By Chris Young Published on Friday 22 July 2011 11:45 DAVID Vaughan hopes he can prove himself in central midfield rather than solve Sunderlandâs dilemma on the left. Steve Bruce has used a different player on the left-hand side of midfield in each of Sunderlandâs three pre-season encounters, with Vaughan the latest incumbent in Wednesdayâs 3-1 defeat to Hannover 96. Long-term target Charles NâZogbia would have been the perfect solution on the wing, but his wage demands and Wiganâs price tag have scuppered Sunderlandâs chances of landing the unsettled Frenchman. With Black Cats boss Bruce needing to sell before he can buy, the likes of Vaughan, Kieran Richardson, Jack Colback, Steed Malbranque and Stephane Sessegnon could all be pressed into action on the left. But Vaughan, who played there during his time at Real Sociedad and Crewe, wants to showcase his ability in the middle â starting with the final clash of Sunderlandâs German pre-season tour against Borussia Monchengladbach tomorrow. Vaughan told the Echo: âI didnât play much on the left at Blackpool. The last couple of years, Iâve been playing in the middle. âThe gaffer probably just gave me a run-out on the left the other night to try something. But hopefully I can play regularly in the middle. âUp until the last couple of years, I always played on the left. But Ian Holloway switched me as soon as he came to Blackpool. âPersonally, I think thatâs my best position and thatâs where Iâve played consistently.â Sunderland are in for another tough encounter against Monchengladbach despite the German outfit narrowly avoiding relegation from the Bundesliga last season. Bruceâs men head into the the game on the back of their first pre-season defeat, yet Vaughan knows the outing against Hannover was a productive one with Sunderland forced to toil hard on their off-the-ball work. âObviously you want to play against the top teams,â said the Welsh international. âItâs a bit of a test when youâre playing them so early in pre-season. But youâd rather play them than easy games where you get nothing out of them. âIt was a tough game against Hannover. We were obviously disappointed to lose it but it was a good work-out for the lads. âIt was 90 minutes for me under my belt which will hopefully improve my fitness for the next few weeks. âWe gave away a few poor goals, but in the second half we were more pleased with how we played. âThere were some good things to take out of the game. âBefore the game, the manager obviously worked on our pressing off the ball and trying to win it back quickly. Thatâs what we were trying to do. We worked hard on that, especially second half. âObviously weâve had a few games now and some double sessions which have been quite tiring. But thatâs what pre-season is all about really.â ***************************************************************** Vaughan, Richardson, Steeed, Colback or Sess for left mid birth - Unless you know who comes....... Out of that lot I'd be inclined to go for Ricco if I'm honest, Sess in the hole for me......Thoughts??
Its got to be Ricco on the left, unless we use Whickham when we play 4-3-3 in some matches. Don't rule out Vaughan in the middle, very industrious and good play maker Don't rule out Colback in the middle or left, he will get better as the season progresses, Meyler, at his best, could replace Cattermole in the middle ... pleased I don't have to pick the midfield!!!!
Do we want to hear a player saying this stuff "I hope the boss puts me where I want to play" or do you want a player like Bardsley saying "I don't care where I play as long as I play for Sunderland" - not too sure myself. I would rather have a player played in his best position but, if there's someone better who can play there, I want a player saying "get me in the team boss I'll play anywhere - even in goal"
You'd have thought that Vaughan was given some sort of indication as to where he's gonna play before he actually signed..... He's got very good vision and can pick a pass, but left side of midfield... not for me.
Don't know that much about Vaughan TBH, so it'll have to be wait and see as far as I'm concerned, judgment-wise.
I can see a few departches from midfield. Jack Colback has already stated he wont be happy sitting on the bench. For me Cattermole and Gardner will be the 1st choice pairing. I also agree with the attitude of the likes of Bardsley and Steed who will bust there balls to play no matter what.
Must admit at the moment i only see Vaughan as a sub, or maybe an outside chance of being a l/w and that's about it. Can't see him displacing Gardner or Catts/Colback at the moment. So he'll play where SB tells him to play when given the chance.
. Jack Colback has admitted he faces a âmake or breakâ test at Sunderland, and will consider a move if he slips down Steve Bruceâs pecking order. The home-grown midfielder has vowed to fight for his future but would hate to end up on the bench this season. Colback has caught boss Bruceâs eye with some accomplished performances on Sunderlandâs training camp in Germany. But he has added competition ahead with new signings Craig Gardner, David Vaughan and Seb Larsson all added to Bruceâs midfield this summer. âItâs a make or break season for me," said the 21-year-old. âI ended [last] season playing and if Iâm going to take a step back now, then itâs not going to be good enough. âI definitely want to be involved in games. Iâm 21 now - not 17 or 18, where being on the bench would be good experience for me. âI need to be playing Premier League games now and that is what I intend to do. I just need to keep doing what I was doing before. Hopefully Iâll be in the first XI when the season starts now. âThe goal for me has to be to continue what I was doing at the end of last season. Itâs nice to hear that the manager is giving you praise and I will continue to do what Iâm doing, keep my head down and go on from there. âI just know how quickly it can go wrong.â
Only way I would have him there is with Ricco at LB over lapping. If you have Bardo at LB then you have very little pace down that side of the pitch. At the moment I would play Ricco LW if Bardo is to be the LB. To be honest it looked good last season with Steed playing on the left and Ricco at LB. Personally I think we will still see a signing for that left side of midfield.
I think Catts could be gone in January. If Meyler gets back and proves his fitness id have him and colback challenging for the DM position and Vaughan and Gardner challenging for the AM position. As much as i like Catts i really like Meyler and i like what i saw from colback at the end of the season so feel Catts may be a neccesary sacrifice.
