Sunderland Fan View: Black Cats hope fortunes will turn in a New York minute

David Moyes has taken his Sunderland squad, fresh from their recent trouncing at the hands of Southampton, away on a trip to New York City and it has certainly raised a few eyebrows.

Despite it being a hot topic, a wintery cold Big Apple has been home to the Black Cats this week as they look to return stronger and ready for the Premier League survival bid. Speaking about the trip Moyes said,

“The big thing for me is to create a team spirit so they look after each other on the pitch – and the psychology behind going somewhere so cold is that when we come back we’ll think Sunderland is Dubai.

“It gives the players something to look forward to and they need a bit of a break. We’re going to watch basketball and ice hockey and all go to Ground Zero so, culturally, I hope to educate the boys as well.”

Combining both a team bonding exercise along with a strict training camp regime seems nothing if not sensible in the circumstances. However, it begins to get a little contentious when you consider the manner of the Black Cats’ recent defeat and indeed their league position.

For some – from a PR perspective at least – it has been considered as somewhat of an own goal.

Some supporters would argue it is a ‘reward’ for a sustained level of failure. Following regular issues around performance, what other job provides all expenses visits to one of the greatest cities on earth? Certainly, if anyone of us ‘mere mortals’ were not hitting targets or consistently failing to achieve specific competencies the only trip we would be making would be to collect our P45 on our way out of the door. I fully understand this argument.

Others take a more pragmatic view. Given the entire justification for the journey is to improve the squad, it will surely all look worthwhile if the results go Sunderland’s way in the future.

Moyes is not the only manager to use the downtime in this way either of course. Those teams out of the FA Cup find themselves with some spare time – why not spend it out of the country?

Typically, teams often jet off to sunnier climes in Europe, and Dubai is now another popular choice for clubs in the Premier League. Would disgruntled supporters have viewed any other ‘luxury’ destination differently? I expect not. This whole matter is only a talking point given Sunderland’s dire performances and league position.

The trip has certainly captured the attention of those looking to make an issue out of it. Personally, I can see both sides of the argument. Yet something far closer to home is likely to have been just as effective. After all, a positive result followed the recent visit to the local Nissan factory! Either way the matter has been made far more of a concern that it really ought to have been.

Whatever your views, Moyes is confident in his own methods. “I’ve done New York before [with Everton] and it works.”

Let’s just hope that his confidence is rewarded come the next fixture.