Misfiring duo need some forward thinking

FOOTBALL’S a strange old game. It’s only a couple of weeks ago that back-to-back wins against Fulham and Stoke at the Stadium of Light had us all convinced we were safe.

Now after grabbing just two points from a possible 12 against Arsenal, Liverpool, Wigan and Spurs, backsides on Wearside are twitching again.

Most frustratingly of all on Saturday against Wigan, I could have saved 45 minutes of my time by not bothering to watch the second half, as it was so clear we weren’t going to score.

There was no guile or character and most worryingly we lacked any sort of fight. We’ve just nine games left to nudge ourselves towards safety and performances need to improve if we’re going to do it.

We do have the excuse that Anton Ferdinand and Kieran Richardson were missing. They’re our star men in the defensive and midfield departments, so without two major cogs like that it was always going to be difficult. That’s not really a good enough reason though, the likes of Tal Ben Haim have played enough Premiership games to know better and too many individuals failed to take responsibility.

Two men perhaps needing to look at themselves closely are Andy Reid and Steed Malbranque. The duo are two of our most naturally gifted players, yet there’s a sense of inevitability when any substitutes enter the fray that it’ll be one, or both, of them making way.

Both Steed and Reid have the ability to carve open defences, something that is even more handy as opposing legs begin to tire, yet they rarely seem able to finish a game.

Can you imagine a bin-man not finishing his round because he’s too tired to last a whole day? Or a chef deciding he wants to finish work at 9.30pm every night as he’s not able to concentrate for a full shift?

I can’t really picture going to the theatre, only for the lead actor to be replaced halfway through the performance as he’s not remembered all the lines. You get my gist?

Roy Keane was criticised for his totalitarian regime, but at least under his rule we were able to fight for the full 90 minutes. Reid and Malbranque are in their late 20s, a time when physically they should be in the best condition of their lives. If they aren’t up to the job they’re paid very handsomely to do, Ricky needs to get them onto a strict regime so that there’s no more fat exhausted backsides on show at the Stadium of Light, save for those on the terraces.

If Spag Bol hasn’t got his hands full enough with Reid and Malbranque, he’ll also need to do some urgent work on our dream team partnership up front. It’s fair to say that Kenwyne Jones could fit in as a squad player for any of the big four, and Djibril Cisse has already been there and done it at the top level, meaning we should have the sort of perfect front pairing we’ve not seen in the North East since Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips tormented defences at the beginning of this century.

Somehow though, Cisse’s ball-greedy attitude has begun to not only incense supporters, but also his strike partner. Jones seemed to spend a lot of last Saturday with his hands on his hips glaring at Djibril, who’d happily shoot from the corner flag rather than lay the ball off to a team mate. It’s also meant Jones has stopped his role as supply man in some sort of protest, meaning a potentially deadly partnership is turning into a damp, disinterested squib.

We’re told that Sbragia might not be a high profile name that grabs the imagination or headlines like Keane and he’s simply a great coach.

If that’s the case we need him more than ever. He needs to use his skills on his front two so that they’re able to pass a ball to one another, as most successful sides have done in the 150 years since the game was invented.

Sadly we’re running out of winnable games, with our next three matches seeing away days at Man City and West Ham, followed by the visit of champions-elect Manchester United.

It’s feasible we’ll get zero points from that trio, meaning the following two fixtures, against West Brom and Hull, will dictate whether we’ll need to grow our fingernails ahead of the final day of the season. Ricky might not be Mr Personality, but he needs to be Mr Motivator to ensure our current slump doesn’t end in humiliation.