Sunderland are repeating past mistakes with their mismanagement

Having the younger brother of England’s most talked-about footballer on the books has brought Sunderland AFC plenty of positive PR.

And yes, whenever Jude Bellingham pays a visit to Wearside to watch his sibling playing for the Lads, there’s a certain ‘was he really here?’ factor when the Real Madrid superstar shares an Instagram post of himself down at Roker Beach or in an executive box at the Stadium of Light.

However, when it comes to football matters (which should be the only real priority at this stage), Jobe, a much-heralded summer arrival from Birmingham City, is currently in the middle of a fallow period. His form has dipped dramatically and it’s becoming increasingly obvious with every game that passes.

The sharpness and confidence that were the hallmarks of his game earlier in the season have been replaced by lethargy, indecision and a tendency to choose the safe option instead of seeing things clearly and backing himself to deliver.

When the young attacker started our recent game against Plymouth on the bench before entering the fray and curling home a sumptuous third goal, it felt like the kind of decision that had needed to be taken for quite some time. However, was it the start of an altogether smarter approach to towards managing him? Apparently not.

Last week, I wrote that Jobe, along with Abdoullah Ba and Pierre Ekwah, needed time and patience from our supporters after finding themselves in the firing line with increasing regularity.

Does the often harsh social media criticism of Jobe factor in that he’s possibly not as sharp in body and mind as he was earlier in the season? After all, nobody was being so dismissive when he was striding through games and showing a level of composure and talent that suggested we’d struck gold once again.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing is that the club are repeating past mistakes when it comes to Jobe. We’ve been here before and although the situation is different, the principle is exactly the same.

You’ll doubtless recall that during our 2021/2022 League One promotion campaign, Sunderland placed a heavy workload on the young shoulders of Dan Neil and Callum Doyle, two exciting talents who if managed more smartly, could’ve played an integral role in our eventual run to the playoff final.

Instead, they were flogged to the point of burnout during the early months of the season, and by the time Alex Neil arrived to steer us to promotion, both lads were running on empty and it fell to the granite-tough central defensive partnership of Bailey Wright and Danny Batth to provide the foundations for our eventual success.

If Jobe’s laborious display at Carrow Road on Saturday wasn’t enough to convince the coaching staff that he’s in need of a break, what will?

Frankly, it’s high time that the idea of giving Bellingham as much exposure as possible, which is the only logical reason for his continued presence in the starting eleven, was ditched in favour of a plan that puts both his personal development and the good of the team first.

With our form so shaky, we need to make use of players who are fresh and can offer us something slightly different. This isn’t a slight on Jobe, but more of a criticism of poor squad management and an apparent unwillingness to trust anyone else.

They can’t even fall back on the excuse that there are no viable alternatives on hand, as both Chris Rigg (who turned in a fearless cameo against the Canaries) and the rarely-seen Adil Aouchiche could both slot into that position with ease.

Every young player will naturally claim that they’re fit and willing to play every single game- who wouldn’t, after signing for Sunderland at such an age?- but strong management is often needed and the player’s welfare and longer term prospects simply have to be prioritised here.

Jobe has already played far more football than I thought he would during his maiden campaign on Wearside.

Last summer, it felt as though twenty five first team appearances would represent a positive return, and if he was rotated in and out of the team as needed, we’d be able to get the best out of him. Instead, his workload hasn’t been moderated and the results have been predictable.

Tough decisions regarding selection and tactics will be needed over the coming weeks as we attempt to arrest our current slide.

Jobe’s career will hopefully be long and productive, and if the club doesn’t want to jeopardise that prospect, they’ll make the call and withdraw him from the starting eleven for two or three games at the minimum.