Burnley's beating could have been much bigger
I HAVE to wonder whether I'm starting to be too greedy – and no I don't mean in terms of my waistline.
I left the Stadium of Light on Saturday happy at having taken all three points, but also thinking how much better it could have been.
After our mid-season blip, maybe I should just be grateful that we picked up another victory.
But I can't help but feel that we could have really put Burnley to the sword.
The 2-1 scoreline suggests the contest was a lot closer than it actually was.
The Black Cats could, and maybe should, have been out of sight before half-time.
And for a spell in the second half it looked like they felt it was already a case of job done.
That could have come back to bite us on the backside, especially when the visitors pulled a goal back.
Thankfully, a fightback never materialised, and if I'm being honest then we could have added another one or two strikes to our tally before the final whistle.
There's that old saying in football, about players already being on their holidays when they have nothing to play for at the end of the season.
I don't think for a minute that is what we are looking at with Sunderland, but I would have preferred us to go for the jugular when we were well on top rather than easing off.
Still, there were plenty of pleasing points to take from the overall display.
Steed Malbranque was once again in imperious form, and one move in particular was a joy to behold.
On top of that, Fraizer Campbell seems to be getting by the game, as he plays with more and more confidence.
And while the midfield pairing of Jordan Henderson and David Meyler may have been found wanting in the latter stages, it bodes well for the future to have two talented youngsters coming through the ranks.
This weekend, we travel to face another relegation-threatened side in Hull City.
Some will be expecting a hatful against the Tigers, but then City will be fighting for their Premier League lives, and Iain Dowie will certainly have them fired up.
That said, if we get the chance to dominate like we did in spells against Burnley, we have to make the most of it.
The goals-for column would obviously look much better, and we could improve on our terrible away record this season.
But more importantly than any of that, if Sunderland want to prove they are a team to be reckoned with they need to start showing no mercy.
A big win at the KC Stadium would be a step in the right direction to achieving that goal.
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Weather for South Shields
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
