Dave Watson claims Sunderland supporters ‘let themselves down’ vs Nottingham Forest
Dave Watson took fire at Sunderland supporters who opted to leave the Stadium of Light early against Nottingham Forest.
It was a night to forget for the Black Cats as they were pumelled 5-0 at home by relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, despite having actually started the game fairly well.
With that said, as soon as the first goal went in, Sunderland quite simply collapsed, and the goals kept on coming for the visitors.
By the 34th-minute, Regis Le Bris’ side found themselves 3-0 down, and that was enough for thousands of supporters to head home early, some of whom made it back in time to watch the second half live on Sky Sports.
And when discussing the game on the Ben Foster podcast, former England international, Watson, wasted no time in calling it out.
Sunderland supporters slammed for early exit
Sunderland supporters have stuck with their team through some of the darkest days in the club’s history, but Friday night’s performance was one step too far for many.
While the majority remained in their seats and backed the lads on the pitch, thousands headed for the exits, and given what was happening on the pitch, very few would use that against them.
| Sunderland vs Forest | Minute |
| Trai Hume – Own goal | 17′ |
| Chris Wood | 31′ |
| Morgan Gibbs-White | 34′ |
| Igor Jesus | 37′ |
| Elliot Anderson | 90+5′ |
But Watson certainly has, and he was far from happy with the way the Stadium of Light emptied after the third goal.
He said: “Do you know what [expletive] me off watching that game is that even though it’s a disaster for Sunderland, they’ve had an unbelievable season and at three and four nil the stadium were out.
“Honestly for what they have done that team this year and yes it was a very very bad night at the office, but them supporters let themselves and that team down on that night.
“The players let themselves down, let’s not have it wrong, but come on.”
In response to Watson’s claims, Ben Tozer said: “What do the fans expect the players on the pitch to think when they’re seeing the stadium empty at the end of the first half?
“Oh they’ve given up, the fans have given up, so what should we do then on the pitch? Should we just give up as well? Because if a player did that and gave up in that moment, the fans would be quick to berate them.”
Sunderland have already set high standards at Stadium of Light
For any side to lose 5-0 at home to a team threatened by relegation would almost certainly result in the exact same reaction, and that is a note worth taking.
Le Bris and his players have set standards this season, and a defeat like that, and of that nature, is unaccpetable no matter the scenario.
With that said, it’s just as important to note that every team in the Premier League are in for a day like that, and for it to have taken 34 games for Sunderland to endure it speaks volumes about where they are today.
It was a sore defeat to take, but with four games still to be played, they remain in the hunt for European football, and that should be the main focus.
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