Will Grigg has scored just once in 16 League One games for Phil Parkinson’s Black Cats this season.
Coventry City manager Mark Robins has had his say on Will Grigg’s ongoing struggles at Sunderland after yet another difficult afternoon for the big-money striker, in quotes reported by the Chronicle.
Big things were expected when the Black Cats spent £4 million on the Northern Ireland international during the January transfer window. Grigg arrived with a stellar League One record after all, averaging more than 20-goals a season in the third tier while securing the division with Wigan Athletic in 2018.
But the 28-year-old has never looked like producing those title-winning heroics at Sunderland. And another ineffective display in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Coventry means Grigg has scored just once in 16 games this season.
Grigg might be a shadow of the striker who took the league by storm for Wigan, MK Dons and Walsall but Robins was still pleased to see the Coventry defence keep him off the score sheet.
“They paid £4m quid for Grigg and while he may be having a tough time, he’s still £4m quids worth of striker who has had a really good career to date,” said the former Manchester United defender, whose side were denied a deserved victory by Benji Kimpioka’s stoppage-time leveller.
“We defended really well to a certain degree but could have done so much better, and that’s just having a little bit of belief, a little bit of reorganisation, better communication and we don’t only see the game out but we go and win it by two or three goals.”
Robins turned down the chance to take over at Sunderland when Jack Ross was sacked in October, speaking to Coventry’s official website, and the Wearside faithful must be wondering what could have been now.
Phil Parkinson was hired instead and he has endured a miserable start to life at the Stadium of Light, winning just two of his ten games in all competitions.
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