So what if Sunderland “parked the bus”? It's a valid tactical choice, come and break the defence down if you can. At this stage they need every point they can get and playng an open game against United would, in all probability, net them nothing. Yes they ended up with nothing anyway but the spirit in the side is surely better losing 1-0 in a close match then it is if they had been blown out 3-0 or 4-1.

Considering the circumstances at Sunderland, it seemed like an easy game plan to get the players to follow. Defend and nick something from a set-piece if you can. Let's judge them on their season as a whole and not one or two games.

JB – it had better be about entertaining, because people won't pay top dollar to see eleven mules kick the ball away – especially since you can't even justify the tactics with a result.

SAFCMark – if your back line is such swiss cheese, you SHOULD go down. If there's one thing we learned this year, it's that there are Championship sides out there who will come up and try to contribute to the Premiership, not make the news for dire football.

DAVID WOODWARD – you might have an argument if it were true, but United DID break down your negative tactics and you have nothing to show for it – nothing as far as points are concerned, nothing as far as helping your reputation, nothing in the way of sympathy from the casual supporters when you go down.

If you want to play conservatively and try to catch a superior side on the break, so be it. but 11 behind the ball with NO ambition to go forward is unacceptable. Nobody's cheering on the small guy if he's going to be so…small… about the prospect of competing against top sides.

When you go all you'll hear are big sighs of relief that now Sunderland are gone, we might actually get to watch something worth paying for at the end of a long week.

SB

If you can't mix it up with the big boys, remain at 18th till the end of the season.