Steve Bruce has been talking quite candidly about our club’s fortunes. His rhetoric is under written with excuses, but he does make some interesting points. He said: "Something like 23 players have left since I came in seven months ago. The player turnover has been drastic and I'll probably look at it and think, 'Has it been too drastic?' No disrespect to my old clubs, to Birmingham and Wigan, but you need a different sort of recruitment policy. Sunderland players have to be able to handle a big, expectant crowd. You've got be a big player to come here. After seven months, I know that. Recruitment here is difficult. The expectancy is that of a top-four or a top-six club. It's huge and players who have been OK at smaller teams often can't cope. The problem is there's no substance to the expectancy of our great, huge support. We've no divine right to be up there, but it's the north-east. Football is the fans' life, it's their passion. I was talking about this to Big Sam a couple of days ago. We don't know why, but all of us in the bottom 10 struggle playing away. I don't like to look for excuses but injuries and suspensions have been mainly responsible. We've lost key players at bad times and momentum and confidence went too. I played my 15th different back four against Wigan on Saturday – even Manchester United struggle when they haven't got a settled defence. I'm not enjoying this, I don't like it. The Premier League can be an unforgiving place. But, when I come through it, I'll be a better manager.”
Bruce Hails Jones... Jones Happy To Stay, Cana Targets France, jordan fucked
Kenwyne Jones silenced his critics against Wigan by putting in a shift and his performance did not go unnoticed by the manager. Maybe if he played with such effort every week he’d not have come under fire in the first place. Steve Bruce said: "Kenwyne had arguably his best game of the season for us. It has been a while since we've seen him play like. He was terrific, much more like his old self and we needed that. It has been an unsettling time for him with the transfer talk around the January window, but he certainly looked as though he'd put that behind him and that would be great news for us and for him."
Still with Kenwyne Jones and the big man reckons he didn’t ask to leave Sunderland during the window and that he’s happy at the SOL. He said: "During the transfer window and throughout all the speculation I have never said I wanted to leave. Everything that was going on was by itself. I think a lot of people were making a lot out of nothing. If a transfer is going to happen for anyone, it only happens when it's done. All that was said doesn't really bother me. I am just looking forward to playing football. I don't have control of what is in the Press. All I can control is my performance and that is what I aim to do. I haven't scored for a while but thankfully I was able to get one. We had a beautiful passage of play leading up to the goal and it was great to finish it off. We haven't won in the last 12 or 13 games so it would have been a relief to get three points in the bag. We were much better in the second half and perhaps should have got the win, but it wasn't to be. We'll go again at Portsmouth and hopefully get our rewards. We're getting into a pattern of playing well in the second half of games but not starting too well. If we can sort that out then I'm sure we'll get better results."
Steve Bruce is also hoping that Lee Cattermole gains more match sharpness sooner rather than later. He added: "One of the most difficult things for any player during a season is to be out for three months, because you're always playing catch-up. You can see he's off the pace, but we know that he'll get better with games. The one thing about him is his resilience, that's what he brings to the side, he's just suffering from being out for three months. We had opportunities in the Stoke and Wigan games but weren't able to take them. Now we have to try to be positive and turn it around with an away win at Portsmouth. It could easily happen because anyone can beat anyone else in the Premier League this season. Portsmouth beat us 2-1 in the cup a couple of weeks ago and I'm looking for us to respond when we go back there. There's 10 of us still in it at the bottom, it's so tight, but we're still in a position where a couple of decent results would turn things around very quickly."
Meanwhile, Lorik Cana can’t wait for Albania to play France. The two nations have been drawn in the same Euro 2012 qualifying group. He said: "I will finally be able to play France. I have wished for it for so long, as a former PSG and Marseille player and now Albanian captain. When Albania is not in a competition I am Les Bleus' fan. Except for France, which is above every other team, the group is quite consistent."
In other news, Steve Bruce reckons that Jordan Henderson could be out until mid March with the ankle injury he picked up during Saturday’s draw with Wigan. He said: "He'll have a scan on Thursday once the swelling has gone down, so we won't know any of the serious stuff until at least then. If it's a normal twisted ankle, then it looks like he'll be out for four to six weeks. It seems to be our season so far where people who have been playing very, very well for us get injured or suspended. That's been the problem over the last couple of months. The kid's done fantastic and he'll be a very big loss for us."
Alan Hutton reckon that the fans can boo all they like because they pay his wages. He said: “My debut went OK, but it was not ideal getting a draw. You take the point and move on to the next game. There are quality players here, as there were at Spurs, but they have had a bad run of results. You just have to pick yourself up. Getting booed does not give me any problems. They pay their money and they are entitled to a performance. You just have to show them what you can do. It spurs me on because I want to show people what I can do and that is what we all did in the second half. It is a bit of confidence we need at the moment, but we have the talent. Maybe heads are down a wee bit, but we can build on the second half and take it from there. No one wants to be drawn into a relegation battle but the league is so tight at the bottom. I relish the challenge and I will be doing my best to get us out of trouble. It is such a close league. Win our next two or three and we are right back up there. The crowd can benefit us, we get big support. It is not until you come here you realise how big the club are. I am not surprised about the size of the support and the squads at Spurs and here are relatively the same – we are just on a poor run. It is just a case of turning it around with a bit of luck.”
Steve Bruce knows the trip to Pompey could now define our season. He explained: “We’ve got to try and turn it around, because I agree that our form is unsustainable. We’ve got to try and do something. I’ll do my utmost. This is possibly the worst form I’ve ever experienced as a manager, but I’ll try and turn it around. I’m the same manager as I was at the start of the season, but we’ve got to get back fit and firing and match fit. I don’t like the stick, believe me, but I’m under no illusions. I knew what I was taking on, I knew it was difficult. There’s been many tried before me, right, and it’s a big, difficult job, but one I’m still relishing the challenge of it. I’m convinced we’ll turn it around, I’m convinced we’ll make it better and we’ll be okay. Whoever comes in and has this job, the one thing they’re going to have is the big expectant demand of the supporters. The team and the manager have got to be able to handle that, that’s for sure. Because to be able to play here, you’ve got to be a big player, that’s for sure. That’s not going to change. We need big players to handle the occasion. Second half we were a bit better. But the first half, let’s be fair, was awful. I said to the players at half-time we can’t fault your effort and endeavour, but you must have courage. There are two types of courage, the one that you get a cut when you go for a challenge or the other type when you ask for the ball. That’s what we must do better, take the ball and not be afraid.”
Steed Malbranque looks set to replace Jordan Henderson at Fratton Park after the youngster was stretchered off on Saturday. Bruce added: “I hope it’s not the end of his season, for his sake and for ours. He’s had a terrific start, but the kid was in a bad way when I saw him. We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope he’s okay. We’ll have to try something different, that’s for sure and we’ll start on Tuesday. The one thing I can look at is changing the personnel and I’ll probably look at freshening things up so that at least we haven’t got that as an excuse. We’ve got a huge big game coming up. We’ve got people who are champing at the bit to play and maybe I’ll look at that too.”
Meanwhile, Daryl Murphy scored his first goal in two years for his new club Ipswich on Saturday and afterwards had this to say. “Steve Bruce might think I’m a striker now, maybe he won’t see me as a left-midfielder anymore. You would hope that if I can score the goals here then if I went back to Sunderland I would get the chance as a striker. But all I’m trying to do is enjoy my time here and score as many as I can. Ever since I have been playing football I have been stuck out on left-midfield, just because I have a left foot and I can cross a ball. It’s a handy option for managers because there are a lot of strikers wherever you are. At Sunderland there were some very good strikers ahead of me. I think the gaffer (Keane) knows it’s my best position. It was a relief to be playing up front, I had forgotten what it was like to score a goal.”
news, news, news ... quinn speaks, bruce talks and talks, da silva stays
Niall Quinn reckons we should all stick together and get on with the job in hand. Aye, fair play mate, but you’re not paying to watch the shit served up. He said: “We all hoped at the start of the season that we could have a comfortable year – well, the reality is that we can’t, so we have to knuckle down and drive forward. People can give out about it and that’s fine. If any Sunderland fans think they are doing themselves or the club a favour by putting more pressure on the situation, that’s for them to decide. But having been there and done it, I know that the best thing is when everybody gets behind the team because that helps the players to get their confidence back and turn the corner. Let’s do that together and get ourselves up the league again.”
Steve Bruce meanwhile reckons he’s no quitter. OK gaffer, but let’s beat the worst team in the league on Tuesday. He said: “The one thing I am not going to do is give up on it – I have never given up on anything in my life, so I am not going to start now. We have got to make sure we are ready for the challenge ahead. We won’t give up on it, that’s for sure and we will turn it around. I am not enjoying it. I’m not unduly worried, but I am not enjoying it, that’s for sure. After a really fantastic start, we have had a horrible run, it’s as simple as that, but we have to try to arrest it, starting on Tuesday.”
Still with the pressure building on the manager and Steve Bruce reckons that Ellis Short is still behind him despite the £30million that the club have spent which still leaves us flirting with relegation. He said: "I'm sure the owner has not enjoyed watching his team fail to win in 10 games. It's not like they've all been defeats but he'll be disappointed like I am - although we have had severe problems with injuries to our big players. He wants the club to do well. He might not be right at the forefront, but he's as committed as anyone. He's been a successful businessman all his life so he wants whatever he's involved with to go well, and his track record proves they usually do. He's put in a vast amount of money - let's be fair to the fella, a huge amount of money - and hopefully that will get us where we want to be. I respect him because we don't see or hear very much from him. He lets other people get on with their job and manage their own job as they see fit. He lets me manage the team. Of course, I'll have conversations with him to see what his plans are, and that's normal. That's how our relationship works, and that's the way I like it."
In other news, Bruce could have cashed in on Paulo Da Silva during the transfer but decided not to. He said: “Yes, it is true we had a big offer for Paulo. I do not want to go into it really and I will not name the club involved because I don’t think that’s right. However, it was from across the Atlantic and, to be honest, I was not that surprised because I know how highly he is rated over there. The bottom line was that I was not interested in letting him go and under no pressure to do so. He is an exceptional player and I think he will only get better for us. I said all along that in my experience it takes time for South American players coming to this country to adjust. When they do adjust they can be phenomenal sometimes. I am hoping that eventually we will see the very best from Paulo. Some things he has picked up straight away and has been excellent, other things he is having to adjust to because there are significant differences to the way football is played over there, and the way it is played over here. When we brought him in the summer on a free transfer, I knew he would always have a good resale value if we chose to go down that route. However, I like the look of him. He has a fantastic attitude and work ethic and he is going to be a captain at the World Cup, which tells you a lot. The offer is something I will take as a compliment to Paulo, but he is a player who has a job to do here. There is so much stuff which tends to fly around in the January transfer window, which is nonsense. Stories we had clubs bidding for this player or that player at Sunderland just were not true. There was a lot of stuff going around that we received all sorts of bids for Kenwyne Jones for example. I can honestly tell you that, despite all the stuff printed last month, this club did not receive a single firm bid, put on the table, for anyone – including Kenwyne. Thankfully, though, the window is closed now and we can all get on with what it is supposed to be about anyway – playing football games.”
Meanwhile, Michael Turner has been chatting about missing sitters and the gaffer going mad at half time. He said: "The way we performed in the first half was disappointing, and we got a bit of a kick up the backside at half time and rightly so. The second half was much better. We could have won it. In the second half we created good chances and put lots of pressure on - we're disappointed not to have come away with a win. I probably thought I'd scored before it came to me. It was a bit too easy, I didn't get enough on it and I'm massively disappointed I didn't score. Fortunately Kenwyne came up with a great header to get us a draw in the end. They are all big games now. Wigan was a big game and likewise on Tuesday. We have to prepare ourselves right and make sure we're ready."
Finally, the gaffer reckons that Lee Cattermole’s injury issues have taken him out of Fabio Capello’s plans for South Africa. On a more positive front Catts lass is now safe from John Terry. Bruce said: “Lee had a wonderful start to the season, before getting injured against Liverpool,” said Bruce. But would this summer have been a bit early for him to be involved with England? I’m not too sure. I’ve got the greatest respect for Catts. He’s still only young – 21 – but I’ve bought him twice, first at Wigan and now at Sunderland. If he keeps his head down, he’ll have a wonderful career, I’m convinced of that. And who knows what might happen in four years’ time?”
Steve Bruce reckons that the players were nervous against Wigan and that’s why we didn’t win! He said: "We didn't do enough in the first half in particular. We became very edgy, very nervous. They scored a wonder goal with their first shot on target and that set everyone on their heels. The second half was much, much better and I got a response. We could have won the game and turned it round, but unfortunately we've missed the chances to do that. There were better signs in the second half - we got hold of the ball and created some better chances. With a bit of luck, we could have nicked it. I've got no excuses for the first half in particular. We have to be better than that. We had to calm a few down at half time and tell them to take their time and play the game. The good thing was there was a response for everyone to see. If we had played like we did in the second half before the break we would have won the game. There was a nervousness and we have to overcome that. The crowd were fantastic, particularly during the second half. They saw the response from the players and they nearly got us over the line, so I thank them for that."
Goalscorer, Kenwyne Jones was gutted for Jordan Henderson after youngster was stretchered off with ankle injury. Jones said: "Of course, my sympathies are with him. You don't want to see any player get injured and he has done very well for us. Everyone wishes him a speedy recovery. We are very disappointed not to have taken three points today, which is what we came out looking for. I think we were nervy in the first half but we stepped it up in the second and it's a point in the end. We had a good run of play coming down the right and Jordan put in a beautiful cross. I had no choice but to finish it. We were stronger and more composed in the second half - we had chances but we couldn't put them away for the victory."
Bruce was also concerned about Jordan Henderson’s ankle ligament injury. The manager said: “That’s the most disappointing thing of the afternoon. It doesn’t look great for the kid. We will see how the scans and X-rays are over the next 24 hours, but it will certainly be weeks and possibly months.”
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez had this to say for his horribly dressed players and massive following of 27 away fans. He said: “The hardest thing is coming away from home and scoring that first goal and once we did that, we coped really well in the first half with Sunderland’s threat. We expected them to be direct and put us under pressure in the last third, but the disappointment is that we needed to score that second goal. If you score that second goal, the whole games changes and everything is a little bit easier for you. We are getting punished for very, very little and it seems we need a lot to take our chances. But overall, I am very pleased with the performance in terms of the defensive attributes we had to show, the togetherness, the responsibility.”
Elsewhere, a bloke in the street said: “The last two home games were two of the shitest matches I’ve ever seen watching Sunderland.”
We Went To Wembley Stadium...
T’was On The 5th May
It is the day that will never ever be forgotten. In a recent article for ALS, a fan listed their favourite SAFC memory as standing on the seats at the end of that cup final, as the legendary ‘Sunderland Aces’ song reached a crescendo. It was an unreal occasion; one that people thought could never be done justice by words alone. Lance Hardy’s book ‘Stokoe, Sunderland and 73’ allays all of those fears, however. From trilby’s to tracksuits to daft red and white plastic hats, this well researched book provides a fascinating insight into the intricacies of the event no one even knew existed; it has been shortlisted for the Best Football book award in the Best British Sports book award, which will be award on 11 th March. Congratulations and good luck from everyone at ALS to Lance, and cheers for bringing that momentous day to the public attention again. If you haven’t read it, read it. click here...
ALS run coaches to every away game that Sunderland AFC play from our base opposite the Stadium of Light, click here for a full list of departure times, prices and ways to book.
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