Sunderland's injury crisis continues with Richardson and Turner set for sidelines By COLIN YOUNG Last updated at 10:37 PM on 6th May 2011 Comments (0) Add to My Stories Share If Steve Bruce thought Sunderland's injury crisis had peaked, he discovered he was very much mistaken this week. Fresh scans have shown that Kieran Richardson has a stress fracture, three weeks after he suffered his original injury. Michael Turner is out for the season after he collided in training with John Mensah, who will take his place at Bolton. Captain Lee Cattermole, who suffered a recurrence of a back injury in last week's defeat to Fulham, has also played his last game this season. Blow: Kieran Richardson (centre) suffered a stress fracture It means Bruce has 10 first team players missing for the remaining games of the season. He has added five youngsters to his squad, just enough to manage a six-a-side game in training on Friday. At the Reebok Stadium, Sunderland will start with Egyptian midfielder Ahmed Elmohamady upfront for the first time in his career. He has played at right-back for the last month and has yet to score a Premier League goal in 33 games. Bruce has denied accusations that he is to blame for Sunderland's injury problems by rushing players back, and will press for a full review of the club's medical department and training before next season. He said: 'I would not put anybody on to a football pitch who I didn't think was fit enough. 'Titus is the only one who came back early but he put himself forward and said he wanted to play because of the problems we had at the time. Meyler played two games in two days, maybe that one. 'The likes of Gordon, Turner, Meyler, Richardson, Welbeck and Campbell, they are all traumas and breakdowns. It has been pretty horrific. I have never known anything like it and my physio Dave Galley has not witnessed anything like it in 20-odd years in the game. 'Some will say "off with manager's head and what is he doing in training?" It doesn't surprise me. One week I am best thing since sliced toast, now I am incompetent. 'But I don't think any club could cope. We have been ravaged. And it is the most frustrating season I've had because we were so close. 'I know I am on the right lines. I know we were close and I know what has derailed us. I know we would have a chance of top ten without these problems and even with them we still have a chance.' .
I actually said play elmo upfront against Fulham, he's got a great leap on him and can win headers, which we'll need today. hopefully with sessegnon running onto the flick ons, like a netto quinn and phillips. for some strange reason I have a strange new sense of optimism about today damnit. its the hope that kills me.
Clutching at straws here syd but, isn't 33 Gyans lucky number? so maybe 34 will be Elmos and he'll get the winner today. Still optimistic and still sober ish.
But like Steed Elmo is destined not to score...so why put him up front. 1st half last game, we had chances but they fell to non-scorers...you must have scorers as strikers. SB just makes more and more bad decisions/ He is turning out to be a very strange man!
If we had no strikers I would not have a problem with trying Elmo up front, nothing to lose, but we do have strikers. Yes they are both untried and young but they are strikers who are scoring, so, do we try a right back, young who does not score. A striker, young, who does?
like parker says elmo is good in the air so i'm happy to play him there, he can't do any worse than the dross that has been served up lately
I can't believe he is even considering it. SB has no comprehension of how foolish he is making himself look to us and fans of other teams, who must think he is barking. SB must go with the strikers that we do have available, not a RB/RM player who has never scored for us. Head in hands yet again!
we must have some form of striker available ready or not give him a go we still have plan b to play without strikers we all know what will happen no goals
I can understand that Syd. He's making it difficult for even his most loyal of supporters, to justify their continued backing of him. He would gain more credit by putting round pegs in round holes and let them have a go. All season we have seen round pegs in square holes and it has very rarely worked for us, which makes him look at best foolish and at worst, incompetent and clueless.
He should ****ing marry you for the way you stick up for him, bet you'll carry his bags to the taxi...........
So does that mean that you are not a loyal supporter if you do not back him? I've followed Sunderland since I can remeber and allways considered myself as a loyal supporter...... I think the manager is not fit to take my club where it can and should go........
You got the wrong end of the stick mate. I said quote "his most loyal of supporters". I would never question the loyalty of any supporters of our great club.
Sorry mate, get a bit defensive sometimes……………. I suppose it comes with the territory when you support the lads in red and white.....
Spot on, '73. My loyalty's to SAFC, and if any individual let's the club down, I'm not loyal to him. If that individual let's the club down twice, I'm against him, pure and simple. Today, we'll have youth team players on the field at some point, with two S. American internationals sitting it out. It doesn't much matter what anyone thinks of those two players. Surely against a team like Bolton, any experienced international player would be preferable to youth team players. Incomprehensible mayhem.
