Steve Bruce's Big Blunder
I had been extremely impressed with Steve Bruce's transfer activity since he became Sunderland manager. However, I'm worried he may have dropped an almighty clanger this week.
As with all these things, only time will tell. I mean, most of us thought Pascal Chimbonda, Djibril Cisse and El Hadji Diouf would be good signings for the Black Cats 12 months ago.
But I simply cannot understand why he would be willing to lose a player like Danny Collins to Stoke and also shed so many central midfielders so the squad looks desperately short of suitable cover in that department
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I make no secret of the fact that Danny Collins was one of the nicest footballers I have dealt with in my ten years in the business. He was articulate, approachable, reliable and friendly.
He also happened to be a solid and versatile Premier League defender and has been Sunderland's player of the year for the last two seasons in the top flight. He was, so I've been told, the model professional.
He was everything Bruce supposedly looked for in a player, but somehow that was not enough for him to keep the former Chester City man at the Stadium of Light.
Collins could play at centre back or left back, Bruce even made him captain for the first few games of the season. He would not have moaned if he was not in the team, he would simply have worked harder to try and make sure he was.
It is a deal which doesn't make any sense unless there is more to the this than meets the eye.
The fact Bruce may also have been willing to let Anton Ferdinand join Tottenham Hotpur on transfer deadline day suggests to me there has been some sort of fall out between the manager and his centre-backs.
Then again, it is up to the manager to decide who he wants to keep and he obviously didn't think Collins was good enough to take the Wearsiders on to another level.
I think he is wrong, certainly as a squad player, but that's why he is paid so well to make tough calls like this and why I'm paid considerably less to comment on them.
At least Sunderland have a replacement on board in Michael Turner, which isn't something you can say in midfield where Grant Leadbitter and Teemu Tainio have both followed Dean Whitehead out the door.
Neither were going to be first choice and the signings of Lorik Cana and Lee Cattermole have been inspired one by Bruce, but what happens when - and this would appear to be inevitable given the manner in which they play the game - one of them gets injured or suspended.
Cattermole had the worst disciplinary record in the top flight last season, Cana is not shy when it comes to the physical side of the game either, but Kieran Richardson and Jordon Henderson are the only alternatives in this area now.
Surely Sunderland should have kept either Leadbitter or Tainio? That just looks like common sense to me when Bruce said he wanted two players in every position and Henderson is supposed to be a winger.
Bruce, though, has looked increasingly determined to get his own players into the dressing room, players he signed and therefore, supposedly loyal to him.
He said he would be making only a few adjustments to the squad when he arrived back in May, but Bruce is tougher than he sounds behind the scenes. This is now his team, let's hope he makes the best out of it.
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Luke Edwards - is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.
Lots of good youngsters coming through, collins is limited, mensah can cover his position no problem.
Supposition & inuendo have no place in journalism. Like too many of the football writers you are filling in blanks and sowing seeds that would suggest disharmony between Steve Bruce and his dressing room. Good writers fill column inches with facts and opinions and not supposition and inuendo. Please try and follow their lead.
Luke, what is the point in writing blogs about Sunderland? You never get a good comment, they never have any discussions and in general they never have anything good to say.
On top of that 83%* of them cannot get access to a PC, so its a complete waste of time.
*stat may have been made up for the purpose of comedy.
Luke, what is the point in writing blogs about Sunderland? You never get a good comment, they never have any discussions and in general they never have anything good to say.
On top of that 83%* of them cannot get access to a PC, so its a complete waste of time.
*stat may have been made up for the purpose of comedy.
I don't do this job for posiive comments Johnny. If I did, I'd have quit years ago! We're a North East paper. That's why.
Hurray a blog that isn't abot the misery of NUFC - it's all getting a bit dull hearing all that negativity... lets just agree that NUFC are in a mess (like so many other clubs have been and are!), and start to dicuss football!
It was a shoke to see Danny Collins go, but I have every reason to believe that Bruce know's what he is doing, and won't keep a player that he feels doesn't fit in with his plans... As for the midfield, I think our cover is as good as is was last season really, we have players that can fill the gaps - just maybe not ones that are soley centre mids (like Leadbitter). Was a shame to see a local lad leave, but i think he needs a fresh start
Definitely agree with you about Collins Luke. Really can't understand why we wouldn't keep him even as cover. Sad about Leadbitter but sometimes it's even harder learning the trade in your own backyard.
Oh and Jonny - grow up!
Johnny, did you know that 76.4% of statistics are made up on the spot?
Your statistical view may not have gone down well with others, but made me chuckle!!
This question is aimed loosely at Luke and any Sunderland fans.... With Cana & Cattermole in the centre of the park, do they have any creative outlets in the middle of the park? Reason I ask is because it looked like they struggled to break Stoke down, which we struggled to do last season. More teams will play like Stoke this season and it will remain tough without that creative spark, as NUFC will testify because we were also missing any creative midfielders last season.
Does anyone think this is a concern, or are there players capable of performing that role?
You answered your own question there llf. Cattermole does have a lot more to his game than just tough tackeling.
To be fair LLF you lot have waited a long time to get it right and now you have it so fair play.
Its not our fault that we are where we are at the moment (not entirely anyway) and we may have to wait as long as you lot did, but we will be back at some point and we will beat you!! haha
Boro isn't a derby for us, Sunderland is, and i can't wait till we play again!
Johnny, are you insinuating that I'm a Mackem? How very dare you, hang your head in shame young man. If you've read my previous comments of the last 3 years, you'll know where my loyalties lie.....
Mackem, is Cattermole really anything other than a midfield thug? I haven't seen anything to convince me he isn't. He fitted in to a Boro side that liked to kick lumps out of people and was at home in a Wigan side that played 'spoiling football'. It will be interesting to hear your views as someone who, I expect, watches him regularly, as opposed to me who only ever saw him twice a season......
LLF Yes cattermole is a bit of an enforcer in mid field along with cana. However watching cattermole and cana both have more to their games than just that aspect. Cattermole alone whilst not being the fastest man on the pitch has a sublime cross which he has shown in quite a few of our games already. Cana again has great vision and can play excellent through balls and both are a revelation with regards to work rate on the pitch. They also fill their defensive duties fantastically when defending set plays. It will be an interesteing season watching how not only this partnership develops but also the partnership of bent and jones. All the best in coming straight back up and I at least hope we will meet in a cup game in between this time to reignite the north east!