Will Bruce prove his worth to Short at Sunderland?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Sunderland’s poor start to the season continued yesterday with a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates.

It leaves the Black Cats teetering just above the bottom three with eight games of the season gone, and with just one win to their name the pressure is starting to pile on boss Steve Bruce.

This is Bruce’s third season in charge at the Stadium of Light, and despite being given countless backing by owner Ellis Short and Chairman Niall Quinn, it seems there has been little overall improvement on the pitch.

Now with Quinn assigned a new role in the club managing international development, Short has become club chairman leading to more scrutiny on Bruce’s delicate position.

Since his appointment in the summer of 2009, the former Manchester United defender has brought in 32 players over a two-and-a-half year period, yet the backing of the American has yet to reap a transformation in results.

After only avoiding relegation on the last day of the 2008-09 campaign under caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia, Quinn and Short turned to a man that had pushed Wigan Athletic to the brink of Europe in the same season.

Hopes were high that with a move to a big club, Bruce would evolve into the top-class manager that many believe he is capable of becoming.

However, having been given the money of Short and the excellent support of Quinn, Bruce has struggled to repay the faith, and now has the pressure growing from disgruntled supporters.

The past couple of seasons has been dogged by inconsistency, with impressive starts followed by winless runs stretching for months and dismantling any hopes of European football.

On top of that, Bruce has had to deal with star names leaving that he wanted to build his team around, with players such as Darren Bent, Jordan Henderson and Asamoah Gyan leaving the North-East.

Now the Black Cats seem to be back at square one, with the team at the wrong end of the table and no obvious solutions around the corner.

Pre-season saw Bruce bring in 12 new players to add strength in depth and a more solid foundation, especially defensively with the arrivals of Manchester United duo John O’Shea and Wes Brown.

But after the departure to the UAE of a seemingly money-grabbing Gyan, Sunderland have been left with a blunt attacking force consisting mainly of on-loan Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner and young Connor Wickham.

With almost half of their goals coming in their 4-0 win over Stoke, their struggles in front of goal have made it difficult to find the consistency that Bruce has been searching for since he took charge.

What makes it more disappointing is that there is a good spine to the team. The defensive experience of O’Shea and Brown have made Sunderland tougher to break down.

While the midfield of Craig Gardner, Lee Cattermole, Sebastian Larsson and David Vaughan is a centre full of craft and tireless work-rate, not forgetting the breakthrough of impressive youngster Jack Colback.

So it’s all the more disconcerting for Sunderland fans to see another new side but with the same old disappointment, and this draws more attention to whether Bruce remains the right man for the job.

Personally, Bruce is a good manager that has had to deal with situations out of his control; the sales of Bent and Henderson were offers too good to refuse, while the actions of Gyan demonstrated the mentality of man motivated by money ahead of success.

But although there were real signs of improvement in North London yesterday,  the 50 year-old needs to turn things round sooner rather than later.

He was seen as the long-term appointment, the man that would turn Sunderland from relegation candidates to top-six challengers over the course of the next few years.

Everything was in place; financial support, a huge fan base and the potential to turn a sleeping giant into a prosperous one.

Bruce still might. But if things don’t turn around quickly, then he will find that there won’t just be changes taking place at boardroom level on Wearside.

So what do you think? Is Bruce still the right man to take Sunderland forward? Will he end up justifying the long-term support of Short and Quinn? Leave a comment and let us know your views.

Reid’s treatment nothing short of a disgrace

By Laurie Fitzgerald

When your team is bottom of League Two with just one point from your opening nine games then in most cases you should expect your job to be in jeopardy.

Then again, what Peter Reid has had to endure isn’t like most cases.

Reid was sacked as Plymouth Argyle manager last Sunday with his team rooted at the bottom of the Football League and already five points adrift of safety.

Argyle have scored just three goals all season and have the worst goal difference along with Hereford United, who are their companions in the relegation zone.

So it was simple for acting chairman Peter Ridsdale to find justification in his own mind for why he has reached the decision to let 55 year-old Reid go.

“Ultimately, whatever the challenges, football is a results business.” Said Ridsdale in a carefully-worded statement on the club’s website.

Except the challenges that Reid has had to face makes the pressure most Premier League bosses find themselves under seem rather paltry in comparison.

When Reid was appointed manager at Home Park last summer, the aim was to get the squad back on its feet following relegation from the Championship in the previous campaign.

Unfortunately, Reid had been appointed manager by a board that did not know how to keep their finances in order, and the debts accumulated took it’s toll as the club went into administration.

It meant a 10-point deduction on top of a stripped-down squad, including top striker Bradley Wright-Phillips and midfielder Craig Noone. 

Reid was fighting a losing battle, and it came as no surprised that the threadbare playing staff succumbed to a second-successive relegation, despite a great spirit shown that had been instilled by the former Sunderland manager.

This summer passed and instead of a fresh start following the tubulence of last season, Reid and his staff had to deal with ever-increasing problems.

The biggest of these was the fact that the players had not been paid, a problem that still exists and has gone on for a staggering NINE months.

There are potential deals in the pipeline, most notably the takeover bid by James Brent that has been backed by the supporters.

This provides a small gleam of light in what has been a perilously dark tunnel for the fans, but while Brent claimed a deal was close last week, no deal has yet been agreed.

So Reid has had to carry on trying to get the best out of a disillusioned squad who understandably have considered going on strike due to the fact they haven’t been paid for the majority of the year.

Thankfully, the aforementioned spirit and togetherness that Reid and his coaching staff have placed within the players has seen them carry on despite the mitigating circumstances.

Other managers would have thrown in the towel a long time ago and no-one could blame them. But Reid is made of strong stuff and his commitment to the club should be commended.

Instead, Ridsdale has thanked him by showing him the door. How anyone lets this man near a football club after his previous running of both Leeds United and Cardiff City simply astounds me.

He may allude to the philosophy that football is a results business, but this is on the basis that a manager is given a platform to get those results.

I genuinely hope that Reid gets another chance in the game to show his worth. After all, this is a man that did a brilliant job in guiding Sunderland to the top-flight, and the Black Cats have been there or thereabouts ever since.

If he is given that opportunity, I think every football fan will agree that he deserves to be given at least half a chance of success - instead of being made the scapegoat of a situation created by other people’s mistakes.

Source: BBC Sport, pafc.co.uk

So what do you think? Has Reid been unfairly treated? Or is there no excuse for such a poor start by Plymouth? Leave a comment and let us know your views. 

Is Craig Gordon’s career over before it ever really started?

By Tony Alvarez

Following yesterday’s news thatScotlandinternational goalkeeper Craig Gordon is set to miss another 4-6 months of his career after under going knee surgery inSwedenon Monday.

Sunderland had hoped that the Scotsman would be back in time for Saturdays fixture againstWiganhaving missed the last 6 games due to this injury. The club released a statement saying “Craig’s been following a programme but when the specialist had a look at the knee again, we were left with no choice but to go ahead with the surgery.”

Gordon started his career at Hearts and made his debut for theEdinburghclub in October 2002 and was nominated for Scottish young player of the year in the 2003-2004 season.

He became a Scotland regular by 2005 and in 2006 won the Scottish Football writers player of the year, Gordon signed for Sunderland in 2007 for an initial £7 million and up to £3 million in add ons if all those add ons were paid it would be a British record fee for a goalkeeper.

Gordon’s injury problems really started once he had made the move south to Sunderland, he missed several months of the 08-09 season due to a knee injury and found himself second choice to Martin Fulop.

He regained his place at the start of the following season but just 3 months into the season he broke an arm in a fixture against Tottenham keeping him out until the January 2010, in the summer of the same year he had surgery to remove a metal plate from his arm he recovered in days however in a freak accident just days after he returned to training Gordon fractured his arm, ruling him out until November 2010. Unfortunately for Gordon injury woes struck again when he was diagnosed with a tendon injury in his knee, luckily this still allowed him to be available but he was kept on the bench as a precaution until his latest op that will keep him out until at least the 2011-2012 season.

In 4 seasons as aSunderlandkeeper Gordon has made only 94 appearances in all competitions when you consider that goal keeper is not a position that is changed too much you would expect the figure to be around the 120 mark even that would allow for 8 league games absence per season and no participation in cup competitions.

The question remains will Gordon’s career ever get back on track as a youngster he promised so much and was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger personally watching him and giving a positive review, but hasn’t turned out being a bit part player for a mid table side rather that World wide greatness which was expected.

What are you thoughts? Is Gordon’s career finished despite his young age for a goal keeper? Can he still reach his potential and be a top class goal keeper? Was he ever as good as the hype around him suggested? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts

Different season, same old story for Bruce

It's been another campaign of ups and downs for Steve Bruce and Sunderland

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Sunderland’s miserable run continued on Saturday when they suffered a 3-2 defeat at home to West Bromwich Albion.

The latest loss means that it is now just one point from their last eight games, a horrendous set of results that sees them just five points clear of the relegation zone.

There’s never a good time to go on such a winless stretch of matches, but unfortunately for manager Steve Bruce, it is proving to be a case of de ja vu.

Last season, Bruce saw his side get off to an excellent start with wins over the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal putting them into contention for a European spot.

However, they ended up going on a horrific slump, failing to win a game in 14 matches. By the time they had arrested their slide, their chances of securing European football were over.

The former Wigan manager would have hoped that the squad had learnt their lessons from that disappointment. When they started this campaign in impressive fashion, there was a real chance to prove their character.

Positive results over the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United were built on with a stunning 3-0 win over champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November.

With the side well placed to right the wrongs of last year, I wrote a piece on the Black Cats that focused on whether they could do this (http://shoutsfromthestands.wordpress.com/2010/12/26/will-sunderland-push-on-this-time/)

Everything was set up for Bruce: a stronger squad, better options throughout the team, more goals in the side, and a growing belief from the fans in the manager.

But things have not gone according to plan in 2011. In January, top scorer Darren Bent joined Premier League rivals Aston Villa in a shock £24 million deal.

Many would point to the England striker’s departure as the protagonist for the disappointment that’s followed; Sunderland haven’t won a game since the month he left.

Although his goals have been missed, it should be remembered that before his exit, Bent was struggling to get into the starting XI due to the fact that £13 million signing Asamoah Gyan and the on-loan Danny Welbeck had formed the better partnership up front.

What may be a bigger reason for just the seven goals in their last eight matches was the absence of Welbeck for several weeks due to a knee injury.

In fact, Bruce has been hugely unfortunate on the injury front; the 50 year-old has had to rush the likes of Welbeck, Lee Cattermole and Michael Turner back before they returned to full fitness.

Saturday’s game summed up their problems; John Mensah, Kieran Richardson and Anton Ferdinand all went off with knocks. Ferdinand was a substitute for the injured Mensah in the first-half.

To add to this, Titus Bramble’s impressive season has been hampered since the turn of the year with knee problems, while forward Frazier Campbell looked bright in the early weeks of the campaign before suffering a serious cruciate ligament injury.

So Bruce does have a valid excuse – but only to a point. In his two seasons in charge, he has had over £50 million of Ellis Short’s money to build a squad capable of sustaining a European push.

The American owner will be questioning how much has been spent wisely. Some of the money from the Bent transfer was used on bringing in Sulley Muntari on loan and Stephane Sessegnon for £6 million.

Neither have impressed, and with goals being leaked at the backed (21 in total during this wretched run) the money may have been better on a defender.

But hindsight would make us all great managers, and Bruce now has to prevent the players at his dosposal being drawn further into an unlikely relegation battle.

After their defeat to the Baggies, he said, “I think we’re already in it. I think anybody in the bottom ten is still there the way it is. There’s five or six games to play, and we have to get a couple of wins as soon as possible.”

While Bruce should find the necessary points to secure the Black Cats’ safety, it remains to be seen whether he will get the chance to make it third time lucky next season.

So what do you think? Has Bruce been unfortunate with injuries? Or does he have to take responsibility with the players for the recent slump? Let us know your thoughts.

Is live streaming really damaging clubs revenue?

By Tony Alvarez

Due to the fact that many fan cannot afford to go and watch their teams week in week out with the current prices of tickets fans have found other ways of watching their side.

  Many fans will openly admit that they watch matches either via internet streaming or in certain pubs which illegally pick up foreign TV channels and can show pretty much every match.

 Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has hit out against this current trend of illegally streaming saying “the illegal showing of Saturday 3pm fixtures involving Sunderland has an extremely detrimental effect on our attendances…To anyone watching the game illegally in the pub I will continue to say: ‘By doing so you’re not supporting your team, you’re actually damaging the progress of the club.’

 Whilst Quinn clearly feels strongly on this subject as its his pocket that’s feeling the damage, if he was in the position of the average supporter would his feelings be any different, I would think yes.

  I personally do watch matches either via the internet or in a pub, whilst some will argue that I am taking revenue away from my club I see it completely differently, when ever I can get tickets I go when I cant I stream, I see it as being more of a fan as I go to any means necessary to watch my side play.

 I heard a certain former Aston Villa and Leicester striker talk about this on a radio show a couple of days ago, his analogy was “if you want a Ferrari but cant afford one you don’t have it, why with Football are fans now not able to afford the tickets but still watching the matches.” Very simply I can’t afford a Ferrari but if I was offered one for the price of a drink in my local every Saturday I would take it, with streaming the option is there so I use it as do many others.

 People often moan about a lack of passion in Football these days and clubs are always calling on the passion of supporters to get them through a sticky patch or win them a trophy, but now they are trying to take away the privilege to watch their side every week but have a huge passion but not the bank account to support the club at the ground.

 I understand Niall Quinn is not talking about fans that cant afford to go to the matches but the fans who choose to go to the pub rather than watch the match live but just because they can afford it does not mean that they want to pay £40 odd every week, add to that any family they may take along with them and it becomes ridiculously expensive.

 The atmosphere from inside a ground will never be replaced, so as long as fans can afford it and see it as a sensible option they will continue to turn up in their thousands to cheer on their side, but Niall I am sorry I don’t think you have the right to tell fans how they can enjoy their Football just because its affecting you.

What d you think? Do you personally watch live streaming? Is Niall Quinn going over the top saying it’s costing his club? Have you ever choose to watch a stream of a game rather than going to see the match live? Should streaming be made legal? Leave a comment and let us know.

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Can Bent live up to his huge price tag?

 

By Tony Alvarez

Following his big money move from Sunderland in a deal which could reportedly end up costing the midlands club £24 million, many fans and pundits alike have questioned whether the front man can live up to his hefty price tag.

Sky sports panellist and ex Liverpool and Tottenham man Jamie Redknapp has described the move as a huge gamble due to the fee involved and described it as a move that “smacks a little of desperation.”

Whilst Bent’s goals could go along way to keeping Villa in the Premier League or gaining Villa those extra league places, which is worth around half a million per place, I cannot see him ever scoring enough goals to ever earn they money back he has cost the club.

In the current trend of the transfer market where big money is not being branded about Bent’s value is never going to rise which means this is more than likely the biggest move he will ever have, should he see out his contract at Villa it will end when he is 30 years old.

Whilst at 30 some people still have one big move left in them (Steven Gerrard would still command a decent transfer fee)  Bent relies heavily on his pace something that at the age of 30 he wont have in the same capacity he does currently.

Despite all of the above I am not saying Darren Bent will be a flop, I can actually see him doing well, he will have good service from the likes of Young and Downing as well as a good supporting striker in either Heskey or Agbonlahor.

I can see him notching up 20 league goals a season and will probably still be the highest scoring English striker. On the subject of being English I think this move could better his chances at international level.

At Sunderland he was playing with a hard working and talented bunch of players, but aside from Jordan Henderson’s single cap none of the others were England internationals, at Villa as was mentioned above he will be playing with players who are in or on the fringes of the England squad and could build a good partnership with them.

I personally think Bent is very underrated amongst fans he has always scored goals when he has been given the chance, however whilst he is under rated amongst fans judging by the transfer fee paid for him he is over rated amongst the Villa manager and backroom staff.

For the amount of goals you can expect from Bent in the current market where goal scorers are at a premium I would value Bent at around the 12-15 million pound mark not the 18 rising to 24 million.

What do you think? Villa fan are you happy with your purchase? Do you think Bent will prove he is worth the transfer fee paid? Sunderland fans are you happy with the money received or would you of rather kept him? What do you value him at? Let us know your thoughts

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Will Sunderland push on this time?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Thirteen months ago, Darren Bent scored the winner in a 1-0 win at home to Arsenal that saw Sunderland nicely placed to push on and clinch a European spot at the end of the season.

But the next fourteen league games saw the Black Cats undergo a horrific run of form, with not a single win gained from those matches. It was a run that completely undid all the hard work they had done in the first few months of the campaign.

A year on, and Steve Bruce’s side have made a similar, if not more impressive start to the season. They currently sit in sixth place, level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham and just four points off of a Champions League spot.

The results have been impressive in the process. Wins over Chelsea and Manchester City, and draws against Arsenal, Manchester United and Spurs have shown how they have been such a hard team to beat this season.

So can Sunderland learn from the mistakes of last campaign? There’s certainly no reason why they can’t when looking at the squad in place.

Not only is it a better squad in terms of overall quality than 12 months previously, but more importantly there is more balance to the squad, with strength in depth added to positions that needed strengthening.

Defensively, Sunderland have been superb this season. A lot of people scoffed at the signing of Titus Bramble, but when you look at his £1 million price tag, I think many people will struggle to find a better bargain of the season than the 29 year-old centre back.

He has developed an excellent partnership with Michael Turner at the heart of the defence, and excluding the horror show that was the Tyne-Wear derby at St James Park in October, they have helped the side keep nine clean sheets already, and are on a run of three clean sheets in a row.

Perhaps the main difference has arrived up front. If there was one criticism that could be aimed at Sunderland, it was their over-reliance on goals from Darren Bent. The 25 year-old striker had an outstanding first season at the Stadium of Light, scoring 24 goals, the rest of the squad added just the same amount as the former Charlton and Tottenham forward.

But this season, while Bent has carried on where he left off, the goalscoring responsibility is being shared by others now.

Asamoah Gyan has all the attributes to be a top striker in the Premier League (pace, power, awareness) while Danny Welbeck is maturing enormously in his loan spell from Manchester United, scoring five goals in his last six league games. People cannot accuse Sunderland of being a one-man team going forward anymore.

The heart of the midfield is also blossoming. Despite the loss of Lorik Cana in the summer, it seems to have been a blessing in disguise, with more energy and creativity from the midfield now.

Jordan Henderson has developed enormously over the past year, which is great news for club and country, while if Lee Cattermole can permanently curb his over-enthusiasm that gets him into less disciplinary trouble, we will see a big talent fully evolve. Boudewijn Zenden’s class and experience should not be underestimated either.

For Bruce, the platform is there for him and his squad to push on this time around. The 49 year-old has been backed by owner Ellis Short and chairman Niall Quinn. This is an expensively-assembled squad. There is no reason why the Black Cats cannot push on for a top-six finish now. They have a solid defence, a blossoming midfield and a potent strike-force.

A repeat of last season’s fade from a promising start will bear no excuses this time around.

So what do you think? Sunderland fans, where do you think you can finish this season? Do you need any new additions to gain a European spot? Let us know