|
GA
If you put all their ages together they don't even add up to mine, it is amazing. They have been fantastic, they make mistakes, little Nobs makes mistakes, Tom does, Bez does, but they are in the team to make fewer mistakes as they go along.
If we can keep them together and develop them then we think we have got three players there that can take the club forward and certainly carve careers out for themselves. But, full of honesty, full of determination and really receptive to what we are doing, and all want to get better, and they are.
They are a joy to work with are those three and they are the hub of what we are doing at the minute, and they are enabling to cope with the loss of Paul Thirlwell who we think his experience is vital to what we are trying to do. But, at the minute they are doing a great job at people not talking about Paul as much as we might have done.
PN
Are you thinking now about the possibility of trying to extend those stays at the club?
GA
Yeah, I want to keep our better players together, sometimes it is out of my hands, it is forced out of my hands with the amount of money thrown at the club. Certainly in Gary's case we can't always keep players that have got opportunities to go higher and better.
But, as long as I can I want to keep the hub of the team and I want to keep the good players with me, certainly the younger ones that I think are developing and are not ready to move on just yet. It is certainly things that have already been thrown at me, I do my own work, I know my squad and I know my players, and John Nixon could answer that question better than what I could give you.
Because, he knows exactly what I think of the situation and that has already gone into John, and to be fair to John he deals with everything in a priority fashion. That is something that I think we will maybe be talking to the players and seeing what their thoughts are and seeing if they want to do that.
But, for me I would have no problem keeping them around for another couple of years. Liam wants to play football now, he is one of these players that is a bit of a street kid, he is a Geordie boy done good if you like. He has got no edge to him, he has got no arrogance about coming from a Premier League team, and he wants to play.
It might be a phone call I talk to Steve (Bruce) about Liam to ask him what his plans are with him, we will look after him if you want for a bit, where do you see him fitting in? If he is going to fit in to Sunderland then that is fantastic for the kid, if he is not then we would try to offer him something and make him our player full-time.
But, they are all Steve's decisions at the moment, and I have got a good relationship with him, and in due course that phone call will take place and I will find out what Sunderland's thoughts are. We look after players here, we definitely look after players here and develop them and improve them.
But, I think first before we start talking press-wise is a conversation with Steve before I make a comment on that, but he is certainly a player that has done ever so well, and I know he is enjoying his time here.
PN
A quick word about Craig Curran, two goals in three games, you have spoken in the past about how important it is for Craig to get on the scoresheet regularly, and he is certainly showing encouraging signs in that respect?
GA
Yeah, Craig has won the fans over with his endeavour and his determination, and if he adds goals to that then he will be the biggest crowd favourite ever, because that is the type of player he is. If you could add goals, or regular goals to that, you would have a really, really top player.
So, he knows that that is his flaw and we are trying to improve every player's flaw to make them better players. Craig knows what he is and what he isn't and what he wants to be, and his work-ethic and his attitude and preparation to the game are absolutely first-class and he will get better.
If he gets those goals then he will be the wonder-boy, he will take over from Lubo (Lubomir Michalik) as the wonder-boy. But, at the minute his tally is improving, it still needs to be up another few goals but it is improving and the two goals will give him a lot of confidence, and he will certainly never change his work-ethic.
PN
Gary Borrowdale was ill, are you confident he will be back fit for Saturday?
GA
Yeah, he was up all day and all night being sick. So, the problem you have got there is getting him into the dressing-room and spreading that on, so we told him just to go home and rest up, so by the time we regroup Saturday for another tough game we are hoping he should be OK.
PN
And Liam Cooper? You are hoping he will return next week?
GA
Yeah, probably hoping to get him around on Monday or Tuesday, but again he will need some work with us before, so probably next Tuesday is a bit early for him, but maybe the weekend, maybe.
PN
And Lubo?
GA
And similar, fingers crossed. The weekend where it is 50-50 it is a seven hour trip to Brighton with him sat on the bus, getting him off the bus, and that wouldn't be the perfect preparation for somebody that is carrying a hamstring injury.
So, we are going to have a look at that and if he is not completely right then we won't risk him, because he has been a big player for us, and we don't want a six to eight week injury which would effectively take him out for the rest of the season. So, we are treading on broken glass a little bit, but Dolly (Neil Dalton) will lead me into the decision with that.