Wise Men Say: Sunderland's team and tactics are not working and they have shown they are not up for a promotion challenge

Sunderland’s away defeat to Bristol Rovers rounded off a run of four games where they have shown they are not up for a promotion challenge, after all.

The wins secured only a month before helped elevate a team who looked like they we set for a historic low position, to within a few points from the top but now that hard work seems a million miles away from what was witnessed at the Memorial Stadium.

Bristol Rovers entered the game on the back of an 18-game winless streak.

18 games, without a win.

Sunderland on the other hand, had dipped in form slightly, but surely, you’d expect them to show up fighting.

Especially with so much at stake to a club that was not built to linger at the bottom reaches of English football.

What happened was a complete polar opposite to what you would expect of promotion challengers.

Only three weeks ago, there were shouts of humble pie for supporters who raised concerns over Sunderland’s pre 2020 form, but Tuesday night was all too familiar.

Too familiar of a team who seem to lack the motivation needed to set-up a real charge in this league.

A team who have played the same system for umpteen fixtures now, though find it hard to properly implement on a consistent basis.

Since the 1-1 draw with Fleetwood on New Year’s Day, Sunderland have managed to register more than four shots on goal in a game on only six occasions.

Incredible.

Incredible that a club the size of Sunderland has for the second season running not put in sufficient planning to ensure they are set up to attack this league and be in contention or to even give themselves the best possible chance to do that.

January came and went; but this is the business end of the season and right now the team and tactics in place are not working.

Sunderland need a major change in tune and a real plan B if they’re to make any late contribution to what will be an interesting end to the season.