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Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Exilium on 2020-09-27, 4:30 pm
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PHIL PARKINSON has challenged his Sunderland strikers to make themselves un-droppable, but the Black Cats boss fully expects to be chopping and changing his forward line throughout the campaign.
Sunderland have played four competitive fixtures so far this season, and Parkinson has already fielded three different combinations of forwards.
Will Grigg and Aiden O’Brien played alongside each other in the Carabao Cup defeat to Hull and the opening-day draw with Bristol Rovers, Charlie Wyke lined up as a lone striker in the EFL Trophy thrashing of Aston Villa Under-21s, while it was Danny Graham who got the nod to partner O’Brien as Sunderland won at Oxford last weekend.
Parkinson has spent most of the week pondering which way to go when Peterborough United visit the Stadium of Light this afternoon, and while he would love one of his forwards to go on the kind of scoring spree that would make them impossible to leave out, he expects the ability to rotate his attackers to be a key asset as the season unfolds.
“We’ve got good options up front now,” said the Sunderland boss. “We’ve got Will and Charlie, who were obviously here last season, and we’ve added Danny and Aiden to that too.
“Obviously, the ideal is that you want somebody to really stake a claim and say, ‘I’m the man’. But I think when you’ve got options like we have, and especially once the games do start coming back-to-back, having that ability to change things around is going to be key.
“It’s an area of the pitch where we’ll probably be looking to freshen things up right the way through. I think the strength of the squad is going to be more important this season than any other, so to have those options is great for us.”
While a striker’s form is clearly a major factor in whether or not they are handed a starting spot, there is also an element of ‘horses for courses’ in Parkinson’s thinking as he ponders his selection for any given game.
The decision to start with Graham at the Kassam Stadium last weekend owed much to the presence of Robert Atkinson, who spent last season playing in the Conference with Eastleigh, in the Oxford back four.
Parkinson sensed an opportunity for Graham to exploit a potential weakness in the Us defence, and he readily admits his attacking selections are heavily influenced by the anticipated make-up of the opposition backline.
“We look at the opposition, the way they play and the strengths of their defenders, and go from there,” he explained. “We put Danny in last week because I felt his nous would give their young left-sided centre-back a problem.
“He’s a lad who had been playing in the Conference, and although he looks a good player, we felt Danny’s knowhow in terms of backing into him would give him a problem, and I felt he did that.
We’ll also look at how the players have done in the week, how they’ve looked in training, and then once we’ve put everything into the mix, we’ll pick the best combination to try to get a result on the weekend.”
Sunderland waved goodbye to Duncan Watmore and Kyle Lafferty at the end of last season, and in O’Brien and Graham, Parkinson feels he has secured signings who represent an upgrade on the players they have replaced.
“I just feel that if you look at the players that have left, then the ones that we’ve brought in have improved us,” he said. “I think they’re an improvement on the ones that have left, and we weren’t far off last year.
“We were on a very good run before the lockdown, taking away the last couple of games, but our intention in the summer was to try to step up on every player that left. Even if that improvement was only five per cent, if you bring in six players and improve every position by five per cent, then that could be the difference between us finishing sixth and us finishing at the top of the league, which is where we want to be.
“I feel we’ve done that. Other teams will probably feel the same, and I’d like to get the extra couple of players in to make us really strong, but I feel we’re starting to create a squad with good competition and also a strong mentality. That is key. You have to respond to setbacks, and the team with the character to do that will go a long way.”
PHIL PARKINSON has challenged his Sunderland strikers to make themselves un-droppable, but the Black Cats boss fully expects to be chopping and changing his forward line throughout the campaign.
Sunderland have played four competitive fixtures so far this season, and Parkinson has already fielded three different combinations of forwards.
Will Grigg and Aiden O’Brien played alongside each other in the Carabao Cup defeat to Hull and the opening-day draw with Bristol Rovers, Charlie Wyke lined up as a lone striker in the EFL Trophy thrashing of Aston Villa Under-21s, while it was Danny Graham who got the nod to partner O’Brien as Sunderland won at Oxford last weekend.
Parkinson has spent most of the week pondering which way to go when Peterborough United visit the Stadium of Light this afternoon, and while he would love one of his forwards to go on the kind of scoring spree that would make them impossible to leave out, he expects the ability to rotate his attackers to be a key asset as the season unfolds.
“We’ve got good options up front now,” said the Sunderland boss. “We’ve got Will and Charlie, who were obviously here last season, and we’ve added Danny and Aiden to that too.
“Obviously, the ideal is that you want somebody to really stake a claim and say, ‘I’m the man’. But I think when you’ve got options like we have, and especially once the games do start coming back-to-back, having that ability to change things around is going to be key.
“It’s an area of the pitch where we’ll probably be looking to freshen things up right the way through. I think the strength of the squad is going to be more important this season than any other, so to have those options is great for us.”
While a striker’s form is clearly a major factor in whether or not they are handed a starting spot, there is also an element of ‘horses for courses’ in Parkinson’s thinking as he ponders his selection for any given game.
The decision to start with Graham at the Kassam Stadium last weekend owed much to the presence of Robert Atkinson, who spent last season playing in the Conference with Eastleigh, in the Oxford back four.
Parkinson sensed an opportunity for Graham to exploit a potential weakness in the Us defence, and he readily admits his attacking selections are heavily influenced by the anticipated make-up of the opposition backline.
“We look at the opposition, the way they play and the strengths of their defenders, and go from there,” he explained. “We put Danny in last week because I felt his nous would give their young left-sided centre-back a problem.
“He’s a lad who had been playing in the Conference, and although he looks a good player, we felt Danny’s knowhow in terms of backing into him would give him a problem, and I felt he did that.
We’ll also look at how the players have done in the week, how they’ve looked in training, and then once we’ve put everything into the mix, we’ll pick the best combination to try to get a result on the weekend.”
Sunderland waved goodbye to Duncan Watmore and Kyle Lafferty at the end of last season, and in O’Brien and Graham, Parkinson feels he has secured signings who represent an upgrade on the players they have replaced.
“I just feel that if you look at the players that have left, then the ones that we’ve brought in have improved us,” he said. “I think they’re an improvement on the ones that have left, and we weren’t far off last year.
“We were on a very good run before the lockdown, taking away the last couple of games, but our intention in the summer was to try to step up on every player that left. Even if that improvement was only five per cent, if you bring in six players and improve every position by five per cent, then that could be the difference between us finishing sixth and us finishing at the top of the league, which is where we want to be.
“I feel we’ve done that. Other teams will probably feel the same, and I’d like to get the extra couple of players in to make us really strong, but I feel we’re starting to create a squad with good competition and also a strong mentality. That is key. You have to respond to setbacks, and the team with the character to do that will go a long way.”
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
gil t azell on 2020-09-28, 8:35 am
Totally disagree with the chopping and changing. Find something that works and stick with it. If any of the strikers scores for eg, Wyke 5 goals in 6 games ( yes wildest dream possible) then he stays in the side end of.
Yes possibly play others in cup games but promotion is the only thing that matters this season.
Yes possibly play others in cup games but promotion is the only thing that matters this season.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Exilium on 2020-09-28, 9:39 am
I think he firstly needs to find something that works consistently.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
gil t azell on 2020-09-28, 10:44 am
Exilium wrote:I think he firstly needs to find something that works consistently.
And that is not by chopping and changing. Pick what you think is best and give it a shot.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Mackemneil on 2020-09-28, 3:49 pm
I would still like to see us get another one in!
But not more of the same, we need one that can be physical when required but shows pace and movement ...... defenders in this league hate both!
Graham is the better footballer, but like Grigg and Wyke lacks pace and is a little static. O’Brien has a fine touch and shows more movement than the others but has missed a couple of sitters when in the box.
But not more of the same, we need one that can be physical when required but shows pace and movement ...... defenders in this league hate both!
Graham is the better footballer, but like Grigg and Wyke lacks pace and is a little static. O’Brien has a fine touch and shows more movement than the others but has missed a couple of sitters when in the box.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
gil t azell on 2020-09-28, 6:03 pm
Mackemneil wrote:I would still like to see us get another one in!
But not more of the same, we need one that can be physical when required but shows pace and movement ...... defenders in this league hate both!
Graham is the better footballer, but like Grigg and Wyke lacks pace and is a little static. O’Brien has a fine touch and shows more movement than the others but has missed a couple of sitters when in the box.
Would you give Kimpi a run of games? My opinion is he cannot be worse than the 3 we currently have plying their trade as strikers. Like you I would like to see a young pacy individual. As much as it hurts even a loan player who we have no chance of getting permanently from a prem club would do to get us out of this league.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
cyprussyd on 2020-09-28, 6:31 pm
I would like to see Neil getting his chance along with Kimpioka and Diamond.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
gil t azell on 2020-09-28, 6:54 pm
cyprussyd wrote:I would like to see Neil getting his chance along with Kimpioka and Diamond.
Good shout.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Kipper on 2020-09-29, 9:57 am
But unfortunately the chances of that happening are zero. Even if it was tried in the EFL trophy and was successful, Parkinson would revert to his standard picks in the league.gil t azell wrote:cyprussyd wrote:I would like to see Neil getting his chance along with Kimpioka and Diamond.
Good shout.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Mackemneil on 2020-09-30, 2:23 pm
how about getting Sam Greenwood back on loan from Leeds ?????gil t azell wrote:Mackemneil wrote:I would still like to see us get another one in!
But not more of the same, we need one that can be physical when required but shows pace and movement ...... defenders in this league hate both!
Graham is the better footballer, but like Grigg and Wyke lacks pace and is a little static. O’Brien has a fine touch and shows more movement than the others but has missed a couple of sitters when in the box.
Would you give Kimpi a run of games? My opinion is he cannot be worse than the 3 we currently have plying their trade as strikers. Like you I would like to see a young pacy individual. As much as it hurts even a loan player who we have no chance of getting permanently from a prem club would do to get us out of this league.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Rovertsafc on 2020-09-30, 2:51 pm
What Parkinson has to do is find a striker that actually scores until then mixing and matching is the way to do it
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Rovertsafc on 2020-09-30, 2:56 pm
Kimpioka is not a SAFC player he is training with a Swedish club and is mulling over numerous contractscyprussyd wrote:I would like to see Neil getting his chance along with Kimpioka and Diamond.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Gordon Armstrong on 2020-09-30, 3:10 pm
Kimpioka is apparently about to sign the contract offered a while ago by S.A.F.C. and come back on a clean slate.
I haven't been massively impressed with him so far, after only a few appearances, but surely it can only be a good thing if Parky is happy with his attitude (and he must be if this is the case)
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I haven't been massively impressed with him so far, after only a few appearances, but surely it can only be a good thing if Parky is happy with his attitude (and he must be if this is the case)
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Kipper on 2020-09-30, 3:37 pm
I was of the opinion that he should have been played more last year. The odd ten minutes wasn't doing him or us any good.Gordon Armstrong wrote:Kimpioka is apparently about to sign the contract offered a while ago by S.A.F.C. and come back on a clean slate.
I haven't been massively impressed with him so far, after only a few appearances, but surely it can only be a good thing if Parky is happy with his attitude (and he must be if this is the case)
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I'm disappointed though that it took him so long to make a decision and he could have had a good pre-season with us if he'd have sorted himself out. Instead he's got to play catch-up.
At the moment our strike force appears to be no better than last year which is a worry, but using attack minded players like Neil and Diamond would help.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Gordon Armstrong on 2020-10-01, 12:59 pm
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Sunderland A.F.C. are delighted to announce that Benji Kimpioka has signed a new contract with the club.
The striker has put pen to paper on a one-year deal at the Stadium of Light, with the option of a further year.
Kimpioka joined the club aged 16 from Swedish side IK Sirius and has since gone on to make eight Sky Bet League One appearances for the club, scoring once in that time, against Coventry City back in November 2019.
The 20-year-old has also been capped numerous times by Sweden at youth level, making 10 appearances for the Under-19s before earning seven caps for the Under-21s.
Manager Phil Parkinson said: “We’re very pleased that Benji’s contract situation has been resolved. Now, it’s up to him to work hard and push his way into the first-team picture.”
Sunderland A.F.C. are delighted to announce that Benji Kimpioka has signed a new contract with the club.
The striker has put pen to paper on a one-year deal at the Stadium of Light, with the option of a further year.
Kimpioka joined the club aged 16 from Swedish side IK Sirius and has since gone on to make eight Sky Bet League One appearances for the club, scoring once in that time, against Coventry City back in November 2019.
The 20-year-old has also been capped numerous times by Sweden at youth level, making 10 appearances for the Under-19s before earning seven caps for the Under-21s.
Manager Phil Parkinson said: “We’re very pleased that Benji’s contract situation has been resolved. Now, it’s up to him to work hard and push his way into the first-team picture.”
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
oxfordshire on 2020-10-01, 1:30 pm
our problem appears to be the same old same old. We don't score a lot of goals and we don't put teams away. No one is scoring many goals so is it time to look outside of the three non producers. The answer has to be yes in my view.
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Re: Phil Parkinson expects to be mixing and matching Sunderland's strikers
Exilium on 2020-10-01, 3:10 pm
Yes, a clinical finisher would be worth his weight in gold... but where do you find one who is available on a free transfer!
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Benji Kimpioka signs new contract
Exilium on 2020-10-01, 6:28 pm
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Sunderland AFC are delighted to announce that Benji Kimpioka has signed a new contract with the club.
The striker has put pen to paper on a one-year deal at the Stadium of Light, with the option of a further year.
Kimpioka joined the club aged 16 from Swedish side IK Sirius and has since gone onto make eight Sky Bet League One appearances for the club, scoring once in that time against Coventry City back in November 2019.
The 20-year-old has also been capped numerous times by Sweden at youth level, making 10 appearances for the Under-19s before earning seven caps for the Under-21s.
Manager Phil Parkinson said: “We’re very pleased that Benji’s contract situation has been resolved. Now, it’s up to him to work hard and push his way into the first-team picture.”
Sunderland AFC are delighted to announce that Benji Kimpioka has signed a new contract with the club.
The striker has put pen to paper on a one-year deal at the Stadium of Light, with the option of a further year.
Kimpioka joined the club aged 16 from Swedish side IK Sirius and has since gone onto make eight Sky Bet League One appearances for the club, scoring once in that time against Coventry City back in November 2019.
The 20-year-old has also been capped numerous times by Sweden at youth level, making 10 appearances for the Under-19s before earning seven caps for the Under-21s.
Manager Phil Parkinson said: “We’re very pleased that Benji’s contract situation has been resolved. Now, it’s up to him to work hard and push his way into the first-team picture.”
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