January Is Make Or Break Time For Sunderland and Steve Bruce

On the field this season Sunderland have been very inconsistent and despite some great results, find themselves on a knife-edge, ready to either push on up to the top half, or fall into yet enough relegation battle.

January activity could be crucial to Steve Bruce’s men, and the need to strengthen is more apparent than ever after a run of six games without a win.

A full strength team at Sunderland holds one main weakness—its defence. Even after many changes from Bruce, the back line at the Stadium of Light is still not good enough to push the team forward towards Europe.

Looking at teams like Fulham, Birmingham, and Stoke, their strength comes from a solid goalkeeper with a strong back four in front of them, something Sunderland are desperately lacking.

Starting in the goal, both ‘keepers, Fulop and Gordon, are decent shot stoppers, but they lack almost everything else. They are weak with crosses and set pieces and seem to have very little command over their area. 

Add into the mix some poor positioning and you have two goalkeepers who put no confidence in the team or the supporters and seem to rarely make game-changing saves.

Sunderland need a goalkeeper who can come and claim a corner with confidence in the 93rd minute, someone who will make saves they have no right to make and keep the team ahead or, at the very least level, in the game.

The back four do little to counter the weakness in goal, and seem to lack someone to be in charge, and definitely seem to lack composure and concentration. 

Anton Ferdinand sticks out as the top centre half, despite the occasional clanger, has the best record of all the central defenders, with the team conceding every 63 minutes when he is on the field (as opposed to 58 as an average).

The only defensive players up there with Ferdinand are utility defender Paulo DaSilva (66 mins) and right back Paul Bardsley (66.5 mins).

While left back McCartney and on-loan centre half Mensah both hover around the team average of 58, the big surprise to fans will be that the two men who stick out as the worst performers, are the two they hold with the highest of regards.

New signing Michael Turner and Nyron Nosworthy both concede every 50 minutes when they are on the field, a record worse than any other defender (or either goalkeeper) by five minutes.

This only highlights how much Bruce needs to strengthen in defence, with DaSilva still adapting to life in the Premier League, Mensah seemingly injury prone, and Turner showing why he was battling relegation with Hull last year January is the time to recruit a strong and experienced centre half to take charge of his defence and play alongside Ferdinand. Sol Campbell.

In midfield Bruce seems to have hit the jackpot with Cattermole and Cana, who play well together and look strong enough together to push the team forward, and with Andy Reid and Kieran Richardson he has two creating wide men, although they are both left sided they are still probably strong enough to dislodge Malbranque from the right.

With Cattermole playing, Sunderland concede less, and score more, something he shares with only Steed Malbranque and Kenwyne Jones. 

He is a vital player at the Stadium of Light, and his stats are telling, with him playing the team score every 47 (team average is 64) minutes, and concede every 64 (team average 58), and with his understudy Jordan Henderson playing, the team only score every 82 minutes, and concede every 49.

This is no way meant as a criticism of Henderson, who, for a 19-year-old playing his first season as a contender in the team has done well, it is no coincidence that Sunderland’s bad run of form has come when Cattermole has been missing.

One area where Sunderland have been performing at their best, and indeed as one of the best in the league is up front. 

With strike partners Kenwyne Jones and Darren Bent scoring 19 goals between them, the team can have confidence that they will score when the pair are playing together, with only Manchester United and Chelsea’s top partnership’s matching the record of Bent and Jones.

There has been a lot of talk of Jones leaving Sunderland in the January window, and even a number of supporters who would be happy to see that happen, but in addition to his scoring record and partnership with Bent, Jones is a valuable defensive asset for set pieces. 

Sunderland fans will have a better idea by the end of January of where there season is likely to go, the lack of an improved defence, and the sale of Jones will almost certainly see the team fall further down the league, but some experience at the back and hanging onto Jones should see the team push on for a top half finish.

This is Steve Bruce’s time to shine and show why he deserves the job.