Sunderland have been abysmal for the majority of Phil Parkinson’s reign, winning just three of 15 games, and the Black Cats’ boss could be forgiven for letting the pressure get to him and his players.
He has done the opposite of that. There is still a sense that there is a strong spirit in the dressing room following the win over Doncaster, and that may have been helped by the decision to remove Aiden McGeady from the squad.
As well as that, Parkinson hasn’t been afraid to mix things up in search of a solution to Sunderland’s problems, and that is why he has had so much success as a manager in the lower leagues.
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His experience has come to the fore as he has built up an understanding of his players, and there are positive signs emerging which suggest the team can get on a run to lift them up the table.
While they are far from the level they should be at, three matches unbeaten has to be used as a confidence booster, and the form of players like Lynden Gooch and Charlie Wyke since returning from injury indicates that the season is far from over.
League One is very competitive this year with eight points separating Sunderland in 13th from second place, and that means a run of good form could propel the Black Cats back into contention.
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A win before the transfer window will do everyone the world of good and new additions should help to improve the quality of the squad, and better the level of performance from players who could find their place in the team under pressure.
One such area that needs improvement is attack as they have scored 27 goals in 21 games, but the front-three of Wyke, Gooch and Chris Maguire seems to be producing, with the latter two scoring against Doncaster and Wyke also coming very close.
Parkinson made the call to drop Grigg and like McGeady’s absence, it seems to be a decision that is paying off, with the side now working well in a 5-2-3 formation without the cumbersome Northern Ireland international giving the ball away up-front.
That formation switch has allowed Luke O’Nien and Denver Hume to play well at wing-back, with Alim Ozturk’s recall to the side also making Sunderland more difficult to beat, and the Black Cats’ boss deserves credit for that.
Prior to Sunday’s win things had been getting desperate for Parkinson and Stewart Donald, with the team’s form causing some fans to speak of protest.