Moyes gives frank assessment as Black Cats thwarted by Boro

Sunderland’s first home game of the season went off with whimper but the result cannot have come as a shock to anyone, certainly not to those who gave the starting lineup even the most cursory glance.

Injuries are piling up for the Black Cats like squirrels stockpiling nuts for winter and matters are compounded further by the departure of defender Younes Kaboul to Watford and Lamine Koné’s apparent ‘bad back’.

Such is the belief that Koné’s desired move to Everton is the real cause for his petulant antics, Moyes has apparently now banned the Ivorian from even being around the club until the transfer window shuts on 1 September 2016.

The Black Cats were unrecognisable from the side which beat Everton during their last home game of the season. Only three players starting that game in May began the match against Boro.

Given the apparent strides Sam Allardyce had made in such a short space of time most supporters were expecting evolution during the summer transfer window rather than revolution. There are key players yet to return from injury but it is looking increasingly likely that Moyes will be required to rip up the template and start things afresh as with each passing day the scale of his challenge appears to increase.

Another footnote to the defeat is the continued absence of midfielder Wahbi Khazri. For a player who was instrumental in securing the Sunderland’s Premier League safety he is yet to feature for Moyes so far. Given the Wearsiders’ current threadbare squad it is potentially indicative of problems behind the scenes with yet another key squad member.

In these conditions it is no wonder that fans were downbeat following the 2-1 defeat to neighbours, Boro. However, Moyes has been accused of being reluctant to try and dispel the gloom,

“People will be flat because they are hoping that something is going to dramatically change - it can’t dramatically change, it can’t”

And at a time when every aspect of the sport is examined ad nauseam it was to be expected that every syllable of the Scot’s post match utterances would be microscopically scrutinised. Some have assumed his words are a pragmatic assessment of Sunderland’s continued struggles. Others consider them a jibe aimed at the club’s owner Ellis Short, given his perceived lack of investment. And then there are those that are simply downbeat by the dour tone of their new manager’s words.

The truth behind the sense of it likely lies somewhere in between all those views.

Moyes will not want to be condescending towards the Red and White Army. They have borne witness to some truly abysmal football over recent years with very few highs and they cannot be fooled easily. There seems little point in making absurd claims of grandeur. Most fans are far too astute for that. Therefore a rational approach will ensure he quickly gains the trust of supporters.

Moyes is also known to be good friends with Sam Allardyce and following the latter’s appointment as the new England manager it can be assumed he provided the former with the lowdown on the club before he left.

Therefore, when Moyes first walked through the door at the Stadium of Light there can have been no great surprises – he would have known funds were in short supply. However, perhaps Moyes thought it would not hurt to remind Short that if ever there was a need for a significant cash injection for the Black Cats now is that time.

Probably the more accurate interpretation of his postmortem is that even if Moyes had the luxury of adding a few quality players to a the exact same squad Allardyce left behind, it is still going to take time to change a team that historically doesn’t turn up until the latter half of the season.

Therefore, despite Moyes’ sullen comments they were peppered around far more positive words. For those unhappy with them they should be judged in the context of the full interview.

One of the problems for Sunderland at the moment is that all of the challenges appear magnified when results on the pitch do not go their way. If the Black Cats could only get some points on the board perhaps the picture would not appear so bleak.