Footballers are always in the spotlight, but Michael Graham believes one Sunderland star deserves more credit than he gets.
Sunderland fought to a 0-0 draw against Burnley on Friday night to keep their promotion hopes alive, with James Trafford the hero for the Clarets after saving two penalties.
In the other goal, Anthony Patterson made some big saves to keep the Black Cats in the game, but he was also lambasted by some Sunderland fans, namely for his distribution.
It’s an area of Patterson’s game that has been criticised before, but fans may need to reassess their comments and look at the bigger picture.
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Fans need to remember Anthony Patterson is still learning
Taking to Twitter/X to share his musings on the matter, Michael Graham suggested Patterson is simply a victim of the system he is told to play by Regis Le Bris, and he reminded fans that the goalkeeper is still very young and is still learning.
“I get frustrated with the Patterson criticism,” Graham wrote. “Kicking isn’t his strength, but it’s not like he’s deciding the tactics.”
He added: “He’s also still developing. Doesn’t feel like it, but this is only his third full season. Sunderland are building the plane as they’re flying it and he’s part of that.”
Patterson’s distribution had been picked on again, even though the ‘keeper racked up a fairly respectable 73% pass success rate on Friday night (as per SofaScore). Granted, he only completed seven out of 15 long passes, but his shorter passing game did show signs of improvement.
How does Anthony Patterson compare to other top four goalkeepers?
Now, when looking at Patterson in comparison to the best goalkeepers in the Championship, he doesn’t quite match up to the likes of Illan Meslier, James Trafford, and Michael Cooper.
Patterson has played less games than his peers, but has conceded more goals and kept less clean sheets. He does have a better save ratio (73%) than Meslier (65%), though the Leeds ‘keeper has not exactly been showered in praise this season.
| Stats | Meslier | Trafford | Cooper | Patterson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 26 | 26 | 25 | 23 |
| Clean sheets | 14 | 17 | 15 | 9 |
| Goals against | 19 | 9 | 15 | 20 |
| xG prevented | -2.3 | +8.6 | +4.9 | +0.2 |
| Save ratio | 65% | 86% | 79% | 73% |
| Pass success | 77% | 71% | 73% | 67% |
Patterson’s pass success is considerably worse than his three rivals, too, at an average of just 67% over the course of the season.
However, Patterson has marginally outperformed his xG against statistics, preventing 0.2 goals. That’s way behind the likes of Trafford (+8.6) and Cooper (+4.9), but a lot better than Meslier’s figures.
Of course, it’s worth remembering Patterson is a Sunderland academy product who cost the club nothing, while the Black Cats’ promotion rivals have the luxury of spending big, with Trafford alone costing £15m.
Patterson will only keep improving, and Sunderland fans would do well to stick by him through thick and thin, as there is no doubt he is destined for the top.