Proper Players

MD16 – Queen’s Park Rangers (Away) 2000 – Wednesday 21^st December 2011

23-year old Nicklas Bendtner has developed a seasoned repertoire for his narcissistic levels of confidence and self-instilled delusions of grandeur; however his developed talent is juxtaposed with great criticism, centred on his failure to adopt it into his weekly performances. So when a vandalism charge against the Dane and teammate Lee Cattermole brought Sunderland into disrepute, it fell to the new man in charge, Martin O’Neill, to provide Bendtner with the home truth that has eluded him for so long.

Following a grovelling apology to his family, club and country, a sincere Nicklas Bendtner took to Loftus Road with rare focus and commitment to Sunderland’s cause. And, after an alarming display of forward manoeuvres, the striker dominated his marker for a well-earned headed goal within twenty minutes. It was a welcomed performance; increasing Bendtner’s credibility with patient supporters while exploring the efficiency of O’Neill’s man-management skills.

The on-loan Gunner’s crisp form catalysed Sunderland’s one-sided opening half in which the reliable Stèphane Sességnon continued to shine through as the Black Cat’s star player. His blistering counter-attack from a Titus Bramble clearance out-paced surrounding stoppers; while his ‘fake shot’ finish was as humiliating for keeper Paddy Kenny was it was savvy from the Benin maestro. As for the goal-line clearance from Bramble; it was a steady indication of the defender’s newfound agility and awareness, as Bramble continues to drop his ‘powerhouse’ methods. This can only be a good thing for a player who is far from re-embraced by the Sunderland faithful. Lee Cattermole, who can learn from Bramble’s example of rehabilitating respect through commitment on-field, also revealed a more composed doppelganger of his manic self throughout his performance. Though commendable, but it will take more than this game for supporters to overlook his volatility.

A severely brief dip – rife with inconsistency and panic – hallmarked the Steve Bruce managerial era from this campaign as two successive responses from Queen’s Park Rangers reset the match. It was familiar and typical, but supporters won’t fault the current guard; this is a mentality error that will take a while to repair.

The death provided for travelling supporters as Martin O’Neill wildly flailed his body in gesture for his team to unload pressure over their hosts. Like Blackburn and Tottenham, the Black Cats became relentless with adrenaline and battered QPR until a rare Wes Brown goal sent the squad into relief. The job was done; but with Everton on the horizon – who boast a terrific record against Sunderland – Martin O’Neill will be hoping Bendtner can retain the commitment, effort, and goals his form provided at Loftus Road.

Smoke and Mirrors

MD15 – Tottenham Hotspurs (Away) 1500 – Sunday 18^th December 2011

A win against Blackburn Rovers at home is to be expected of every team this campaign. Retaining a laudable goal deficit against a team with such depth and strength as Tottenham is questionable. It being his second game in charge, nobody would have condemned Martin O’Neill a loss against Premier League title contenders, operated by one of history’s greatest English managers.

It was a case therefore for Sunderland to assure supporters that the frantic buzzwords coined against Blackburn (resilience, dominance, et al) were not facades covering a weak squad still unable to replicate its potential. So it must have been comforting for O’Neill, and indeed supporters, when an opening half concluded with a 0-0 scoreline. Sunderland lack goal-scorers; this has been accepted since the start of the calendar year, so preventing Tottenham from strong-holding their opponents was paramount. Most fans could appreciate that.

However as Tottenham’s quality depleted – having started without Bale and losing Lennon – it was refreshing to see the Wearside 11 launch a persistent attack at the Spurs back line. While for the most part it was fruitless, supporters applauded under the mere fact that O’Neill’s vision of Sunderland was to make that effort. Even after a Roman Pavlyuchenko scorcher, the goal deficit failed to phase squad mentality as Sunderland’s attack made for an unsettling final 30 minutes for Tottenham. The result itself was academic but secondary to Sunderland’s effort.

A footnote of the match itself was the notary bench-warming of Nicklas Bendtner and Lee Cattermole. The guaranteed harness Steve Bruce provided both – Cattermole especially – was nonexistent as Martin O’Neill proved all players are susceptible for demotion; the pair’s disreputable acts of vandalism a fortnight prior clearly the instigation of O’Neill’s decision to start neither. It was a bold managerial decision on his part supported by Bendtner’s short performance; his concluding shot spinning disastrously wayward. He was a shambles.

The performance of Nicklas Bendtner aside it was another chance O’Neill sought to utilise his younger options, with Connor Wickham leading the Sunderland attack. Though he was short of goals the youth was not disappointing and will only improve. A more viable winning option awaits him next week at Queen’s Park Rangers where his price tag may begin to pay for itself.

Like Barcelona

MD14 – Blackburn Rovers (Home) – 1500 Sunday 11^th December 2011

One could only assume what madness new boss Martin O’Neill was conjuring as he outlined plans for Sunderland to play like the current best team on the planet, as his new club entered free-fall into relegation more messy than Messi. However the explanation was in O’Neill’s light talk about his time away from management. Barcelona’s success is no secret: they aren’t demi-gods; just a disciplined bunch with a particular style of play that compliments them. In theory, there is no reason why any team can’t replicate their success with the right players, and the right manager.

Fans certainly believe they have the latter, made clear as O’Neill humbly presented himself to the Stadium of Light. His warm applause accompanied slogans and flags already regarding him as their next Peter Reid. Martin himself however made the media aware of his relationship with supporters; he knew his reputation gave him “about three games” to allow mistakes. After that, he was just another manager.

Blackburn Rovers’ early goal brought wonder as to whether it was all just another Steve Bruce, like Eric Black a week prior. Fans irresponsibly jeered players off at half-time (the most fickle claiming it was directed at the referee; it wasn’t). The majority supporting however saw beyond the scoreline and saw the match – and the Sunderland squad – for what it was already becoming under Martin O’Neill’s guidance. There was an attacking flair previously abandoned by Steve Bruce’s repetitive defensive offering. Statistics in retrospect did not lie: Sunderland bossed Blackburn around the SOL with no response, boasting near-70% possession and determined attacking flair led by the ever-present Sességnon. Pundits and supporters alike knew a Sunderland goal was coming – a Sunderland win was inevitable.

The beginning of the end exploded with an 84^th minute David Vaughan knock-out shot from afar – one of the most aesthetically-pleasing shots of the season. The Stadium of Light was buzzing with anticipation for another as Martin O’Neill sent his body into orbit with excitement. A 92^nd minute spot-kick award was just the ticket for Sebastian Larsson to redeem himself for his incident at Wolverhampton. He needed to take this chance for himself and for the club. With hearts in throats, the Swede curved an impossible shot below keeper Paul Robinson and the Stadium of Light went absolutely bananas. Larsson erupted into a shooting star pose as he blew kisses to supporters who had lost all sense of control. Not even Martin O’Neill could maintain order of his motor functions.

It was not perfect but it was entertaining. O’Neill got his victory, Larsson got his redemption, and Sunderland got the points. There were highly encouraging appearances from Wickham, Ji Dong Won and James McClean; with the Irish boy McClean being the centrepiece of Sunderland’s grand finale to a grand new start.