https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/s...eacts-pierre-ekwahs-burnley-display/?ref=ebls TONY MOWBRAY is confident Pierre Ekwah will have taken a lot from his first Sunderland start at Burnley on Friday night. Ekwah could not have wished for a tougher assignment on his maiden start in English football, with Burnley having gone into Friday’s game with a 13-point lead at the top of the Championship. The French 21-year-old performed impressively though, slotting into the heart of midfield alongside Dan Neil as Sunderland claimed a creditable point from a goalless draw. “People need experience, otherwise how do you ever get up to speed,” said Mowbray. “Pierre has now played in a game against the top team in the league, and it’ll be an amazing experience for him. I’ve been saying to him from day one that he has to get up to speed.” Ekwah joined Sunderland from West Ham in January, having previously spent time in the academies of Nantes and Chelsea after graduating from French football’s legendary Clairefontaine breeding ground. He had not played a senior game prior to moving to Wearside though, with Mowbray admitting there is a world of difference between the Under-23 matches Ekwah had been playing before January and the challenge of handling life in the Championship. “He’s been playing Under-23s football all his life,” said the Black Cats boss. “He’s never played a first-team game really, so here we go, playing against men whose life depends on winning football matches. “That’s a big difference from the Under-23s, where you get told to stand in a position and play to a or b or c. He was in the middle of a proper football match on Friday night, with men. It’ll have been a good experience for him.”
Good assessment, Ekwah still has a lot to do , but is another bright prospect who improved as the game went on, albeit from an almost standard slow start. At the start of the season I was hoping we finished higher than the two teams that came up with us to have a good first season at this level. It looks like we have achieved that already, and now my interest has turned to Stoke as a barometer they are catching up with us , it will be interesting to see where we are in relation to them at the close, but even more so who will be top dogs next year at this time . My money would be on us .
Agree, just wonder how far we've gone to secure Mitchu for next season, if he's staying then we could have the youngest mid field in the league and use Cory a bit less.
Yes,but a game at a time. He's a good player, obvious he needs time to adjust, we have to see what he can do. Pre-season will be so important for us. I'm really excited by the prospect of next season.!
He looks a good prospect. Big, strong, athletic and can pick a pass which we seen against Burnley. So far though his first touch and ball retention look way off the required level.
I think this is a euphemism for "his work rate needs to improve significantly." You can't jog around all of the time; often, you need to sprint to get to where you need to be -- like Gooch and O9 in the last match.
