Sunderland: Negative David Moyes is condemning club to relegation

David Moyes has been trying to offer an honest assessment of the situation at Sunderland. But the message is the wrong message to be sending this early in his term at the club.

Sunderland fans have been hearing a lot of negativity from their new manager David Moyes since he arrived at the club. The build up to Sunderland’s game against Everton on Monday has been no different either.

However, this is no time for Moyes to be publicly negative or pessimistic. As the leader of your club, the man who sets the tone, it’s a bad message to send to, in particular, the players and fans. There is a way to be realistic whilst still offering at least some hope, and the message Moyes is giving out right now is not it.

Moyes was only too quick to suggest the club will be in a relegation fight this season. Whilst telling fans to expect a ”slow build,” and that it will take ”three or four transfer windows” to build a team capable of mid-table in the Premier League. Both statements are setting the bar extremely low, extremely early.

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Moyes basically condemned the club to a relegation scrap before the excitement of the new season had even waned. In his mind, he was there before a ball had even been kicked. Maybe he is right, but that’s no way to approach the situation.

It’s a death sentence Moyes has taken on, if you take his word for it. What kind of message does that send to the team itself? You’re dampening expectations in case things get rough, I suppose. But at the same time you’re condemning yourself to a rough season.

You never want to raise expectations unnecessarily. You don’t want to kill them, either. Right now, they are dead at the Stadium of Light. It may well take Moyes three or four transfer windows (if he’s there that long) to get somewhere.

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But in the meantime, you can fight, right? Be a unit? Keep clean sheets? Be a nuisance? At least have some identity. Some fight. At the minute, Sunderland are nothing. Just defeated. Who knows where team spirit could take you. You might still end up in a relegation fight. But hell, you might end up mid-table. As the manager, you have to offer at least some hope. Some positivity.

Laying all your cards on the table when you have a bad hand is not always the best thing to do. Sometimes you bluff a little bit. You hold a bit back. You make what you can of the hand you have been dealt. Moyes is already conceding.

Moyes was known as defensive coach at Everton. The Toffees always worked hard for each other, they worked as a unit, and were a well-drilled team. You don’t need Lionel Messi to be a hard working unit who are tough to get a win over.

Look at Leicester City. They have a few cherries on the cake with Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy. But the rest of the team is pretty much a hard-working bunch, who fought for each other and defended as a group last season. That will get you results. It might be ugly at times, but it will get you results. Just look at a typical Tony Pulis team.

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Embrace who you are and be positive. Moyes is being too negative right now. The Stadium of Light is a very moody place as well. It’s either bouncing or it’s volatile depending on what they’re watching.

The mood from the crowd spills onto the pitch. Right now, Moyes is setting that mood. He’s setting a dark, pessimistic mood. So get set for a dark, pessimistic season.

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