Kenwyne Jones Needs To Sort Himself Out And Bruce Must Help

By Luke Edwards on Jan 26, 10 01:13 PM

I've always liked Kenwyne Jones, both as a player and a person, but he has lost his way, head turned by interest from rival clubs, head messed up by Steve Bruce's handling of the speculation which surrounds him.

The whole sorry saga is a shambles. Jones has been a shadow of the player he should be and at times he has looked as though he is going through the motions as a Sunderland player.

That isn't acceptable in any way shape or form, but he is reacting to events going on around him. A confused sulk would be the best way to describe his behaviour.

He probably doesn't know whether he is coming or going. He doesn't know whether a move to Liverpool is going to materialise and he doesn't know whether Bruce is genuine when he says he wants him to stay.

Sunderland were trying to sign Schalke target man Kevin Kuranyi earlier this month, a player, you would presume, would be a direct rival to Jones.

In the summer, they were very publicly chasing Peter Crouch, another player you would expect to play instead of, not with Jones.

If Jones feels unwanted, Bruce has not helped him feel differently. He has questioned his attitude publicly and he has courted other players.

At the moment he is trying to repair the damage, trying to reassure one of his supposed star players that he is central to his plans, but there is no escaping for the fact he contributed to the damage being done in the first place.

However, it is easy to blame a manager. Bruce is right, every player does have a price and it is only right he is looking to strengthen his squad.

Sunderland are looking to progress, not stand still and Jones has been a player in a team which has only survived in the top flight by the skin of its teeth two years running.

On his day, Jones is one of the most impressive front men in the top flight, a Caribbean version of Didier Drogba, but those days are becoming few and far between.

He is a naturally laid back character, but the great players don't generally have that persona.

Okay, Dwight Yorke, another player from Trinidad and Tobago, was possibly the exception to the rule, but the smiles masked a ferocious will to win, to get to the ball before the defender, to beat the defender and to score as many goals as possible. Does Jones have that in him?

If Bruce is looking at signing Kuranyi - or any other player for that matter - that is up to him and if he signs it is up to Jones to respond to the challenge, raise his game and ensure he keeps his place in the starting line up.

Yes, Liverpool might be interested in him and he probably would like to move to such a glamorous club, but they haven't offered any money and until they do there is no chance of him going anywhere.

Liverpool have plenty of transfer targets, he is just one of them. They might be interested, but they aren't interested enough to actually offer the millions needed to take him to Anfield.

The proof is in the pudding apparently and Jones is a very long way away from moving to Merseyside and the sooner he realises that the better.

He signed a long term contract last season and he has, at the very least, got to justify that. He isn't feeling happy at the moment, he is unsettled and unfocused, but he needs to get over it, stop sulking and concentrate on playing a game he is supposed to love to the best of his ability.

He might well get a move to Liverpool in the summer, but I wouldn't bet on it and neither should he. He isn't a regular goalscorer and he will cost around £15m, which is a lot of money for a player who might not even get into double figures in the league goalscoring charts.

At the moment he is alienating everyone. The fans who once loved him and the journalists like me who were once full of admiration for him. It is Bruce's challenge to persuade him to put things right.