By GARY FOSTER Published on Monday 19 December 2011 13:14 MARTIN OâNeill must decide whether Nicklas Bendtner is a help or hindrance to his Black Cats cause. Setting aside the recent off-field incident, which we woât go into for legal reasons, Bendtner is beginning to look a shadow of the player he did when he first arived on Wearside. The contrast was there for all to see at White Hart Lane yesterday. Upon his arrival on at Sunderland back in August, it seemed like the Arsenal man might just prove the Wearsidersâ salvation. Having linked up with then manager Steve Bruce once again (he spent time on loan at Birmingham City under Bruce), Bendtner seemed to be a livewire with a real hunger to impress. And in his first few games, he certainly did. With the Black Cats having failed to find a replacement for Darren Bent, who left for Aston Villa in January, and with Asamoah Gyan deciding to jump ship for a lucrative loan spell with Al-Ain, things looked bleak on the goals front. Bendtnerâs arrival was a small but shining light for the Sunderland faithful, and the way he set about the task in his first few games for the club, offered fans hope that they had found the man to rebuild their strikeforce around. A recent injury and the departure of Bruce, axed after a terible run of results (rather than, as some would have you believe, because of his birthplace) seem to have extinguished that hope. There is no denying that Bendtner has talent, but what seemed in question after yesterdayâs display was whether he still had the hunger and desire to use it to full effect for the Wearsiders. No one is trying to compare Bendtner and Sunderland youngster Connor Wickham in terms of their style of play or what level they have played at. But what was interesting at the weekend was their approach. Wickham put himself about, and chased lost causes for the team before going off as a precautionary measure after taking a blow to the knee. The England Under-21 star was replaced by the Dane, and while you couldnât exactly accuse the loan man of not trying, he seemed to be missing a certain spark. Far too often of late, Bendtner has come short to link up play, and at times has been operating far more in midfield than up front. Cats Eye: Young Star Was The Spark OâNeillâs Side Needed It is all well and good him coming into the middle of the park to try to spark something off, but invariably when the move reaches the final third, the striker is still making his to where he should be, and the attack breaks down. There are other times when you question whether Bendtner is busting a gut to get on the end of stuff, and with alarming regularity the answer seems to be no. His one real chance against Spurs went begging, and while it was far from easy, you would expect him to have at least hit the target. Should he continue to be wide of the mark, and keep making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, OâNeill must decide whether or not Bendtner and his baggage are worth haning on to. There will be some who say OâNeillâs mini revival came to an early and abrupt halt with the defeat at White Hart Lane yesterday. Yet the result, a 1-0 home success for Tottenham, only tells part of the story. The Black Cats looked more organised against Harry Redknappâs side, and although they ended up tasting defeat, for an hour of the game it looked as though they may hold out for a draw. Roman Pavlyuchenckoâs 61st minute strike changed all of that, and left the Wearsisers chasing their way back into the reckoning. Spurs werenât without other opportunities to either take the lead before that, or to add to their tally once the Russian striker had found the net. However, it was a stray pass by former Manchester United man Wes Brown that gifted Spurs the opening, when the Black Cats seemed to have quietened the home fans. When you are down near the bottom, as OâNeillâs men are at this moment in time, mistakes like Brownâs rarely go unpunished. OâNeill, his backroom staff and his players must work hard to eradicate such errors if they are to climb the table and get themselves out of trouble. There has been enough to suggest in OâNeillâs two games at the helm that things are moving in the right direction. However, until the Black Catsâ lack of goals, and paucity ti ship them at the other end, are resolved, it could be a nervy run between now and the end of the season. if he doesnt improve by next game im all for binning him and giving Noble the run out
I'll reserve judgement until we see what MON can do with him or if he even wants him. I think with the right partner AND his mentality changed he can still become a very good player for us
Didnt rate him at the gooners, and said so on here, and ROG nowts changed, an expensive bauble is all.
I would send him back 2bh I dont think we need him and his wages at arsenal will be a lot higher than any of our current squad (sure its around 60k a week) for me he aint worth that and should be thanked at the end of the season but no thanks as for coming back For me Wickham is the big man we just need an out and out goal scorer for me next season we need a group of 4 quality strikers we have 2 in Campbell and Wickham but we need another 2, Gyan maybe one but we need to splash the cash on a Bent like signing as for Ji and Noble, they are young and have futures at the SoL certainly but I think loan moves next season would do them both the world of good
I think he has a few weeks to impress, our striker problem keeps him but the window opening will see him replaced. Its down to him but we and MON know we cant carry passangers and the OP is spot on, a star arrived on Wearside but that star stopped shinning.
He proved in his first few games that he has the ability, so I would say that we should see if MON can get him playing like that again.
I'm all for waiting to see what MON can get out of him. But my own thoughts are that Bendtner won't want to stay. He came here at a time when Bruce had signed a lot of decent players and we were hoping for a good season. He could have made his mark in a place like that. Now, we're in a relegation battle and I don't think that suits his ego at all. He probably wants to move on.
the beauty of it is he's on loan so we can't lose. If he shapes up soon and shows he wants a pizza the action at the sol, great. If he continues to go downhill we get rid. Overall though, someone needs to have a word with him, you can't keep just moving, can't be doing his reputation in the game much good.
If he has signed until the end of the season how do we get rid? we are commited to have him for a year. I would have thought we "try" to get the best out of him. (and he can **** right off in May)
i would have though that bringing sunderlands name in disrepute and commiting those crime THATS IF GUILTY that woud be against he terms of the loane ??????
I'm sure if he banged a hattrick in against QPR, some people would think a little different about him...
True. What would we gain by sending him back, we'd only be left with Ji, Wickham and Noble! We've only got another 5 month's to go so we might aswell keep him. Just think Bruce was hoping to keep him permanantly for 7m
