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Sunderland's Connor Wickham Is England's Future, Not Liverpool's Andy Carroll
Linked with everyone from Spurs to Liverpool, Connor Wickham has chosen Sunderland. If Bruce works on his all-round game, then a glittering future lies ahead. But should he only play to his strengths we should all be worried...
Rubbish celebration? Check...
Linked with everyone from Spurs to Liverpool, Connor Wickham has chosen Sunderland. If Bruce works on his all-round game, then a glittering future lies ahead. But should he only play to his strengths we should all be worried…
Despite being one of the greatest central midfielders of the modern era, it is clear that, as a manager, Roy Keane couldn’t coach his c*ck out of his trousers. Too demanding, too mental and always bristling for confrontation when he sees standards drop around him, Keane is the latest in a long line of iconic players to have failed in a tracksuit. Yet, having consistently played with an array of prodigiously talented strikers (plus Andy Cole), his belief that Sunderland’s new frontman, Connor Wickham, has the talent to be as good as Wayne Rooney should be taken half-seriously. He’s got the talent bit right, but at 6’3”, with good pace, movement and a battering ram of a right foot, the player the £8m man most resembles is a young Alan Shearer.
If you’re a Sunderland fan, then I’m sure you’ve just spat hard twice at the floor, and if you’re a neutral you’ve probably wanged your sandwich at the wall at yet another ‘the new whoever’ article. But hang on, I’m not saying Wickham is the new Shearer, perish the thought that anyone else could be so talented and so banal at the same time, but that in his play, career trajectory and potential he has something of the young Wor’ Alan when he left Southampton for Blackburn about him.
With a goal ratio of one in five games, Wickham lags slightly behind Shearer’s one in four for Southampton, yet it is the way he takes his goals that remind me of Shearer. Violent dipping volleys from the channel, nipping in ahead of defenders to tap in and using bristling physicality to muscle defenders out of the way before calmly finishing. This is all good news for Sunderland fans desperate for a number 9 to call their own. The bad news is that Sunderland are the Southampton of the piece rather than the Blackburn. I’m not having a pop at the Black Cats, but Wickham is still only 18 and, should his development continue apace, then it is hard to see Sunderland as anything but a stepping stone to a club with genuine title aspirations two, three or four years down the line.
Violent dipping volleys from the channel, nipping in ahead of defenders to tap in and using bristling physicality to muscle defenders out of the way before calmly finishing
The biggest question is if Steve Bruce is the right manager to take his raw-boned talent and make him a complete striker. Bruce has always liked a big man up top (he bought Emile Heskey, twice) and at times last season struggled to get the balance right with Gyan and Bent who both like to play on the shoulder, he’s also been consistently linked with Peter Crouch yet it would be a shame if Wickham is only used as a static focal point to allow other players to move off him. That is of course a part of his game he should develop, but Wickham is entirely comfortable playing up front on his own, has shown that he can move wide to pick up possession and come infield to score and, like Shearer, he is also a more than competent crosser of the ball.
The revelation that I’m a Liverpool fan will have you sharpening your knives for the comments box, of course I wished we had signed him, I believe that he has more potential than Andy Carroll but I also reckon his development could’ve suffered if he’d come to Liverpool. Carroll cost £35m and, if fit, he will play and be a huge asset to Liverpool if he stays free of injury, but I’m steadfast in my assertion that Wickham will be far more important to England over the next 12-15 years if he works on every aspect of his game rather than just playing to his strengths.
The other player he resembles is the young Kevin Davies. The Bolton skipper is a big unit himself, but as a younger man he was far quicker than he is now and scored every goal in the book. His career took a bit of a nosedive with a merry-go-round of transfers, while injury and an early thickening process of his body robbed of him of the all-important yard and he should be commended for adapting his game to be one of the most effective strikers and link-men in the Premier League.
This article is, of course, based on a bit of conjecture and a bit of empirical knowledge. At 18 and with a few niggling injuries already behind him, the jury is out on Connor Wickham. With a bit of luck, good coaching, the right advice and a steady head he as every chance of being more Shearer than Davies. No disrespect Kevin, but I’m sure the whole country hopes it is the former rather than the latter. Even Sunderland fans.
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COMMENTS
Another one bites the dust
Good to see you stick your neck out, Owen. Daniel Sturridge.
No connor never chose Sunderland he wanted to come to liverpool his words . but we were not going to pay 13 millon for him to sit on the bench or play for the reserves so stop talking shite . good luck to the lad and to Sunderland .
It's obvious if Liverpool really wanted him we would've had him. There must be something wrong with his game, maybe lack of ball control..
He might have realised how much of an idiot kenny dalglish is, and decided to play under a better manager plus liverpool arent a big club anymore and havent been since the 80s
Dont forget that sunderland were a big club a good few years ago. We have the stadium and the fans 49,000. and more.Look at chelsea,look at man city We can do the same,but better SUNDERLAND ARE A BIG CLUB.
Can't really see him improving that much now. Think he's made a real error going to Sunderland. Under Bruce they are a nothing team going nowhere.
Good article! As a Sunderland supporter I do, though, have one major concern! This does not involve the way SB will use him - Although he is not on my Xmas card list, I think he seems to handle youngsters well and tends to ease them in gently, whilst continuing to work on their weaknesses and developing their strengths and "all round" game. Nor do my concerns lie with the academy staff who have shown that they know what they are doing and will, surely, offer sensible advice regarding his development. No! My concerns lie with our support who I think may expect too much, too soon and could destroy the lad's confidence - as they did with Ali McCoist!
Wickham's career trajectory has just taken the same path that Shearer's did when he joined Newcastle (downwards)and he will end up being swapped for a beach ball because Steve Bruce, he's got a big fat head, he's got a big fat head, he's got a big fat head.
Bore off you bores.
Why do you moderate (and then post) comments from idiots? "Marin Quirk" would be a prime example!
Jack+ Snipe when were you a big club 49000 every time Ive seen your lot on tv the ground has been empty there is more in the away end . liverpool fc champions of europe 2005 fa cup winners 2006 when did sunderland last win a trophy 1970s as for Kenny Dalglish he has won more on his own than all the north east clubs put together and as a manger so read your history lad no read ours . Still laffin about the 49000 fans ha ha ha A jack + snipe when you play us the first game why dont you book a tour around our trophy room that should take you a few hours before kick off
albey I didnt say sunderland were a big club because were not we havent won anything since the 70s but id still rather support sunderland than liverpool
I see now, that this is a "kiddies" forum. Bye!
havent been a big club since 1980's ?? dont you forget winning the champions league in 05 , or the fa cup in 06 or reaching the champions league final in 07?? wtf have sunderland done ?? ever?
Laeotaekhum I make two accurate observations regarding the article and you resort to imbecilic name-calling. Yet you somehow contrive to accuse others of idiocy and immaturity. Priceless.
Fair article, and although a risk, Wickham has fantastic potential. For those put off by the goals per game figure, it should be put in context. Under Keane (and initially his predecessor Jim Magilton), Wickham - at just 16 and 17 years old - played in 45 matches, most of them as sub, and scored in about 10 of them. But since Paul Jewell arrived in January, and established Wickham as a fixture in the Ipswich team, the lad has scored 9 goals in 20 matches, a very impressive haul for a 17/18 year old. He's still maturing and is obviously responding to good coaching. There's no reason to believe he can't push on. We'll miss him at Portman Road.
well jack you support Sunderland there is nothing wrong with that lad and the sunderland a big club was aimed at snipe .
Laeotaekhun do you wana game of marbels ?
What a load if fking tosh this article and comments! Sunderland a big club Hahahahaha dont make me laugh!! Liverpool Would have finished 2nd had kenny been there from the start of season under his points per game, it's just woy hodges who fked it all up for us with his stupid mid table mentality! King at the helm now so watch us fly u mo foe's!!!!! hahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah sunderland for relegation battle for sure, and Henderson to help pool to champs league spot woop woop.
Gone are the days where the bindips are a big draw
king of the slums you wana bet . your shite cant even fill your ground what a waste of a good stadium
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