The complete verdict on Phil Parkinson's Sunderland so far, where they've improved and where more needs to be done

The Wise Men Say Podcast asked supporters on their twitter page to give their verdict on the narrow win over Southend and though the early results show some concerns at the performance level, those two words sum up the prevailing mood.

Sunderland, without a doubt, did more than enough to win the game.

They controlled possession and territory, created chances and gave very little up at the other end.

Whether they did enough with that dominance is a fair question to ask, particularly against a side that had shipped 43 goals in their previous 15 league games.

Phil Parkinson’s mood after the game was measured, admitting that his side had not been at their best in patches of the game.

His overriding emotion, however, was clearly one of relief.

With a potential three-week break from league action on the horizon, depending on whether the clash with Bristol Rovers is postponed, this was a game where the result trumped any other consideration. He could ill-afford dropped points against such a poor opponent to hang over the rest of this month.

He now gets the chance to test the rest of his squad in much lower pressure games, which should also allow some much-needed time on the training ground to get his ideas across.

It’s been a mixed start, both in terms of results and performances, and Saturday reflected that.

He has, though, navigated a hectic start and kept his side in the promotion hunt, even if far greater consistency of results is required and the gap to the top two remains daunting.

This is how his Sunderland side is shaping up…..

GOALKEEPERS

Parkinson has big decisions looming but no real concerns in this department.

Lee Burge has looked every inch a top-level League One goalkeeper and after his injury, Jon McLaughlin has been composed on his return to the side.

He made a fine save at the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday night and commanded his box well enough on Saturday, with Southend’s focus on set pieces ultimately producing no results.

DEFENCE

It was here that Parkinson was always likely to benefit from a significant uplift.

A lack of clean sheets was a constant thorn in the side of Jack Ross this season, a key reason for the mixed results that led to his dismissal.

It was always a bizarre quirk, however. By every statistical measurement, his side were defensively improved from last season.

They were conceding fewer shots and fewer chances. Even to the eye, the pace and strength of Jordan Willis looked to have made a significant difference early on.

They were suffering primarily from individual lapses and a dip in form between the goalposts.

Unsurprisingly, those improved performances and new personnel are now paying off.

Joel Lynch has been a good addition and his partnership with Willis looks solid. Sunderland can no longer be greatly unsettled by teams taking a direct approach, as looked to be the case last season.

Without doubt, they can be more ruthless in the box.

They have away soft goals against Wycombe Wanderers and Shrewsbury Town, and almost did the same on two occasions against Southend.

Three goals conceded in give games is a good start nevertheless and Parkinson may be more encouraged by his full-backs than any other part of the pitch, given that in the early weeks of the season it looked like a glaring weakness.

He has prioritised early and accurate crosses as the primary means of improving the output from his struggling strikers.

Denver Hume has been terrific, with much to improve defensively but a fantastic appetite to get forward and drive at players. He is showing why Ross rated him so highly and on the other flank, some excellent crosses in the second half from Conor McLaughlin were a promising sign.

Above all else, that should allow Luke O’Nien to stay in the advanced areas where he can hurt teams.

MIDFIELD PAIR

Parkinson began his tenure with a midfield trio, Grant Leadbitter at the base and Luke O’Nien just ahead.

An insipid showing at Wycombe Wanderers quickly changed that. Sunderland unable to get any runners in support of the isolated front three.

Since then, Parkinson has settled on a pairing of Max Power and George Dobson and it has worked well.

Power sets the tempo effectively and Dobson is growing in stature, energetic and with some key defensive contributions against Southend.

Parkinson will want to see a consistency in creating chances from both, but seems very pleased with the blend he has and has singled them out for praise in executing his gameplan.

Key to his vision is ‘locking in’ attacks, preventing quick counters when Sunderland lose possession in advanced areas.

Power and particularly Dobson have done that well so far.

Leadbitter provided a reminder of his unique talent in his squad with some fine long-range passing at the Kassam Stadium, while Dylan McGeouch seems certain to get a chance in the upcoming cup games.

ATTACKING MIDFIELD

Parkinson said that he was looking forward to watching O’Nien’s diving header with a glass of wine on Saturday night.

He will hope that Conor McLaughlin continues to improve, allowing him to field O’Nien in attacking midfield.

He has improved beyond belief in the year or so since he arrived on Wearside. His finishing has always been excellent, something that Ross constantly remarked on. Where he has seemingly made huge strides is that his spell at right-back has not only improved his tenacity but his game awareness, and he is now finding ways to influence games in the most crucial positions.

It’s not just a thrill to watch but a major weapon for the Black Cats.

Parkinson has work to do elsewhere. He’ll look forward to Lynden Gooch’s return from injury but faces familiar problems to Ross in the early stages of this season when it comes to Aiden McGeady and Chris Maguire.

Both have sparkled at times, and got into some fantastic positions on Saturday, but were wasteful with the final ball, Maguire in particular seeming to complicate things when he had the quality to hurt the opposition.

Parkinson needs more if he is to turn possession and territory into more goals.

The biggest positive without a doubt has been Duncan Watmore, fit for just about every game so far and influential in all of them.

His pace brings a different dimension to the side and so far, there has been no shortage of quality either.

STRIKERS

The area of the pitch where Parkinson has made clear he feels he can make the biggest impact.

He was quick to say that having watched games from earlier in the season, the blame for the struggle of his players in front of goal was due to a paucity of chances being created.

The onus, he said, was on quicker, earlier crosses.

The results so far have been mixed.

The thumping of Tranmere Rovers was hugely encouraging but, as Parkinson himself has admitted, Sunderland are still not producing enough shots on target even if their general play seems to have improved in some areas.

Will Grigg still seems short on confidence and Marc McNulty is surely deserving of more mintues, the best centre-forward in the early stages of the season and the player who at the moment, makes the most threatening and sefless runs off the shoulders of the defenders.

His injury at Wycombe Wanderers makes it impossible to judge Charlie Wyke but when he returns, the onus is on Parkinson to ensure Sunderland use him properly, something they didn’t do in those early exchanges at Adams Park.

THE VERDICT

Though Wycome deservedly sit top of the table, Parkinson has had a relatively soft run of fixtures since taking charge.

The away form remains a major concern, and the Black Cats boss has more to do in improving Sunderland’s attacking play.

After this pause for cup action, he faces a far more testing set of fixtures, with home games against Coventry City and Burton Albion the start of a run that will tell us far more about Parkinson and his side.