Bolton Wanderers 0, Sunderland 0
May 11 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal
Numerous chances were carved out, but it was not until the fourth added minute that a goalkeeper had to make a save. And it was the visiting Márton Fülöp who was called on. His diving save from Gary Cahill’s header was a reminder that without goals, all else is meaningless. For that reason, goalscorers do not come cheap.
Sunderland will embark on a “buy British” campaign this summer as they look to “tweak” a squad not a million miles away in a division where mediocrity is in the majority. It might be music to Peter Mandelson’s ears, but in football terms it is often a euphemism for “buy cheap”. Short’s pre-match message, though, promised another summer of largesse and seemed to find favour with the current squad. A hefty transfer fee brings no guarantee of results. Djibril Cissé is only on loan from Marseilles but it will cost £10m to make the arrangement permanent. The substitute’s lack of composure as he struck a bouncing ball from wide of the penalty area seconds before Cahill’s header showed why it is a cheque Short will not be writing. The contact was good, the direction was not.
But £5.5m midfielder Kieran Richardson was Sunderland’s chief culprit in front of goal. Playing ahead of a four-man midfield benefiting from the prompting of Steed Malbranque as he wandered in from the right, the industry of Grant Leadbitter in an unfamiliar position on the left and the discipline of Teemu Tainio in the centre, Richardson regularly found the holes in Bolton’s defence.
To see Richardson ghosting into dangerous positions makes you realise why he once played for Manchester United. Seeing what he does when he gets there often reminds you why he no longer does. The 24-year-old has raised his game this season, particularly defensively. Honing his finishing is needed to make the next step up.
To list all the chances Richardson and his team-mates missed would be a long and fairly pointless exercise. Suffice to say that despite 15 of them and 62% of possession, Jussi Jaaskelainen can expect to be busier in his August testimonial.
Bolton were booed off at the break for a one-shot display which suggested they are finding the mid-table comfort zone a little too cosy. Although their second-half showing did not spare them from similar treatment at the final whistle, they could have won the game, Mustapha Riga hitting a dangerously-placed volley into the ground and over the bar minutes before Cahill’s header.
It just showed how many cracks a decent finisher can paper over. Finding one will be up to Sunderland’s manager this summer, but deciding if Sbragia should be that man will probably boil down to Short’s gut instincts, football expert or not.
