boy was facing the stand.
“It was a poor decision (by Aouchiche) to give the free-kick away, but then the smallest player on the pitch (Chaplin) has had a free header in the middle of the goal.
“So we have only got ourselves to blame.”
He added: “It was two good teams giving each other problems and going at each other. It would have been a good game for the neutral.
“It’s our naivety that has cost us the points. If we had gone back up the road with one point, we’d have had ifs and buts about the chances we had so to go away with nothing is really disappointing.
“I feel, as the away manager, we should have taken something from this game but I’m sure Kieran will feel his team deserved it as well.
“I thought it was finely balanced and it was bitterly disappointing for us.”
This is how Twitter users reacted as Sunderland fans make their feelings known with a plea for a striker after defeat at Ipswich…
@saley1984: I thought they was saying you want a straightener 😩😂
@JulioGeordio80: That’s Kyril told 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@the_peakys: Awful appointment. Won’t be leaving championship any time soon. Wouldn’t trust him in premier league in any case.
@geemangeegee: Are you listening to Beale’s post match, he goes straight to blame the players, takes no responsibility for his failings! This interview is a disgrace!
@__mattbennett_: When the majority of the fan base get a feeling about a manager I’d say it turns out to be right more times than not. We are now going backwards. I have not faith in this man and I don’t think the players do, they aren’t playing for him or each other anymore.
@neil_ruttley: I was broadly on side with the club’s “model” until they sacked Mowbray. Everything they have done since then has been a disgrace. This appointment and the awful Derby day fiasco makes you question everything the leadership team of our club are doing. Goodwill down the toilet.
@KieronBrown1996: Beale out. It’s that simple, shocking appointment.
@Johnandthejets: Beale out. Cockney chancer. Throwing the players under the bus. Great man manager
@pinehurst5: When will the club realise Beale is not the answer. He was the cheap option and it shows. Mowbray – Beale is a backward step. Wake up @SunderlandAFC
@Fieldo100: Cheap option brought in as manager. Might as well have left TM in charge. Need investment from the owner. Could start by using the money he got from selling his own fans out. 🔴⚪️
@bchawaythelads: Let’s not give Beale an excuse. Mowbray didn’t have a striker but he got us in the play offs. This narrative plays into Beales hand. He simply isn’t good enough.
@Scookie555: I’m angry. I’m really angry. I’m completely fed up of these listless, weak performances completely lacking in drive, pace and any sort of attacking threat. And I’m beyond fed up of playing game after game without a centre forward, it’s really, really not acceptable
@northeast73: We need game strategy and that’s not waiting till 82 and 89 to put striker sub on.
@MiserableMackem: That’s the sound of #SAFC fans becoming fed up of the current situation and regime.
@RobTate87: 😂😂😂😂😂 this is what’s it’s come to
@Leightonjj_: we wan a strier
@boxing_buddy: 12 months and counting and the fans are reducing to this. Totally unacceptable from KLD .
@EkwahFanSAFC: Another tactical masterclass from Michael Beale. No striker, Jobe needs a rest, defence all over the place, replaced Ba when he’s actually playing well, brings on Rusyn with only 10 minutes left. We’re going backwards and an alarming rate #SAFC
Up since 4am flight to London and a train and a rail replacement to Ipswich but we always follow #SAFC pic.twitter.com/4iQjTYGQrL
— Josh Bunting (@Buntingfootball) January 13, 2024
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