I watch most Sunderland games with fans of other clubs, whether that's on telly or live at a ground. Almost all of them tell me how crap Cattermole is. The most positive comment I've heard is "he's not creative enough to play further forward".
He has character and attitude in abundance and this has dragged us on for the second half of this season, he has been a real leader. But he is not a technically good footballer. He may have played three excellent balls this season but he is a premier league midfield player- that is a basic requirement of his role. There is no one outside of Sunderland fans who rate him and I'm afraid I think a lot of people's appreciation of him is based on sentimentality.
He might run through walls for Sunderland but if we're to move on we need greater ability. His heart and desire mean he's probably worth keeping in the squad, perhaps bringing on to fire the side up when their backs are against wall. But, if this latest survival is to be worth anything, we have to look to the future and, for me, Lee Cattermole is not it.