The shattering news that centre back Michael Turner has joined Titus Bramble on the long-term injury list, following his gutsy clearance off the line on Monday night against Everton, is a real threat to the good run currently experienced by Sunderland. A lot of the progress in the first third of the season has been built on a solid back four of Onuoha, Bramble, Turner and Bardsley. So how will Steve Bruce react? Well, the first thing to say is that we at least have a decent squad now, and Anton Ferdinand is capable of doing a sound defensive job for us. I am sure the back room staff is guiding John Mensah back to fitness as soon as humanly possible, with Paulo Da Silva also waiting to be called into action at short notice.

What are Steve Bruce’s options? He can obviously opt to bring in Ferdinand and Mensah, with Da Silva as back-up, and this is the most likely strategy in my view. Blair Adams is a young left back who has recently been on the bench and we also have the Argentinian Marcos Angeleri who has not yet been tested at this level. The Black Cats also have a number of players out on loan who could be recalled at this time, such as George McCartney who is at Leeds and Matt Kilgallon at Middlesborough, although the former Sheffield United man is out of the team at present. Michael Kay is now returning from his 10-match run at Gateshead. Another alternative could be that we move either Phil Bardsley or Nedum Onuoha to centre back alongside Ferdinand and recall McCartney or Kilgallon as a specialist full-back.

So there are a number of permutations available to the manager, but however the team is set up for the visit to Wolves, we will need the players at the back to stand up and be counted, to put in quality performances and stake their own claims for an extended run in the side. We will also need our captain Cattermole to play well as a holding midfield player to shield the defence. The side needs to show a lot of determination to ensure that Sunderland’s run of one defeat in the last 12 games does not come to an end cheaply, and one way of doing that is to attack and keep the ball in the opponent’s half. With Darren Bent, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck all available up front, the attack is potent and can take the game strongly to Wolves.
©Lars J.S. Knutsen