March 17, 2025

Sunderland man branded as 'naive and lazy' as Coventry City defeat  showcased one surprisingly 'shocking' player

Sunderland man branded as ‘naive and lazy’ as Coventry City defeat showcased one surprisingly ‘shocking’ player

One Sunderland player was noted for being particularly poor in the defeat to Coventry City.

Sunderland suffered a 3-0 defeat to Coventry City at the CBS Arena, one that saw Frank Lampard’s side take control from the first minute.

The Black Cats struggled across the park, with Dan Neil being criticised by Sunderland fans, whilst Regis Le Bris believed the Black Cats weren’t at their best.

From the first minute, Sunderland were particularly hounded at the back, with USA international Haji Wright toying with Chris Mepham and Luke O’Nien all afternoon, notching a hat-trick against the fairly turgid Black Cats defence.

Mepham in particular was off the pace and didn’t look his usual self, and has been hounded for one error he made, on top of his entire dire performance.

Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Michael Graham criticises ‘naive and lazy’ Chris Mepham error in Sunderland defeat

Across the pitch, no Sunderland players covered themselves in glory, and that includes centre-back Mepham, a player that we have become accustomed to seeing provide top performances on a consistent basis.

The centre-back left a hanging leg for Wright’s opener, which showed him to not put in maximum effort for blocking the American’s shot from distance, and the Welshman was at the front and centre of Wright and Coventry’s second, having brought down the attacker inside his box for a penalty.

Coventry City handed play-off clash injury boost as Sunderland boss rues  defender absence - CoventryLive

During the game, Sunderland journalist Michael Graham made his thoughts clear on the centre-back, via X, to which he said: “Absolutely shocking from Sunderland. Mepham especially bad for that penalty. Such naive and lazy defending. He’s far from alone in looking like it’s the first time they’ve seen a football in their lives today, though.”

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