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Interview: QPR fan gives his opinion of whether Joel Lynch will be a good signing for Sunderland

Joel Lynch - is he any good? We’re not entirely sure, so we spoke to Paul Finney from from The QPR Podcast to find out what he thinks of the central defender who Sunderland signed after his release by the R’s this past summer.

Sunderland Unveil New Signing Joel Lynch Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

RR: First and foremost, what kind of player is Joel Lynch and - most importantly - is he any good?

PF: He was incredibly average for us to be completely honest. When he signed there was a lot of hype around him and the fans were hopeful he would be a next level defender, but he failed to back any of that up during his time at Loftus Road.

RR: He was at QPR for three seasons, and with Huddersfield Town before that, and was virtually an ever present it seems - if he a Championship level defender?

PF: It was hard to tell what level he is! Put it this way, he may make me eat my words but going down a league was no surprise to me, nor would I be surprised if he continues to drop down the leagues.

Queens Park Rangers v Sunderland - Sky Bet Championship Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images

RR: We’ve adopted a three at the back formation occasionally this season, but struggled as our left sided defender wasn’t left footed. Could he play this formation or is he better in a two?

PF: I’d say he was your bog standard four at the back type of centre half. He would need someone with him who had very selective hearing and a lot of pace to cover him. He’s not the quickest.

RR: And what is his main weakness?

PF: His concentration isn’t the best from what we saw.

He also loved a foul in dangerous sections of the pitch.

RR: What kind of character is he? Jack Ross seems to like to sign club captains - is he a leader at the back, or is he more the strong and silent type?

PF: One of those players who seems to blame everyone for his mistakes. He just seems to go into each game, go through the motions, get it done and go home. It seemed like he didn’t care when he was here.

If Jack Ross can fire him up a little, maybe you’ll have a decent player there.

RR: All in all then - should Sunderland fans be confident we’ve managed to pick him up for nothing?

PF: Whether Joel Lynch ends up a good signing depends on how he fits into your squad and what he wants to bring to the team.

Maybe his time out of the game will make him rethink how lucky he is to be playing professional football and you’ll see the kind of player we were told we’d signed.

It may sound like I’ve been very harsh, but he was a terrible signing for us. However, when it comes to QPR, he’s not alone in that - we’ve had many of similar ilk.

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