Sunderland 2 - West Bromwich Albion 0

Mark Koppel:

Back Him or Sack Him?

Tonight proved that the huge investment in new players required to stop us getting relegated next season, that Pepe Mel has proposed, is correct.

So if Jeremy Peace sacks Pepe, that is simply to avoid making this necessary player investment.

For instance, who thinks Peace will make a new Head Coach appointment and give him the necessary budget to rebuild the Team?

Tonight was probably our most ineffective performance from Players 1 to11 on the pitch all season, and that is saying something.

For what it is worth, but I doubt our arrogant Chairman is listening, we need the following to avoid relegation:

1. Two new full backs to replace the 2 Grannies currently playing.
2. One or two Centre Backs as cover for the ageing Olson and McAuley.
3. Two new strikers to replace Odemwingie, Long, and Lukaku.
4. Players to replace all those from the 1st Team Squad on loan.
5. A new Technical Director with football experience to replace the Solicitor with no relevant experience.
6. Allowing Pepe Mel to bring in his own Staff as he asked for before Christmas.

Above all we really need Peace out and to be replaced by someone who is more interested in investing IN the Club rather than just using it to fill up his own personal pockets with ?2million every year.

Player ratings tonight are very difficult to give as we were poor all over the pitch but I will have a go:

• Foster 6 - One great save in the first half but otherwise just picked the ball out the net.
• Beryl Reid 2 - Needs to book himself into the same old people's home as Lugano.
• Lugano 2 - Too slow even to get near the ball to make his normal mistakes.
• McAuley 6 - Like Olson on Sunday, was today's one Defender that had to cover for the other 3 muppets.
• Brunt 3 - Never a full back. Has anyone counted how many free kicks he has now wasted since his last scored one almost 4 years ago ? Why does he not practice them in training?
• Berahino 5 - The beginning of the end for Odemwingie was when Steve Clarke played him as Wing Back against Swansea away. Lets hope we don't treat Saido the same way.
• Dorrans 6 - Probably the only player tonight who looked like he was trying.
• Sess 4 - How can someone get to his level in his career but have such a bad shot?
• Morrison 5 - Ineffective, still way off the player of 2 years ago.
• Yacob 4 - Back to playing backwards and sidewards
• Big Vic - 4 Just about the quietest game he has played for us all season.

Subs:

• Czech Powder Puff 3 - At least he didn't have to comb his hair again after the match.
• Mulumbu 5 - Added a little more urgency to the play but that is pushing it.
• Dawson 4 - Reid was so bad that he even had to be replaced by Dawson who had a nightmare at Right Back On Sunday.

Jeremy Barnes:

Really don't know what to say after that pathetic shambolic performance , only reason it wasn't more was because sunderland eased off!

All confidence evaporated with pepe, he has been hung out to dry, are the players playing for him or are they just paying lip service knowing that Mr Burns has the axe hovering anyway?

Just disgusted with the players tonight they talk the talk for the last few days about wanting to keep integrity with the game and then they serve up that non performance, Norwich must hate us we basically shat upon them and said we are safe so stuff you... pathetic and really really disappointing.

I don't normally have a rant like this but I am really think know after years of defending him Jeremy has got it seriously wrong, we are going nowhere and we have survived relegation by sheer arse and if he continues with his same philosophy next year we are down!!

Absolutely disgusted and have gone from really looking forward to Sunday and having a good drink at the vine before and enjoying the day to dreading it... well apart from the vine that is!!

You have let as all down tonight players of WBA especially the poor souls who are on the way back now!

michael:

That performance last night was not acceptable.

The first half we were strolling and half attempting to get the ball. Second half slightly better.

For the fans to travel and get that response from players who should care more about The Club cannot be allowed to get away with it.

A clear out seems the best option because some players just do not care. I feel sorry for Pepe Mel because they have not shown any desire to ensure he stays.

I guess Mr Peace has already made his mind up and will once again go with a low spending budget next season which I like many others fear the worst for our survival.

Very despondent.

oshawabaggie:

Given the circumstances I wasn't expecting a good performance and not surprisingly my low expectations were duly met. In the second half it would have been almost impossible not to improve on our woeful first 45 minutes, especially as Sunderland sensed they had done enough and took their foot off the gas. But even so, for all of our possession, we lacked any kind of penetration and the come-back was never really on.

Two thoughts came to mind as I watched us get the run around by a fellow relegation struggler in the first half.

1. Did the players have any thought for the poor travelling fans who had spent their hard earned cash to go and support them?
2. Since some of them are loaners, out of contract or looking for pastures new you would have thought that this would be an ideal chance to showcase their talents. What talents, you say? To think that Dorrans was our most lively combatant and he was nearly out of the door some months ago (and might still be). An aside; Why the f*** can't professional players (Brunt and Dorrans for example)kick a bloody dead ball on target from 25 yards?

Under normal circumstances Albion fans should be ecstatic at avoiding the drop (like the Sunderland fans surely are), but there is something dark and gloomy about the end to our 'annus horribilis'. The architects of this 'shambles' to quote our captain, are content to let Mel hang in the wind for another week, even though relegation has been avoided. If they want him to stay, then they should share their plans with him now that the first part of his job has been done. Why waste another week? (Oh yes, they are too busy rolling out the new kit - a travesty). The fact that they have not suggests they either don't want him, or worse still, can'make up their minds. Regardless of the coach, if we don't replace at least seven or eight players in the squad (as other correspondants have detailed in previous posts) then we will be reaching for the nitrous oxide again next season. Oh and cut down on the loaners please.