From the Journal today. STEVE Bruce is ready to turn to young gun Ryan Noble to fire his stuttering Sunderland side after blocking loan bids from two Championship clubs. Coventry City and Derby County are among five second-tier clubs to have enquired about the 20-year-old striker, but both have been told he is not available with Bruce considering whether to hand him an opportunity in Saturdayâs crunch clash with Wigan. The emergency loan deadline for Football League clubs to move for Premier League players is on Thursday and, with Connor Wickham out of action and Ji Dong-Won struggling for form, the Black Cats want Noble to be part of their busy pre- festive programme. That could even stretch to a starting role against the Latics in a game Bruce knows he must win to silence a growing group of disaffected Black Cats fans. Noble scored a hat-trick in the reserve team defeat of Newcastle last week and, despite his tender years, he is confident enough to be unfazed by such a pressure game. The fact he is so coveted in the Championship is an indication of how highly the Sunderland-born striker is rated both within the club â and outside it. Bruce knows all about his ability â hailing him as a âphenomenonâ before the Fulham draw. But, after getting only a couple of minutes on Saturday, Noble is set for a more substantial role this weekend. Bruce said: âHe was a (phenomenon) when I walked in the door. He had scored 40-odd goals in the youth team and he is one to watch, but he picked up a horrible back injury and that was his first 90 minutes in a year so we have an outstanding player there â but we hope he can stay injury free.â The Journal understands Noble may yet be loaned out in January if Bruce manages to land one of his striker targets â with Senegal striker Papiss Cissé on the Black Cats radar. If goals are a problem, Sunderland have at least managed to secure things at the back and benefited from another peerless display from Keiren Westwood on Saturday. Simon Mignolet has begun the long road back to fitness following a horrific cheekbone fracture but there is still âno signâ of Craig Gordon returning after his injury problems. That means Westwood â who has had to wait for his opportunity after a summer switch from Coventry â is the man in possession of the number one shirt for the foreseeable future. Bruce has been encouraged by recent displays, saying: âIt is Kierenâs chance now. âIf he keeps performing like he is it is quite straightforward and by the look of him he is going to take some shifting because he is looking very capable. âWe are delighted he is here, we have two keepers badly injured and there is no sign of Craig coming back in. Simon is back in the building at least. âFair play to Keiren, he has stuck at it and trained really well. âWhen he was given his chance he handled his Premier League debut very well and proved he is a very good goalkeeper.â About time too. As many of you will know, I have been a huge admirer of this lad since I first watched him as a 16 year old in the youth team and subsequently the reseves. He was in the same reserve side as Henderson, Waghorn & Colback and as a finisher, I haven't seen better at the club. He is an out and out goalscorer in the Bent mould but with a far better footballing brain and ability imo. He will need time for sure and he has very little 1st team experience but if he is fit now and given a chance I'm having a tenner on him for the first goal on Saturday. I dont have time for this manager at all but we would owe it to this young Sunderland born and bred lad to give him our very best support if he starts on Saturday alongside Bendtner. I have to say in these hugely depressing times following SAFC, I will be very, very excited to see the lad have 90 mins v Wigan. Lets leave the disappointments for another time and make sure that Ryans debut in front of his own folk, is one he never forgets for all the right reasons. Lets hope we see plenty of this. please log in to view this image FTM
I was disappointed that he wasn't given more of an opportunity against Fulham, so it will be interesting to see how he steps up to the mark with a full 90 minutes...
Well all this sounds promising and I do hope the lad comes good after an awful injury. IIRC he came on in a cup game at the SoL a couple of years ago and buzzed around for a part of the game had a couple of chances but did not score.. I would imagine it will take a few 1st team games to get 'acclimatised' but I hope we give the lad a chance, and that we are not clutching at straws. I guess the none appearance of Ji is confirmation that currently he is 'pants'!
Been away for two weeks and saw that Connor did not play atthe weekend and guessed he was injured, this has confirmed that. How long is he out for? If it is a long time I would keep Nible here but if it is only for a month or so I would look to use him now then get him half a season at a good Championship side to get first team playing time.
I am convinced, 100% convinced that if we keep the same defence, play 4-4-2 with Bendy and Noble up front and Larsson and Sess on the wings we will win and go on a run, Not even that botherd about who he picks from Catts/Colback/Meyler/Vaughan and Gardner. Just get the formation right with the strikers roles given to strikers, and if possible in form strikers. I really dont see whats so hard about that.
I'd much sooner see Noble given a 6 or 7 game run out and let him find his feet than play the Korean PR man. He is only here to attract some new money. Noble has the red & white passion in his blood. he is 20 years old now not a bairn but very inexperienced. Henderson and Colbeck both benefited by having 6 months or 12 months in the championship but we dont have that luxury at the moment and although I agree its unfair to put all this pressure on the lad, maybe it will be commeth the hour commeth the man. If youre good enough your old enough and both Owen and Rooney were thrown in at much younger ages straight from successful reserve and youth teams. I'm not saying he is at their standard (yet) but I truly have high hopes for him thats for sure. Trust me. This lad could be dynamite if he can step up from youth and reserve stardom. He is the most natural striker I have seen at the club (home grown especially) in my lifetime. He has that special love of scoring goals and is cooler than a lorry full of freezers. Hee is raw and will need our support but at least he will get the fans behind the team fully for Saturday and who knows, may spark a bit of a run. He would be a perfect foil for Bendtner imo too.
No direct quotes from Bruce saying it, just journal gossip... Am i the only one doubting that he will start, after only being given a few minutes on Sat?
Never thought id see the day, I would dissagree with our Cest.....but this is bloody madness !!! Now is not the time to be throwing inexperienced kids in, Id love to be proven wrong but id rather go with experience all day against Wigan and if that means playing Ji alongside Bentdner then so be it. This feckin manager is losin the plot by the bloody minute !!!! 4-4-2 against Wigan and flipplin go for it
hope he gets his chance cos it was obvious we needed a johnny X. Especially with Bendtner coming very deep to try and join in. How does he compare to say a Bridges Cest? Definitely getting old thought as I though he was a mascot on Saturday
Syd that is why SB has been so frustrating, he seems to out of sheer pig headed cussedness refuses to do what is the obvious thing for most fans, and just dither during a match to change thinks, Ryan and Ji should have had lots more play time on saturday and Elmo a lot less. This is the main reason I do not think SB is a good manager. 'The special one' and other good managers can do subs in the first half or at half time if they need to, SB brain just works very slowly and he usually ponders what to change until it is too late. As for CM we need one defensive and one attacking, the defending ones are Catts/Colbeck/Meyler the attacking ones are Vaughan/Gardner & Rico, cos McBardo should be LB
I know Ji is more experienced but I wouldn't call him and old head by any stretch. If the young un does play the crowd need to not moan and groan if possible. Don't want to know the confidence out the kid before he has any!!!!
This isnt hard Bruce? Is it? Play players in positons they are comfortable in and give the team a real shape and attacking look to it. Catts and Colback to alike and dont offer any attacking threat. Vaughan can do their job plus add an attacking forward pass. Gardener was brought to score goals form midfield and in the one game he looked good, he played alongside Vaughan. What you have tried so far hasnt worked Bruce. Change it or piss off and let someone who can change it come in. Westwood O Shea, Brown, Turner, Bardsley Larsson, Gardener, Vaughan, Sessegnon Noble, Bendtner Subs: Keeper, Elmo, Richardson, Catts, Colback, Meyler and Ji
Biffa I know what you are saying but these ARE desperate times mate and I dont see a footballer when I look at Ji I see a PR stunt. Ryan is a natural goalscorer and has that instinct to get into the box and thast what we dont have at the minute. Inexperienced or not, he has to be given the chance to show us what he is made of. He is a very cocky and confident lad mate and not a young shrinking violet. Trust me, he wont be fazed by the SOL and a near 40,000 crowd in any shape or form. How good would it be to have a Sunderland born kid become the striker we all want?
I forgot about Richardson and I dont see a problem with sticking Noble in, certainly cant see the maddness bit. Noble is inexperienced at prem level and it is pressure, but, he is a cheeky cocky little bastard and I can think of a few of those who make good strikers.
Must admit Ive got nowt against the lad Cest, and trust me theres nobody more delighted than me that weve got a young lad developing nicely.I think to be honest mate ive reached my personal breaking point with Bruce and the genuine fear has now set in...im bricking myself !!! I cant see us gettin any better under the man....hence my point of just using experience against Wigan. On the other hand of course, if we get nowt from that game...HE HAS TO GO
Biffa - whatever the result on Saturday (and for the clubs sake it has to be a win) Bruce is a dead duck. He has lost the majority of fans and even his supporters are struggling to find words or solace for their man. His bizarre team selections, formations, tactics and constant 8 or 9 player per transfer window recruitment policy has eventually done for him. We desperately need the 3 points as a club this weekend but we still need rid of Bruce as the manager if the club are to progress. In the meantime, when the likes of Ryan Noble are given a chance I'll give him 100% and hope he can step up and be the player I think he can be.
If there was ever a game to start the best homegrown striker we have seen in many a year it is at home to bottom placed Wigan. Cometh the hour cometh the man.
Bit far fetched to say he's more of a natural goal scorer than Kevin Phillips, he would have been in the team long ago if he were. But no doubt he is better than what you currently had in the starting eleven, and at 20 years old it's hardly like throwing a young kid into a pressure situation a la Wickham vs NUFC.
Give Noble a start and review after 60 mins... give the lad a run out against th worst team in the league and if it doesn't work out (and I think it will work out) then we can bring Ji on for 30 mins of the second half. Even some of the mags on here were complimenting Noble after the hatrick he scored in the reserve game. One day he will achieve the same feat against the first team too, following in the footsteps of another homegrown hero, Gary Rowell.
