If we don't get anyone in...i stress if... Most will say Wickham...but what if Campbell gets a chance against the Boro, and takes it....Then Ji.(don't forget City).. Who is favorite to take this chance?...maybe they can keep Bendtner out, even once he recovers.. Who is the front-runner...? Seems to be Wickham, but you never know how things pan out. Martin O'Neill says the absence of Nicklas Bendtner will give another of his strikers a chance to come in and impress. Sunderland have operated with a single out-and-out striker since O'Neill's arrival - usually Bendtner until the Dane sustained a broken nose early on against Swansea. O'Neill has Connor Wickham - the man who replaced Bendtner against the Swans - and Ji Dong-won vying for selection . Meanwhile striker Fraizer Campbell is also on the way back and played alongside Dong-won in the reserves earlier this week. The Black Cats take on Middlesbrough in the FA Cup with Budweiser this weekend and O'Neill says the onus is on the challengers to step up and make the striking spot their own. "It [Bendtner's absence] always gives someone an opportunity to do something, hence us having a very strong reserve team earlier in the week," he said. "It's nice to see Fraizer getting back onto the field - he's getting there. It's as much to do with match fitness as anything else. "There's competition there, a place up for grabs at this moment and until Nicklas gets fit again, who knows? "There's a position there than anyone can come and take and have as their own."
I think this is so refreshing to hear a manager say - rather than Bruce using it as an excuse something like "Well we've got a lot of injuries and are struggling to put together a side" - O'Neill is doing all things right IMO
Yup and the whole way a manager deals with situations goes right through his team, especially when the 'team' in question is young men applying their trade under the highest of pressures in the toughest league in the world. Great manager and he would be a great manager in any walk of life because of his personallity.
Hard call Commachio, begs some questions, can Connor score consistant goals at this level, and has Fraizer got 90 mins in him? Would prefer a provan goalscorer, and with still nearly 6 days to the window closing who knows, appart from MoN that is. But MoN is a great public face for our club, without doubt.
I have no doubt that whatever combination MoN goes for against the Boro, that person will be filled with confidence. My own view is he will go with Wickham, as i'm not sure Campbell has ninety minutes in his legs yet. From my own experirnce (broken right leg, four places between the ankle and knee) took a full 2yrs to get back to where i was. In those days bones weren't pinned. Just a full length cast for 11 months. Oh happy days. NOT.
