Alex Pritchard has proved his worth to Sunderland – he shouldn’t be sold!

“Pritchard’s performances this season have demonstrated that he remains a

key player for the Lads,” writes Michael Dunne.

Following the crucial match against Newcastle United on Saturday, a number

of my pals were more than willing to share their opinions about what went wrong for us that day.

 

Two themes that frequently came up throughout the game were talk of

inexperience and overconfidence when playing with the ball, while the other

popular topic was the “little blonde fella” who played behind the striker.

 

I had to tell them that Pritchard was the oldest player on the field by a significant margin (apart from Luke O’Nien), which

caught them off guard even though they knew about the “Sunderland way,” which

entails having a lot of young guys on the squad.

 

Moreover, when it was used to The Wearside “project” came under even closer scrutiny after they informed them

that Pritchard’s age presents a significant possibility of his being sold.

Ever since he came on as a substitute against Millwall in the beginning of

December, I’ve come to realize how crucial Pritchard is to everything that works for us.

 

The new Birmingham City manager, Tony Mowbray, brought on Pritchard in a central role at The Den in what would

turn out to be one of his last acts as Sunderland manager. His footballing

acumen and clear thinking increased the game’s tempo tenfold and helped the

Lads get back into the game after a drab first half.

 

His abilities were on display during the holiday season, and he consistently

seems to have the knack of choosing the best course of action and making the right choice when he’s focused.

In an apparent reference to the club’s youth philosophy, Mowbray admitted

that he didn’t think he was in a position to start Pritchard when asked later why he wasn’t starting.

 

Mowbray cannot be accused of not giving youth an opportunity, especially

considering the age makeup of the Sunderland team. Furthermore, the

assertion that he was practically barred from playing Pritchard leads me to

suspect that there was another dynamic at work.

Pritchard – as demonstrated by his demeanour on the pitch – appears to be a

spiky character and I wouldn’t be surprised if his personality has caused issues for the Sunderland hierarchy.

 

I have to admit that this is only conjecture, but it just doesn’t seem to make sense that a player who’s made

such a significant contribution to

Sunderland in recent times could leave

the club without much surprise from many fans.

 

You only need to look at the games we’ve played recently to see that Pritchard’s

performances were almost the standout feature in all of them, whereas the result

against Coventry highlighted his importance to the team.

 

Unlike many other clubs, Sunderland do things

differently now and bizarrely,

Pritchard’s future doesn’t seem to be secure.

I wonder about this, what would happen if we really do get rid of him.

 

Now that Patrick Roberts and Bradley Dack are sidelined due to injuries, the

Londoner has the chance to get consistent playing time.

 

Do we stick with Jobe, who has been playing

well lately, or do we purchase

another attacking midfielder and maybe start one of our younger players who is definitely not ready?

 

It would be foolish to allow Pritchard to go based only on these considerations.

This is not the time to let go of players who have the required experience,

especially with the youthful age of the group.

 

Getting rid of Pritchard would be another error since, in my opinion, he

was the greatest Sunderland player on the field against Newcastle United on Saturday.

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