Sunderland were dumped out of the FA Cup in the first round at Gillingham and Leeds United’s forgotten man Laurens de Bock is having a miserable season.
A fortnight ago, Laurens de Bock admitted that his start to life at Sunderland hadn’t gone at all to plan.
The left-back joined the Wearside giants on loan from Leeds United over the summer but, somewhat ironically for a player who signed for a club nicknamed the Black Cats, luck has deserted him in the North East.
Injuries initially disrupted De Bock’s progress and, when the Belgian did return to full fitness, the manager who brought him to the Stadium of Light had been replaced.
“It’s a pity but it’s not the first time I’ve been in this situation. I’ve had it before when I have come to a new club and then, after two weeks, a new manager comes in. It’s never easy,” De Bock told The Chronicle earlier in November.
But if he thought things couldn’t get much worse, he was very wrong indeed.
Making history – for all the wrong reasons
On Tuesday night, De Bock made a rare start as Phil Parkinson’s Sunderland lost 1-0 to Gillingham in an FA Cup first round replay at Priestfield. To make matters worse, this was the first time Sunderland had been dumped out in round one since 1924 – 95 years ago.
De Bock, lining up in a new-look centre-back role, certainly wasn’t the worst player on the pitch but his reputation certainly won’t have been enhanced as Sunderland made history for all the wrong reasons on a bitterly cold midweek night.
It’s hard to believe De Bock was playing Champions League football just three years ago. He couldn’t be further away from Europe’s premiere club competition right now.
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