Alan Browne is a player I have always rated. For some reason, he was the Preston player I was most familiar with, and I always thought he would be a good fit for Sunderland.
Sadly, his time with us in the Championship was somewhat blighted by injury. He struggled to nail down a starting spot, and a couple of his appearances came filling in as a right-back.
In the last few weeks, comments from him about being disappointed not to be given a chance in the Premier League have been published and have resurfaced
in the wake of his loan move to neighbours Middlesbrough.
“Yeah, of course. I think a lot of people probably are from last year.
“We’re the players who got the club there, and you’d like to think you’d be rewarded with a fair chance the following season. I’m disappointed, but I completely understand the club’s outlook.”
As understandable as those comments may be about his own situation, I am not sure that his reference to ‘a lot of people’ is entirely justified.
Yes, Sunderland have signed a raft of new players, but it seems unfair to suggest that ‘the players who got the club there’ will not get a fair chance to stake a claim for a place.
I have looked at players who started 10 or more games last season. Of the core of the promotion-winning side, most are still there.
Goalkeeper – Anthony Patterson now has a battle on his hands to displace Robin Roefs, but, working with a well-regarded goalkeeping coach in Neil Cutler, he has every chance to improve his game and properly compete with the impressive Dutchman.
Defenders – Trai Hume has started all four games this season. His fellow Northern Irish international, Dan Ballard, only lost his place to injury. He now has a real challenge to displace Nordi Mukiele – but, as his return to the side for the play-off semi-final showed, he has the full confidence of Régis Le Bris.
Chris Mepham returned to Bournemouth at the end of his loan period. He had already had the opportunity to play Premier League football with them, and the fact that he is now back in the Championship with West Brom is probably an indicator of his true level.
Luke O’Nien may have to rely on his versatility and AFCON to earn a place in the matchday squad – the quality of defensive options now available will make it difficult for him. But his value as a leader in the group means that he now takes on a different role. Dennis Cirkin’s injury struggles made it inevitable that the club would look at cover at left-back. He may find it hard to find his way back, with Reinildo and Masuaku ahead of him. If he doesn’t get a chance at top-flight football here, it will be more a consequence of his injury record rather than any unwillingness to give him the opportunity.
Midfield – Jobe chose to pursue a future away from Sunderland. In doing so, he (and Tommy Watson) helped to provide the financial base for some of this summer’s recruitment. Enzo Le Fée, Chris Rigg, and Dan Neil have been fixtures in the matchday squad, and AFCON will surely provide starting opportunities for the two Academy graduates. Alan Browne started 13 games last season, just ahead of Le Fée, who only arrived in the January transfer window. Jobe, Neil, and Rigg all started more than 40 fixtures.
Attackers – Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor have both featured strongly in the opening matches. They now have competition from Brian Brobbey, but both are clearly valued by Le Bris. Tommy Watson chose to depart for Brighton but left us the best leaving present ever!
Romaine Mundle’s opportunities have been halted only by injury, but allowing Patrick Roberts to depart on loan could be taken as a clear indicator that the club sees Mundle as one of the four options on the wing, alongside Simon Adingra, Chemsdine Talbi, and Bertrand Traore. Sadly, for many of us, we may have seen the last of Patrick Roberts in a Sunderland shirt.
In summary, despite Browne’s comments that ‘a lot of people probably are’ disappointed, they don’t quite stand up to scrutiny. Of the players who played any significant part in promotion, two – Jobe and Watson – departed of their own volition. Two more – Roberts and Browne – have been allowed to leave in search of regular football, and one – Chris Mepham – returned to his parent club.
Alan Browne was gracious enough to understand the club’s approach, but I don’t think his comments are entirely fair.
“They want to stay in the Premier League, progress, and get as high up the table as they can. They’ve made the choice to spend that money and bring in players who they think are capable of doing that, and they didn’t think most of the previous players were.”
The remaining eleven players who started more than 10 Championship games last season, and who are still at Sunderland, have not been cast aside.
If those players prove themselves good enough to compete with the new arrivals, they will have a fair chance this season. The level of competition for a place in the team may have been raised substantially, but that is the nature of Premier League football.
