SUNDERLAND 0 FULHAM 0

WHEN Jermain Defoe was negotiating his move to Sunderland, he pushed hard to ensure he was able to sign a three-and-a-half year deal. After his home debut for the Black Cats at the weekend, he must already regret having adopted such a long-term stance.

Three-and-a-half more games of this would be enough to drive anyone to despair, so goodness knows what Defoe must be thinking as he contemplates the next 42 months. If he achieves nothing else during his time at the Stadium of Light, he should at least be able to perfect the art of standing around doing nothing with a look of frustration on his face.

Even by Sunderland’s desultory standards, this was a wretched afternoon, with the magic of the FA Cup that was apparent in so many places on a wonderful fourth-round day dissipating instantly in the face of the Black Cats’ ongoing aversion to anything remotely adventurous or exciting.

In truth, the goalless draw should have come as no surprise given that it was Sunderland’s seventh of the season – no top-flight side has recorded more – and means Gus Poyet’s side have still recorded just two home victories in all competitions this season.

Defoe’s arrival was supposed to remedy that, but while the recent arrival from Toronto fired in three second-half efforts that forced decent saves from Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, his efforts were stymied by a chronic lack of service that will have been immediately recognisable to the strikers who have toiled in his place this season.

The frustration that oozed from the stands throughout the second half underlined the growing unhappiness at the direction in which Poyet’s side are heading, yet when he was quizzed about the performance after the game, Sunderland’s head coach returned to a favourite bugbear.

Challenging his supporters’ fondness for the era of Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips, Poyet implied that there is an ongoing desire to return to a brand of football he clearly despises. Given the dross his side are serving up at the moment, though, it is not a line of attack that is likely to curry much favour.

“I understand the booing at the end and half-time probably, but during the game when a team-mate passes the ball, I don’t,” said Poyet. “My message to them (the fans) is patience, and I am sorry I can’t bring Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips back.

“Do I think they want them back? Yes, I do. But I think they are still living in the past. It was the kind of game that gave the fans something extraordinary, but are you telling me I should be playing that game? Me? Today it is totally different.

“I don’t think it is a way of playing. You cannot live in the past and what you have done because, on top of that, you have to remember how Peter Reid left the club. They forgot very quickly about what Peter achieved, and that is very unfair.

“It is a good way to play, I understand it, and I think it is possible to play that way with the right players. There are certain things in our team – the ability to play higher up the pitch, covering the ground with midfielders – and if you find a team against you that is going to pass the ball, it could be hard to play that way.

“When you don’t have the ball, it is not easy, and playing that way going forward, you would never get it back. I can’t explain how football is different nowadays, but it has changed completely.”

Be that as it may, the fundamentals of the game have not altered, and if you pack your side with defensively-minded players against a Championship opposition who have opted to rest their two best strikers, you are inevitably going to be restricting your chances of breaking them down.

Poyet clearly believes his switch to a 3-5-2 formation will enhance his side’s creative options, but on the evidence of Saturday’s performance, it has done little to address the attacking deficiencies that have been apparent throughout his reign.

Given that Liam Bridcutt does not get forward, Sunderland effectively named six defensive players in their side against Fulham, as well as a goalkeeper, and the two ‘attacking’ central midfielders, Jack Rodwell and Seb Larsson, are hardly known for their dynamism.

Even before Rodwell got himself senselessly sent off for preventing Bettinelli from throwing the ball out of his area, Sunderland were devoid of pace and invention in the central areas, and while Patrick van Aanholt and Billy Jones tried to get forward in the wing-back positions, their failure to deliver a telling cross highlighted their pedigree as full-backs rather than wingers.

Emanuele Giaccherini and Ricky Alvarez, arguably the two most creative players in the Sunderland squad, remained on the bench, and it is hard to see how they are going to fit into the new-look system unless their defending improves. Similarly, Adam Johnson’s impact is likely to be blunted if he is forced infield.

“I was lucky to have a certain character and play with players in teams who were a bit better technically,” said Poyet. “But it is up to me to find a solution to connect with the fans through better play whatever that system is, whether through passing or long.

“It is up to me – I am responsible. It is not nice to watch, I understand that. All I can say is I promise I will try to find a way to bring more excitement to the stadium.”

Saturday’s best moments came from Defoe’s second-half chances, and the late efforts from van Aanholt and Connor Wickham that Bettinelli tipped over the bar.

It was Fulham who came closest to a winner though, with substitute Hugo Rodallega smacking an 86th-minute drive against the base of the right-hand post with Vito Mannone beaten. Surviving that means Sunderland face a replay in London a week tomorrow.

“Having played for Fulham, I know what these evening games at Craven Cottage are like,” said Cottagers boss Kit Symons. “They are brilliant, a real good atmosphere, and we fancy our chances.”