Tony Gillan: Sunderland have nothing to lose in giving youngsters like Ethan Robson a chance

A friend of mine who lives abroad was back in Sunderland recently.

Rarely afforded the opportunity of watching his beloved home town club, he was an unusual case of a Sunderland fan actually looking forward to the match.

He was soon disabused of such airy cheerfulness. His job prohibits me from naming him, but I can share his thoughts.

Fans tend to exaggerate when things go wrong.

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For example, I have heard Sunderland’s New Year’s Day performance against Barnsley described as “the worst in years.”

We can all agree that it was a lavatorially dreadful display. But the worst in years?

No, no, no. It wasn’t even the worst performance against Barnsley – this season.

Similarly the word “shocking” is an overused one in football.

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However, my friend was genuinely shocked by what he saw on January 1. We did try to warn him.

A couple of days later he was still fulminating; despondent at the abject lack of quality of several particular players who I won’t name either as it would be unkind (because they don’t want to be so pre-eminently untalented; they just can’t help it).

Do I need to name them anyway?

I assume that their names clanged into your mind anyway as you read the previous paragraph.

Warming to his theme, my mate emphasised that these players were “not good enough for Sunderland Football Club.”

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When he said this, he was not referring to a romanticised, delusional notion of SAFC based on its potential or its glorious but distant past.

He meant that the squad members in question are not even of the requisite quality for a club that currently sits rock bottom of the Championship: whichever club that happens to be.

Not good enough to play in a bad team.

Which brings us to the more palatable subject of Ethan Robson.

The opinion is often given that such-and-such a young ‘un should be given a go because he “can’t be any worse” than the first team regulars.

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This is usually untrue, as proved when said young ‘uns are released by Sunderland and then do nothing to suggest that the wrong decision had been made.

But with Robson, I genuinely believe that he can’t be worse.

In what was an average display by Sunderland in this season, he looked fit and composed at Middlesbrough, kept the ball moving and managed to pass it to people wearing identical shirts to himself.

It sounds easy.

But when cheaply squandering possession is the most prevalent of Sunderland’s innumerable on-field crimes, we can appreciate it.

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He also wanted the ball and made efforts to retrieve it on the odd occasion when he lost it.

He made the most of his opportunity.

We are acutely aware that Middlesbrough was his only real first team chance so far.

Yet the shortcomings of some of his colleagues and the injuries to others, really ought to pave the way for more appearances.

Perhaps he will never play any better than he did on Saturday.

There is only one way to find out.

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Along with Maja, Asoro and now Clarke-Salter, Robson might or might not prove to be good enough to play Sunderland out of the deep hole they now inhabit.

But better to play the might-or-might-nots than the just-won’ts.