A good read.. Linked with everyone from Spurs to Liverpool, Connor Wickham has chosen Sunderland. If Bruce works on his all-round game, then a glittering future lies ahead. But should he only play to his strengths we should all be worried⦠Despite being one of the greatest central midfielders of the modern era, it is clear that, as a manager, Roy Keane couldnât coach his c*ck out of his trousers. Too demanding, too mental and always bristling for confrontation when he sees standards drop around him, Keane is the latest in a long line of iconic players to have failed in a tracksuit. Yet, having consistently played with an array of prodigiously talented strikers (plus Andy Cole), his belief that Sunderlandâs new frontman, Connor Wickham, has the talent to be as good as Wayne Rooney should be taken half-seriously. Heâs got the talent bit right, but at 6â3â, with good pace, movement and a battering ram of a right foot, the player the £8m man most resembles is a young Alan Shearer. If youâre a Sunderland fan, then Iâm sure youâve just spat hard twice at the floor, and if youâre a neutral youâve probably wanged your sandwich at the wall at yet another âthe new whoeverâ article. But hang on, Iâm not saying Wickham is the new Shearer, perish the thought that anyone else could be so talented and so banal at the same time, but that in his play, career trajectory and potential he has something of the young Worâ Alan when he left Southampton for Blackburn about him. With a goal ratio of one in five games, Wickham lags slightly behind Shearerâs one in four for Southampton, yet it is the way he takes his goals that remind me of Shearer. Violent dipping volleys from the channel, nipping in ahead of defenders to tap in and using bristling physicality to muscle defenders out of the way before calmly finishing. This is all good news for Sunderland fans desperate for a number 9 to call their own. The bad news is that Sunderland are the Southampton of the piece rather than the Blackburn. Iâm not having a pop at the Black Cats, but Wickham is still only 18 and, should his development continue apace, then it is hard to see Sunderland as anything but a stepping stone to a club with genuine title aspirations two, three or four years down the line. Violent dipping volleys from the channel, nipping in ahead of defenders to tap in and using bristling physicality to muscle defenders out of the way before calmly finishing The biggest question is if Steve Bruce is the right manager to take his raw-boned talent and make him a complete striker. Bruce has always liked a big man up top (he bought Emile Heskey, twice) and at times last season struggled to get the balance right with Gyan and Bent who both like to play on the shoulder, heâs also been consistently linked with Peter Crouch yet it would be a shame if Wickham is only used as a static focal point to allow other players to move off him. That is of course a part of his game he should develop, but Wickham is entirely comfortable playing up front on his own, has shown that he can move wide to pick up possession and come infield to score and, like Shearer, he is also a more than competent crosser of the ball. The revelation that Iâm a Liverpool fan will have you sharpening your knives for the comments box, of course I wished we had signed him, I believe that he has more potential than Andy Carroll but I also reckon his development couldâve suffered if heâd come to Liverpool. Carroll cost £35m and, if fit, he will play and be a huge asset to Liverpool if he stays free of injury, but Iâm steadfast in my assertion that Wickham will be far more important to England over the next 12-15 years if he works on every aspect of his game rather than just playing to his strengths. The other player he resembles is the young Kevin Davies. The Bolton skipper is a big unit himself, but as a younger man he was far quicker than he is now and scored every goal in the book. His career took a bit of a nosedive with a merry-go-round of transfers, while injury and an early thickening process of his body robbed of him of the all-important yard and he should be commended for adapting his game to be one of the most effective strikers and link-men in the Premier League. This article is, of course, based on a bit of conjecture and a bit of empirical knowledge. At 18 and with a few niggling injuries already behind him, the jury is out on Connor Wickham. With a bit of luck, good coaching, the right advice and a steady head he as every chance of being more Shearer than Davies. No disrespect Kevin, but Iâm sure the whole country hopes it is the former rather than the latter. Even Sunderland fans.
He does sound a fantastic prospect, and in my opinion, the Sunderland fans can have a massive part to play in making the lad want to call Sunderland AFC his home for years to come. If this lad proves to be part of a driving force that takes us onwards and upwards, who knows what the future holds for him and us.
Although I think he will be a good player, but how many Sunderland fans think he will remain at the SOS if he does come good? And I find it insulting that he is being compared to Shearer, won't even come close.
Exactly RAW, If he's a hit, he may not need to move on anyway, if we have 2 firing strikers and start to compete, Ellis will be more inclined to push us on, and the lad will stay.
Badger, Howay man, who knows what he could become? It's not an insult, but a compliment to Shearer that people are suggesting that such a highly rated 18 year old could be his successor. Shearer was an incredible striker, but till he left Southampton, nobody could have predicted the magnitude of his career. For the record, his goals per game ratio at Blackburn was significantly higher than his at the Toon.
Why is it that these twatwanks feel the need to leave negative comments on every Sunderland thread which involves one of our transfers. They really are saddos of the 1st degree.
I would never say that was a compliment to Shearer. Its a compliment to Wickham, but not Shearer. No one will come close to Shearer for the next few generations imo.
I'm inclined to agree, Shearers record is not one that can be argued. Facts are, it IS a compliment that Shearer is held up as the prime example of a target man striker with a bit more about him, the ability to create and score from anywher. Shearer, by comparison, is being held up as the best example of a player of his style, if someone used me as an example of the best dj playing house and tribal, i'd feel honoured!
