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Club Focus – Sunderland – Prepare to stake their claim for title of ‘Top Cats’ in the North East
Sunderland travel to Newcastle on Sunday afternoon to contest the first Tyne-Wear derby of 2010. Supporters are placing huge emphasis on the game, as with a mid-table finish likely, these are the games that will define the season.
If the past few derby occasions are anything to go by, the game will be characterized by tough tackling, misplaced passing, and fleeting but key moments of quality. With this in mind, Bruce hopes his players go out into the most hostile atmosphere they will face this season with the right mentality. Speaking at his press conference he said: “A different type of courage is needed, there’s two types in football. There’s the type where you put your head in when the boots are flying, which hopefully everyone will want to do with the adrenaline flowing. And then there’s the type the real big players have, where they can take the ball and perform at the top level.” Bruce knows it will be the team that exerts the most composure, in a game that is likely to be played at a frenzied pace, that is likely to triumph.
With both sides beginning to settle in midtable, regional bragging rights probably mean more than they do in most seasons when both sides have been embroiled in relegation battles, or chasing European football. With a number of players, and indeed the manager Bruce, contesting their first Tyne-Wear derby, Bruce also stressed he was aware of the importance of the game in the eyes of football supporters in the region: “It’s the big derby game, we all know. Even after Saturday people were talking about the derby and I can understand that, because it’s part of the make-up of the North East.”
Sunderland have not won at St James’ Park for some ten years and have lost on three of their last four visits there. Bruce has a few injury doubts going into the game. Fraizer Campbell remains a long term absentee and John Mensah is doubtful. It is unclear whether Ahmed Elmohamady will have shaken off the injury sustained last weekend, but the initial signs were that he should recover in time. Bruce is likely to deploy a 4-5-1 formation again, with Asamoah Gyan probably on the bench. The Ghanaian striker could still play a key role in the game and will be a valuable and talismanic asset to bring on in such an occasion. The midfield will probably remain largely unchanged, and supporters will undoubtedly hope that Lee Cattermole can keep his head.
Victory for Sunderland is well within their grasp and has to be the aim. They have a stronger squad than their rivals and Newcastle are once again seemingly on the verge of self-implosion following the rumours surrounding the able Chris Hughton’s future. Having lived in their rivals shadows for so long, a win for the Black Cats would go a long way to asserting their regional ascendancy.
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