The irony here is a 37 year old scored two. Dwight at 35 getting enough pressure because he doh hurry up. Perhaps if they composed themselves a la Dwight and complete simple passes their quality might improve. That entire defence bypassing the midfield with long ball after long ball. What do they expect?
Irish Examiner.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=sport-qqqm=sport-qqqa=sport-qqqid=41164-qqqx=1.asp29 August 2007
Keane left to reflect on ‘biggest disappointment’By Mark Garrod
Luton 3 Sunderland 0
SUNDERLAND, beaten by Liverpool on Saturday and facing a trip to Manchester United this weekend, came a real cropper in the Carling Cup at Luton last night after what Roy Keane described as ‘‘his biggest disappointment’’ since he became Black Cats boss.
Three months ago Roy Keane’s side clinched the Coca-Cola Championship title with a 5-0 win at Kenilworth Road, but although the two teams are two divisions apart now the match could hardly have been more different.
Goalkeeper Darren Ward, one of four changes made by Keane, was beaten first by a 15th-minute free-kick by David Bell and
then twice by 37-year-old Paul Furlong, who lobbed him after 41 minutes and found the target again with 15 minutes remaining.
Sunderland were down to 10 men for the final 30 minutes, right-back Greg Halford sent off for deliberately handling the ball, his second bookable offence.
Afterwards a dejected Keane said: ‘‘We knew it was going to be tough. Last time we were riding high and they had already been relegated, so not for a minute did I think 5-0 again.
“But it’s a massive disappointment – the biggest I’ve had here, but I’ve only been a manager for two minutes. We didn’t do a lot of basics right and we got punished.
“The first goal was always going to be important and if you’re standing in a wall you’ve got to do your job.
“If anything this makes me more determined. Last year everyone was celebrating, but I knew we had a massive job ahead and that hasn’t changed.
“One or two decisions didn’t go our way, then the sending off. Overall I was disappointed with the referee’s performance.
“We need a bit more physical presence. We’re not the biggest side and we’re missing some.
“We’re all in it together – when you start pointing fingers they usually start pointing back. We’ve a tough game on Saturday and I’ve got to make sure we get the right team.
“Last year everybody said I was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I never believed that for a second. Sunderland has had its major disappointments and this is another.”
LUTON: Forde, Goodall, Jackson (Keane 35), Perry, Coyne, Morgan (McVeigh 70), Robinson, Spring, Bell, Talbot (Andrew 78), Furlong.
SUNDERLAND: Ward, Halford, Wallace, Nosworthy, Anderson, Miller, Leadbitter, Etuhu (Connolly 62), Murphy (O’Donovan 62), Chopra, Stokes (Yorke 78).
Referee: Trevor Kettle (Rutland).