Sbragia happy to put the fun back into Sunderland

GIVEN that Roy Keane’s resignation from Sunderland was apparently provoked by the notion of encouraging his players to smile during training, perhaps it was for the best the Cork man did not bear witness to their post-match ritual on Saturday.

The visitors’ team bus was just pulling away from Emirates stadium when it stopped abruptly outside a shabby-looking mini-mart just off the Holloway Road. The side door opened and a tracksuited member of staff bounded into the shop, returning moments later to distribute a mountain of snacks to the players, while giggling teenagers captured the moment on their mobile phones.

Keane would probably have made his former charges walk back to the north-east had they attempted such behaviour on his watch, but the Wearsiders are thriving under Ricky Sbragia’s more relaxed approach.

“Managers have different ideas,” said Sbragia. “We have conditions which they have to meet for us but it’s about the players having a smile on their face as well.

“Roy did fantastically for Sunderland. He’ll be back at some point, once he gets the right opportunity. He’s a good manager. People won’t remember me if and when I leave the club — I’ll be forgotten in a couple of days. But he’s different.’’

Sbragia’s self-deprecation is touching but maybe this was the day he finally emerged from Keane’s lengthy shadow. Tactically, he trumped Arsene Wenger, flooding midfield to stymie Arsenal’s creative talents and thereby earning their first point at one of the traditional ‘Big Four’ since winning promotion under Keane in 2007.

Sbragia was ready to fight his corner too after a touchline spat with Wenger at the final whistle. “He said something like: ‘You should come here and play some football’,” which was a bit unnecessary,” Sbragia revealed. “A few years ago, Arsenal beat Blackburn here 6-2 and Wenger said that Blackburn had come to the Emirates and played some really great football. That has always stuck in my mind.’’

Wenger was at his gloomiest after his third successive goalless league draw. The season is reaching its business end and his side look no nearer to rediscovering their fluency.

Increasingly, it appears winning the Champions League is a more likely route into next season’s competition than finishing in the top four, although the scouts from Roma, who visit tomorrow, will not have been quaking in their patent leather shoes.

“I think they will be a classic Italian side away from home and play on the break because they know an away goal will give them a good chance,’’ Wenger said. “We must cope with that.”

One man who cannot help is Andrey Arshavin. The Russian playmaker dazzled sporadically on his long-awaited debut, sending one first-half shot skimming just wide and seeing another well saved by Fulop, but he is ineligible.

That is another blow in what is turning into a sickener of a season for Arsenal.

REFEREE: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire) 7: Dished out yellow cards when he needed to and tried to let things flow as much as possible.

MATCH RATING: ** Fitted the template of Arsenal home games: lots of sideways passing and wretched shooting from the hosts, doughty defending and precious little ambition from the visitors.