Half-Term Review - Sunderland

by Mike Grady

 

Summer Signings

Lorik Cana, Lee Cattermole and Darren Bent have all hit the ground running. Bruce has showed his skill in the transfer market by snatching Cana form under the noses of the top four and Everton by the sounds of things.

 

Cattermole would have been the perfect summer signing for Arsenal; he is a gritty, hard-working midfielder who loves a tackle. Though there is more to his game than that; His passing range is impressive and his vision is far superior that I thought. His link-up play with Andy Reid and Kieran Richardson has been astounding at times.

 

Frazier Campbell has done what the fans expected - played a cameo role and never really impressed. The former Manchester United striker is young and raw, he possesses great pace and skill and if there was ever a manager to harness those qualities, it is Bruce.

 

Paulo Da Silva looks strong. Despite being a centre-back, he has played on the right of defence for most of the time, but when playing centrally, as he did against Arsenal, he has impressed - bar the stumble that gifted Wigan their only goal in late November.

 

John Mensah again looks strong; he is a beast of a man. He's captained Ghana so his leadership qualities are there for all to see and alongside Da Silva or Michael Turner, he is more than capable to play at this level.

 

Turner may have been the bargain of the summer. Thought to have been bought for £10m plus, it has transpired that Bruce paid only £4m for the England hopeful. He is commanding in the air - defending and attacking - though he lacks the real foresight to pass the ball properly. 

 

Bent has obviously grabbed the headlines for the club this year, and it is wonderful to see a natural goalscorer in a Sunderland shirt once more. Alongside Jones, on their better days, they are unplayable.

 

Bruce needs another striking option however. Campbell has got talent but cannot be relied upon to fill the boots of Jones and/or Bent. David Healy, Daryl Murphy and Roy O'Donovan all look to be on their way out, though Martin Waghorn is returning from a fruitful and maturing spell at Leicester City.

 

All in all, the summer signings have done well; with another striker and a solid left back Sunderland might even push for the Europa League.

 

As well as the new arrivals (including Bolo Zenden - bit of experience, level headed, great player to have to put his foot on the ball and slow things down), Sunderland also have some youngsters coming through.

 

With Martin Waghorn returning from a loan spell - one in which he has shown his talent with some great finishing, impressive work rate and determination to win. Keane believed in him enough to start him as a lone striker against Chelsea last season. That may have been too much, too young - but expect to hear a lot more of him in the second half of this season.

 

Jack Colbeck has also return from a loan spell at Ipswich. Following in the footsteps of Jordan Henderson, who has broken into the first team this season and progressed at a phenomenal rate, Colbeck is another talented youngster who could come in handy when Cana and Cattermole pick up suspensions.

 

Finally, Ryan Noble has just earned a promotion to the first team squad. The attacking midfielder-cum-striker has impressed with a hatful of goals. Given time, he will get the strength needed to compete at first team level, but with the talent and the application, there is no reason why you won't see his name on the scoresheet a few times in the coming months.

 

 

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