bruce on colback

A good read on bruce's thought on young Colback, and his future




IT has been a trying few weeks for everyone associated with Sunderland, but Steve Bruce feels Jack Colback’s emergence has provided some much-needed light amid the gloom.

Colback has started the Black Cats’ last five matches, and was the stand-out performer in both the 2-1 win at Bolton and last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Wolves.

The 21-year-old, who spent three months of the current campaign on loan at Ipswich Town, has successfully cemented a place in next season’s 25-man Premier League squad.

And while he is desperate to make significant personnel changes this summer, Bruce is determined not to block Colback’s progress over the next few years.

“In all the adversity, Jack has been the shining light,” said the Sunderland boss. “I know he can play in the Premier League very well now. In a struggling team he has been our best player, so hats off to him.

“He’ll be part of the squad next year and he’ll definitely have a chance of featuring. He might have thought a while back that his chance had gone, but that was never the case for me.

“I’m a big believer in letting the young lads go out on loan, and the year at Ipswich helped him. He then went back out again because I believe that once a young lad has that type of competitive experience, it’s pointless putting them back in the reserves.“The experience helped him mature, and he’s used that to get where he is today. I would have loved to have put him in a winning team, but he’s helped us these past couple of weeks with his composure on the ball. He’s proved himself at this level, which is grand.”

 

Someone said on an early thread, "The new Scholes". Spot on, hard tackler, never panics on the ball, gets forward and shoots, long pass or short pass, linkes up play. The lad has been outstanding and shows we dont always need big name imports.

 

are you sure they didn't say "son of scholes"?

 

I can see a super injunction coming

 

Colback was better again on Saturday for me, in another poor show it was once again him and Sessegnon to breed a bit of optimism for next season.

His confidence is visibly growing, he was turning and passing first time for fun, including 2 or 3 beautifully weighted 50-60 yard balls.

He is kicking Cattermole's arse right now.

 

Makes you wonder if Bruce genuinely thought he had a future at the club or was he brought in out of pure desperation due to the incompetance of our other midfielders, if we'd performed slightly better/not had as many injuries would he of been simply shipped on to Ipswich/some other Champ club in the summer ala Waghorn. My heart says it was Bruce spotting his potential and promise however my head says it was pure good fortune!

Either way Colback Henderson n Mayler the future of Sunderlands midfield.

 

This should give Cattermole the kick he needs, most of his descriptions after a match are "good without the ball but poor with it" and this is simply not good enough for the Premiership

 

To be fair mate, Bruce tried to give Jack a few games last season, he missed out through injury once or twice, then got sent off at Wolves!

Love seeing Sunderland lads in the team, it's high time the academy started producing, and itis, fair play to the coaches down there who graft their knackers off.

How good would it be to have 3 of 4 in the midfield through the academy?

I know Meyler was bought in, but he was developed here.

 

Aye know what you mean mate but the fact that he got sent off at Wolves in quickfire time only serves to enhance my thought that if he had stayed with Ipswich all this season and we'd brought in some new blood in the summer that he wouldnt be around. Neway no use thinkin about that now, who cares, we've just added another crackin midfielder to our 1st team ranks without havin 2fork out any wedge! Which freez more money up to purchase a quality strike partner 4Gyan, like Elmander, Carlton Cole or Van Nistelrooy (insert sarcasm). As I think has previously been mentioned i'd b happy with Doyle (no one works harder), Bothroyd (cant argue with free) and a marquee striker. Just hope Bruce doesnt rely on Fraizer playin 40games for us next season.

 

Doyle, Bothroyd, Defoe and i'll be delighted, unlikely, but not impossible!

 

jack colback is already as good as jordan henderson and will go on to be even better, henderson for me is a poor mans gareth hall

 

A poor man's Gareth Hall? If you'd said he was a serial killing Nazi cross dresser, you wouldn't have been more offensive. Colback looks the business so far and Hendo looks average in comparison. It will be interesting to see what type of Hendo we see next season after a nice holiday. I just see him as a glorified long distance runner who can kick the ball a little bit at the moment. I hope he comes back next season and really shows us what he's all about.

 

I don't think that Bruce had a clue about Colback. He put him in out of desperation when short on numbers and has been embarrassed by him. He's been our best player since he came into the team (last three games) and looks the best midfield player we have by a country mile. Bruce must have been squirming when he was answering the question. Other clubs would be building their team around a youngster with this much ability. He has been absolutely outstanding.

 

I reckon if Ipswich had mad a decent offer, like Waghorn, he would have been sold.

The fact is he (Bruce) has been forced through the comical injury list at the club, to accommodate a lad he would have sold without thought for an offer in excess £2m. Still, sometimes the best players are unearthed in adversity. I remember the late great SBR only stumbled on the Beardsley/Lineker partnership on Mexico 86 due to suspensions and injuries.

The rest is history as they say?

Jack Colback is the future of football for SAFC. Young, hungry and ambitious to succeed. Oh, and a cracking little footy player as well.

 

Hello Bald, hows Canadian life these days?

You are spot on about Colback and we may well have never seen him had the squad not become so threadbare. I think Bruce ****ed up over Zenden as well and should have accommodated a player with such experience and ability much, much more when the **** hit the fan in January. I trust he (Bruce) wont try to take some kind of cak-handed credit for putting him (Colback) in the team now.

 

Canny Cest me old mucka. How's yourself?

I agree with your comments regarding Doyle. Good team player that would fit right into our team. I don't think we'll get him as I think that Wolves will stay up.

I'm finding any credit for Bruce hard to come by. One of the reasons for this is his over reliance on loan players. His quota for domestic players was full in August, a situation which I thought reckless at the time. So it proved. Held to ransom by selling clubs in the wake of the Bent saga he had no loan options that he could have followed up on. Stop gaps come in many shapes and sizes.Gudjohnsen, Harewood or Beattie could all have provided loan cover which he denied himself. Stupid misuse of the loan system. He could have even brought Waghorn back (a player that he didn't want to lose) in the interim.

 

Had Jack Colback been ever present this season, he may well have pipped Phil Bardsley to player of the season. I just hope that Steve Bruce doesn't drop him back on the bench when our supposed 'high profile' players are fit again. Some of the decision making this season has been very questionable, so it would not surprise me at all if SB played a half fit Cattermole ahead of Jack Colback next season.

For me, Catts has got a job on his hands regaining a starting place in the team if Colback continues to improve next season.