One Sunderland player has run out of chances after another dismal display against QPR.
Sunderland were able to avoid defeat for the seventh successive time this weekend, however that didn’t stop them from putting on another poor performance in front of their home fans.
The Black Cats played out a 0-0 stalemate against QPR, leaving them six points from the top half of the Championship table.
Anthony Patterson was the only player to come out with any real praise from the match, while Luis Hemir Semedo kept up his consistency of being completely invisible.
The teenager had made a promising cameo against Swansea City last month, and as a result he was handed his first start since the opening day against Norwich.
Hemir has now started three of Sunderland’s last four games, but has been ’embarrassing’ and has often been forced off the pitch after only an hour.
It wasn’t any different against QPR yesterday, with the Sunderland Echo awarding him a 4 rating for his display. Journalist Phil Smith wrote: “Recalled to the starting XI in the hope that Sunderland could fashion some chances for him but really struggled to get into the game.
“Nicked the ball in one or two decent areas but couldn’t capitalise, and was taken off having not troubled the opposition goalkeeper.”
Hemir is only 20 years old and has made four starts for Sunderland, but plays like he is about ready to retire.
The Portuguese youngster moves around so slowly and it is almost as if he doesn’t feel like he needs to prove himself, because I have never seen a striker chase after a ball so lazily before.
The forward managed zero shots against QPR, while he has only actually managed one across his four starts in the Championship.
He had 15 touches and only four passes yesterday, while he won zero headers, despite being 6 ft 2.
He looks a completely different player to the one that starred in pre-season, though perhaps that just suggests the likes of Gateshead, New Mexico and Hartlepool United are his level.
Will Hemir ever be good enough for Sunderland?
While Mason Burstow isn’t much better (if at all), Hemir has already been given enough chances to impress.
Fans felt sorry for him when he was ditched from the starting line-up after the first day of the season, but he really hasn’t done anything to earn our trust since.
Perhaps if he was putting in the hard work but just failing to find the net then we could forgive him, like Nazariy Rusyn. However, Hemir looks like he would rather be at home with his feet up.
I don’t know what he’s like in training, but the attacker’s attitude on the pitch suggests that he is going to really struggle to reach this standard of English football anytime soon.
The youngster is another example of Kristjaan Speakman’s poor transfer business and if he is still in the first team next season then we have a major problem.