Defender? Probably. Striker? Let's hope.. Also a few of MoN quipps...gotta love em. MATT Kilgallonâs weekend injury has inched Martin OâNeill ever closer to action in the transfer market. The Sunderland boss admitted after defeat at Chelsea on Saturday â which saw the defender stretchered off with an ankle injury â that his worst fear is doing nothing in the January window and then suffering a string of injuries at the start of February. So although he has been firm in his assertion that he took the Sunderland job last month without asking a single question about any New Year transfer budget, he concedes that the market must be looked at if only to insure against a calamitous run of knocks. Kilgallonâs injury adds to a list which includes fellow centre-halves Titus Bramble and Wes Brown, as well as Jack Colback, while Michael Turner, Kieran Richardson, Seb Larsson, Connor Wickham, John OâShea, Phil Bardsley and Nicklas Bendtner have all been out in recent weeks and have just made returns. OâNeill said: âThe team have done well in my view since I got here and I didnât take the job on the basis of spending a mountain of money in January. âBut, by the same token, if you get a spate of injuries in February you are left with what you are left with if you havenât done anything in the window, and that would be a concern. âSo weâll see what happens. âMatt is very sore. âHe came down, went over on his ankle and someone landed on top of him, so it is really unfortunate and I feel for him because heâd just come in from the cold, as it were, to get back into the first team. âItâs really tough for us to take as well as him and at the moment, we donât know how long he will be out for.â If he does plunge into the market, heâs unlikely to go for a paceless non-league defender â although he reckoned someone of that ilk might have scored for Sunderland on Saturday! Rueing a series of missed chances in front of goal which would have earned something from the game for his side, OâNeill pointed out that these were not openings that only a world-class striker could have finished. âI think of the opportunities we spurned ...â he sighed. âI know scoring goals is pretty difficult, but itâs not that difficult. âIâm not so sure that youâd have to worry about getting in a £20million striker to finish those off â a lumbering full-back from four leagues below could have scored some of the chances we created! âItâs not as though we havenât scored goals recently. âIn our last league game, we scored four and the best thing about that is that we have been able to share them around â thatâs obviously important if you donât have a 20-goal a season striker. âBut, after Chelsea, I donât think the immediate reaction is to race out and buy a striker just because we missed those chances. âWe have players who can score goals, they just didnât take good openings against Chelsea
“I know scoring goals is pretty difficult, but it’s not that difficult. “I’m not so sure that you’d have to worry about getting in a £20million striker to finish those off – a lumbering full-back from four leagues below could have scored some of the chances we created! Thats quality. Hopefull it will spur on Bendtnar.
Given the "we thought you were dead" song in tribute to Killa - really disappointed to see him crocked again - will he make a third coming?
Don't see why we need a Centre Back. Simply put Ricco there. Then I can sit back and enjoy a row between MR and Vegas!
Wickham & Campbell can both make their mark, which may in turn give bendy the kick up the arse he needs. Most of us have accepted its not gonna be a top six finish so lets give our current players that chance to form a partnership. IF it doesn't work go into the transfer in the summer window.
