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John O'Shea: Sunderland must invest to improve

by Stuart Rayner, The Journal
Apr 27 2012

















John O'Shea in action for Sunderland





JOHN O’Shea says Sunderland have “no chance” of mixing with the Champions League elite next season, but they should aim for a top-six place.

Until the recent stumble which saw them fail to score in five of their last six games – none of them won – the Black Cats had a chance of finishing seventh this term.

With Sebastian Larsson and Kieran Richardson unable to play again this season, that now seems out of sight.

“You would like to think the manager and the owner will get together – they probably already have – to talk about strengthening in the summer,” said the versatile O’Shea. “Fingers crossed they will and we can kick on again. It would help if we can get two top-ten finishes in a row, that’s the aim. We will have to look to improve on that again.

“It will be difficult because you look at the finances of some of the teams in the Premier League and you have no chance. With some you can’t compete, but we can compete for the top six or top seven in the table.”

Although O’Shea’s comments sound eminently sensible, they are at odds with the success of Newcastle United. The Magpies are fourth, despite quite a small net spend since finishing below the Black Cats last term. Sunderland are 11th, a place below last season’s finish.

In the context of a campaign which saw them in the relegation zone at the start of December a mid-table finish will be a huge success, but the way it has petered out is disappointing.




“When we take stock of the full season from the position we were in to the position we are in now, we have to take that as a positive,” O’Shea reflected. “But in the last five or six games we have not

played as well as we can do. Whether that is a bit of fatigue kicking in through the massive turnaround we have had, I don’t know. We were scoring goals and playing well against whatever opposition we had.

“But when you consider we were down near the relegation zone and to think we were comfortable with seven or eight games remaining, that says a lot about the players we have here.”

After last week’s 0-0 draw at Aston Villa, Sunderland will hope to get back to winning ways at home to relegation-threatened Bolton Wanderers tomorrow.

“When you come away from a Premier League away game it is a good sign we are disappointed to have just got a point,” O’Shea commented. “We have thrown away four points recently and we just have to get back to winning ways. Those four points would have got us up towards eighth.

“Bolton are in a tricky position but they got a good win away from home, they will be coming to us full of confidence. They are playing quite well.”

Larsson and Richardson have been sent for hernia operations, manager Martin O’Neill has confirmed. Having surgery now should ensure Swedish winger Larsson is fit to face England at this summer’s European Championships.

“In terms of recovery time, it’s about three or four weeks or so,” O’Neill told BBC Newcastle. “Seb has been complaining for a number of weeks really, but he’s played through it. He’s not been able to train properly, but he’s given everything for the cause, and it wasn’t on his instigation. He was prepared to play on until the end of the season, and then go into the Euros under the same position.

“He’s put his heart and soul into it, played through illness, so to give him a chance of playing well at the Euros we’ll put him in (for surgery).

“It also means after the Euros he can have a break.”


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