DISAPPOINTED Sunderland manager Peter Reid admitted after the goalless home draw against Bradford City: "We didn't have enough craft or guile."
But the Wearside boss was full of praise for the battling Yorkshiremen, who denied Sunderland their first double of the season - and might well have come up with the shock result of the weekend.
Reid said: "I am happy with a point - Bradford had a great chance in the second half and our goalkeeper also made a crucial save.
"Sometimes you have to give the opposition credit and Bradford did a great job on us and made things hard.
"They got behind the ball and made it difficult and we didn't produce enough to break them down.
"We did have a couple of good moves, but there was a lot of huffing and puffing and they had the better chances."
Bradford might have won the game if Dean Windass - linked with a move to Middlesbrough - had converted the chance of the match in the 53rd minute.
Reid said: "If you had wanted a player in that position to score for Bradford you would have picked Windass - we got a break."
Looking on the bright side, Reid said: "We did keep a clean sheet and we are still second in the Premiership.
"If someone had said at the start of the season that we'd have been second in the table 13 points behind Manchester United I would have settle for that.
"We are a hard side to beat and I know what we are getting from the players - today we were not good enough football-wise or craft-wise.
"But the players have done really well recently and while this wasn't one of our best games, we haven't got beaten."
Reid does not believe that new England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will make any hasty judgements on his ace striker, Kevin Phillips.
He said: "You are not going to score in every game and I thought Bradford did a good job on him.
"I know Sven-Goran Eriksson is an intelligent man and an intelligent coach and he will have a look at him again.
"Sometimes when players don't get a chance you can learn more about them and Kevin did some good things during the game.
"As a team we didn't fire on all cylinders - but I would not swap Kevin for anybody."
Reid added: "This football club is in a great position and it tells you a lot when you are disappointed to draw 0-0 with a team fighting for their lives.
"But we are still second in the table.
"I am pleased with the way it is going and we have to try to keep on improving.
"We know we are not the finished article, but we have improved since last season and we have got to try to keep on improving."
Watching England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson admitted the game had demonstrated how close in quality teams at contrasting ends of the table could be.
He said: ''You see that the difference between a bottom team and a top team is nothing.
''(It was a) good game, not very many chances to score. Bradford fought very well and made life difficult for Sunderland. That's football.''
The Swede gave little away, however, about what he had learnt from his first two weekends in English football.
''I have not talked to any player so far. Before that I have to study more than to talk.
''There are many, many good football players in the country."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article