sunderland echo 24/12/2011 WE NEED TO KEEP THIS LAD. MARTIN OâNeill is bracing himself for inquiries in January for unsettled midfielder Craig Gardner, writes Graeme Anderson. But he says he is working on convincing the goal-scoring midfielder that his long-term future lies on Wearside. The Brummie has struggled with bouts of homesickness since moving to the North East this summer â a condition which has not been helped by his bit-part involvement in the campaign so far. But he looked excellent when coming on as a substitute against Queens Park Rangers midweek and OâNeill knows he has a valuable commodity on his hands. âCraig Gardner is capable of getting 10 goals a season from midfield for any Premier League side,â he said. âI had him at Aston Villa and I know him well and I want him to stay here. âI havenât had any inquiries yet, but I wouldnât be surprised if I got them because Iâm very much aware of his quality. âBut I want him to stay here and hopefully, thatâs what will happen. âI know footballers are meant to be rough and tough, but homesickness can be a problem for players and itâs a case of helping them through it sometimes. âOnce you are through it, though, youâre invariably glad you stayed and I think Craig can do very well for us here.â OâNeill allowed Gardner to leave Aston Villa for Birmingham City during his time at Villa Park, but is at pains to point out he still rates the 25-year-old. He pointed out: âAt the time he was being kept out of the side by England internationals â we had Stewart Downing, Gabby Agbonlahor and Ashley Young playing in midfield and Craigâs best position has never been that of a holding midfielder. âBut Iâve always been aware of what a good attacking midfielder he is. âWe saw that against QPR, when he came on and produced a great cameo display. âThe shot he had on goal was of the highest quality â it wasnât just a straight-forward shot, it was a cleverly curled ball â and technically heâs capable of those shots. âHeâs a good player and I want to keep him at this club if at all possible.â Think Zamora would be a good buy for maybe 4 - 5 million but 8 seems over the top for me he is 30 years old and has only scored 3 -4 this season in 14 caps, This has no sell on price so is basically throwing money down the drain, but if he is the difference between relegation and survivle then fair enough for upto 5 but no more! 6 shaggy Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 09:10 PM SouterPointFTM , i.m.o. that would be a waste of £8m ! 5 SouterPointFTM Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 11:40 AM Anyone else heard about a possible £8 million bid for Bobby Z from Fulham ? good striker if hes kept fit !!.....FTM 4 SouterPointFTM Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 11:31 AM KNEW IT ! NEW IT ! all I was posting was how much I miss not having to travel to work over the T.B. with views of ASDA in the back ground he he FTM 3 fabster1973 Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 11:28 AM sha**y. i think gardner was the most attacking of a 5 man midfield at birmingham.. if we're playing 4-4-2 most of the time, i wonder if he'll be as effective?? and if he isn't scoring, i can't really see what else he brings to the party.. no great skill, pace or passing ability... 2 SouterPointFTM Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 11:28 AM Pending Moderation 1 shaggy Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 10:47 AM weneed to get craig sorted & soon , as we cant let this lad go, we need his goals from midfield , & Bruce has not helped this lad one little bit , no the wonder the lad's head is all over the place! play the lad & get him settled, Order by:Newest first | Oldest first Page 1 of 1 1 Show all Your view Please sign in to be able to comment on this story. Top stories Chris Youngâs big -
more very good management from O'Neill, letting him know how much he values him without any pressure. first part of making him stay is to show you care and understand.
Don't blame him if he left... I'd be pretty home sick, living a whopping few hundred miles from home and earning a paltry prem footballers wages.
