I never give up, Robin, because I know that on Saturday evening, things could look very different again.
I'm wary of generalisations in football. Sunday's performance was pretty dire, but I'm not going to throw my hands up and say, "We're done for!" In the same way, I was cautious about treating the match in Sheffield and other games where we performed well as evidence that we were on our way to the PL.
"Inconsistency" has been the factor that has dogged us this season, and looking at the fan-forums for other clubs, it quickly becomes clear that supporters of most other teams are saying exactly the same thing!
AS Champs suggested, this Division is much of a muchness. Leeds seem to have got through their bad spell, and they DO seem to be ahead of the rest. Outside of them, I'd say we're just above average. As you say, Cunningham, Dack, Evans, Holtby (and Lenihan in the last two matches) have been big misses, but I imagine most other clubs have had key injuries too.
I try really hard to keep to my philosophy of focusing only on one game at a time, just because - otherwise - the moment you reach one conclusion, it gets overturned in the next match!
A classic example with Brereton. One match ago, it was, "Wow! he looked dynamic, skilful and threatening when he came on. He's turned the corner!"
And then he turned in a display on Sunday that has made everybody go back to saying, "He's the biggest waste of money ever."
We never learn.
Turning to the Bristol City game, we have to win it. My cousin will be there, and he will be unbearable - even from 12,500 miles - if City beat us! He admits, though, that he and the other BC fans have no idea which of their "two teams" - as he puts it - is going to turn up.
By coincidence, I also heard, this week, from a friend I had totally lost touch with for years. He is a Sunderland supporter. I don't need to tell you what his reactions were like on that topic!
One of the comments he made was, "Wish we had a manager like Mowbray"!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Anyway, our squad in the PL? I reckon we're at least four quality players short of a survival-unit.
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