Sbragia will need to show his nasty side

HOW strange, having seemingly gone weeks without a game on a weekend, last Saturday’s clash against Spurs was the only top flight game in England.

It was almost like the naughty corner for those who couldn’t be bothered with the FA Cup. Sod it, let’s embrace mid-table mediocrity ahead of cup glory.

Prior to the match our A Love Supreme office was invaded by a former Newcastle and England player in the shape of affable defender Steve Howey. Despite playing nearly 200 games for the Magpies in the 90s, Steve and all of his family are avid Sunderland fans. His brother Lee used to play for SAFC and a regular terrace chant at the time was “Lee Howey, Lee Howey, Lee Howey, your brother is a ****.”

This year at ALS we decided to release a retro t-shirt to commemorate the song after interviewing Lee in the magazine, which he kindly agreed to model for us. It’s gone down pretty well around Sunderland and Steve popped into our HQ on Saturday before the match to get his hands on one, telling me that “I thought I’d get one for a laugh seeing as I’m hated so much!”

It was with some regret I had to tell him that we’d just sold the last two and even a large framed canvas print with the same image on to two very bizarre young ladies, meaning that he couldn’t even buy a shirt proclaiming how much everyone disliked him! It’s one of the most ironic moments I’ve come across pre match in a while. He took it all in his stride and went off to the game.

Hopefully our low stock levels won’t have spoilt Steve’s enjoyment of the match, although Robbie Keane’s late equaliser for Spurs may have. It epitomised all that is good and bad about Sunderland at the moment. How many other sides can you think of who, in what was technically a relegation battle, would be caught out on the break with only minutes remaining? Regardless of us being denied yet another stonewall penalty just ten seconds before Keane netted, we should have been trying to hold possession, rather than going all out for a second goal. That’s 20 points we’ve lost this season from being in winning positions, which is the exact difference between us being in a Champions League place and the position we’re in now. We’ve gone from scoring last minute goals to conceding late sickeners and it’s a situation that needs to be addressed.

I’m not too sure if Roy Keane had a point suggesting that the players are slacking under Ricky Sbragia. Sure, they’ll play nice football, but when it comes to fighting tooth and nail they just don’t seem to want it. Why should they when their big pal Rick is manager? He’s not going to shout at them, is he? Spag Bol might want to do things his own way, but I’ve a feeling he’s going to have to get nasty if he wants us to progress under his leadership.

It was interesting to see Pascal Chimbonda’s return to the North East. The versatile defender is a decent player, but sums up just about everything that is wrong with top-level football at the moment. In four years since moving to England he’s had three transfers and riled managers and supporters for his lack of commitment, even handing in a transfer request minutes after walking off the pitch for Wigan. He didn’t leave Sunderland in a blaze of glory either.

He was barely recognisable on Saturday as he ditched the tights he wore virtually every time he appeared in red and white at the Stadium of Light. It was almost as if he’d grown a pair, until I noticed his gloves. Chimbonda was booed every time he touched the ball, making me glad it’s not just me who felt a little bit cheated out of the money he earned at SAFC. He might have slept soundly in his millionaire mansion in London on Saturday night, but deep down somewhere he’ll know that a little city in the North East of England despises him.

Next up is another of Pascal’s former clubs, Wigan, at the Stadium of Light this Saturday. A win could in theory see us move up to eighth although the reality is that it’ll put us into the top half of the table. Steve Bruce’s men haven’t won since they beat Spurs in January, hopefully we can get another victory as we edge closer to the magical forty point mark and safety.

* Read Martyn McFadden on www.a-love-supreme.com