Sunderland manager Simon Grayson has described his team’s performance at Oakwell on Saturday afternoon as ‘unacceptable’, and stated his intention to be very active in the transfer market for the next few days.
“From our view it was unacceptable to lose in the manner that we did.
“For 30 minutes we played well, but then feel like we didn’t have the inner desire to go out and get back in the game after going a goal down. Too many players wanted to do their own individual thing rather than play for the shape of the team.”
Grayson credited Barnsley’s performance in which they soaked up early pressure from their visitors before going on to convincingly win the match.
“Credit to Barnsley, they hung in there and did what they had to do. You have to battle and scrap, you have to win second balls and put your bodies on the line and somewhere down the line you’ll get the chances to score, and obviously we didn’t take our chances and then didn’t do the basics that they did ever so well.
“Just because we’ve recently been in the Premier League doesn’t mean we have a divine right to win games, and Barnsley proved that throughout the course of the game.”
The manager also noted his awareness of members of his squad wanting to leave the club before this week’s transfer deadline, and said he hopes reinforcements will be made in the coming days.
“We know where we are with certain players here and what may or may not happen.
“But if players do want to leave Sunderland, then they have to put in the performances to justify getting out. With all our players, if you’re not playing well then nobody will take you.
“I only want players here who are committed to giving their all and achieving what we’re trying to achieve. It’s difficult to work with some players as many will be away for internationals, but it will be a lot of work over the next few days, and players leaving can help us bring more in, because we need to.”
Grayson’s men next face a home fixture against Sheffield United following the international break, with Hecky’s Reds making the trip to Preston North End in a fortnight’s time.
