Sunderland

In a Premier League transfer window which has so far really only come to life when the North West duo of Manchester United and Liverpool have dipped into their bank account to secure a couple of new faces apiece, Sunderland are proving very much the exception of the entire league.

Steve Bruce, with the backing of his chairman Niall Quinn, has this week signed no less than three players, with defenders Wes Brown and John O'Shea arriving from Manchester United and midfielder David Vaughan coming in from relegated side Blackpool.

Those three transfers bring the Wearsiders' total of summer signings already to a quite astounding nine—only a third of the way through July. While most teams tend to wait until late July or even August to begin pulling their squad together for the new campaign, manager Bruce has clearly identified early the players he wants to reshape his team with and, armed with the estimated £16 million from the sale of Jordan Henderson to Liverpool, has set about improving his squad with a decisiveness and ability to splash the cash which fans of certain other teams may look upon with envy—despite chairman Quinn earlier saying much of their business would be done during the long summer ahead.

But is Bruce doing too much, too soon?

On the one hand, getting as much of the transfer business out of the way early on will give Bruce time to work with them in the pre-season ahead of the new campaign, while the new faces can get to know one another and gel with their current teammates.

Alternatively, of course, too many new signings too soon can throw the balance of the team off and the players can take time to gel with one another, especially if Sunderland are planning on changing their established way of playing to suit the new faces.

The influx of players began with the permanent signing of Ahmed Elmohamady, who was on loan at the Stadium of Light last season and impressed in his 36 league appearances. The Egyptian did not score a league goal but showed good versatility in playing both in defence and on the right side of midfield and Steve Bruce did not hesitate to make his loan move a more long-term one.

Shortly after Henderson departed for Liverpool, Sunderland then went on to capture both Keiren Westwood and Sebastian Larsson on free transfers from Coventry City and Birmingham City respectively. Westwood, a goalkeeper who has represented Ireland at the international level seven times, was in demand from the likes of Leeds as well as his former club Coventry, but chose to join Sunderland in the Premiership instead.

Larsson, a predominantly right-sided midfielder, was wanted by rival side Newcastle United in January but, after his club was relegated, also opted for the Black Cats.

Next up, and still in June, Sunderland clinched what could in the long run turn out to be one of the biggest coups with the signing of Ipswich Town striker Connor Wickham. The England under 21 striker was certainly in demand with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool rumoured to be following his trail, but Sunderland acted first and swooped with an initial bid of around £8 million to land the front man.

A second striker signed on the following day as Sunderland completed the drawn out signing of South Korean Ji Dong-won from the Chunnam Dragons after he received his relevant administrative documents.

Another Birmingham midfielder, Craig Gardner, arrived the same day for a reported £6 million; perhaps this of all Bruce's transfers so far will turn out to be the most shrewd. Gardner was excellent for a below average Birmingham side last season, scoring 10 times in all competitions.

Six transfers wrapped up and not even into July yet.

Things were relatively quiet for Sunderland the following week; it took them until July 7th to then swoop for three players on the same day—the aforementioned defensive duo of O'Shea and Brown, along with Welsh midfielder Vaughan, who impressed in Blackpool's midfield despite their relegation last year.

Sunderland are also still hoping to lure another Manchester United player—midfielder Darron Gibson—to the Stadium of Light, which will take their incoming deals into double figures.

Such a turnaround in faces is equally admirable and risky—but was it necessary?

The Black Cats had a wonderful first half of a season in 2010-11, sitting in sixth position even up until early February. However a disastrous run of form saw them win just once from 11 games—losing nine of them—during February, March and April.

By this time they had fallen to 14th place in the Premier League, suddenly only six points above the relegation zone. However, two wins from their final three games saw them finish in a respectable 10th position—their first top half finish to a season since the 2000-01 campaign, and their first time since they returned to the top flight following relegation in 2005-06.

Sunderland's early season form showed they were a squad comfortably capable of holding their own in the top half of the league, though many point to the exit of top scorer Darren Bent—and their subsequent failure to replace him in January—as a primary reason for their sudden plummet down the league table.

They did also suffer with a horrendous injury list at times, but at the same time Sunderland did already have a fairly hefty Premier League squad to cope with it.

In Ji and Wickham, Sunderland have brought in youth and potential to supplement their current attackers of Asamoah Gyan and Frazier Campbell, but that is an area which could still use some attention.

The free signing of keeper Westwood gives Sunderland massive competition for the No. 1 spot; Simon Mignolet and Craig Gordon shared the duty last season and both remain at the club for now.

O'Shea and Brown, with their championship-winning experiences behind them, will surely take two of the defensive places for their new team, who still count Titus Bramble, Anton Ferdinand and Michael Turner as their other central enforcers, with Marcos Angeleri—if he finally breaks into the side—Keiran Richardson and Phil Bardsley offering full back options.

Defenders Nyron Nosworthy, Matt Kilgallon and George McCartney are also still on the Sunderland books, having spent last season out on loan at various clubs.

Finally, in midfield, Sunderland are seriously heavy-loaded at present.

Last season's usual foursome was Steed Malbranque, Lee Cattermole and Elmohamady, as well as the now departed Henderson. Bolo Zenden was also a frequent performer, though he has now left after his contract expired.

Cristian Riveros is also still on their books, though will spend the season on loan in Turkey with Kayserispor.

Academy products Jack Colback and David Meyler are first team members when not injured, while Stephane Sessegnon had an impressive impact after joining the club in the January transfer window.

Added to those six are new boys Gardner, Larsson and Vaughan.

In total, the club currently have 24 players ready for first team action—plus the formerly loaned out defensive trio, if they stay at the club this season. Add to that youngsters such as Craig Lynch, Ryan Noble and Jordan Cook who began to have an impact in the senior side last season and the club suddenly have one of the biggest squads in the entire league.

Doubtless, there will be one or two faces still to leave the club, while as mentioned the striking department could still do with a more experienced face to go alongside the youthful looking lineup, but Steve Bruce certainly looks to have his hands full as he begins to prepare his side for the new season ahead.

A first choice Sunderland team coming into the new season—which for the Black Cats opens against Liverpool at Anfield—could look a little something like this:

-----------------Gordon

O'Shea Brown Turner Richardson

Larsson Cattermole Gardner Malbranque

-----------Gyan Wickham

which still leaves the likes of Vaughan, Campbell, Bardsley and Sessegnon—and maybe Gibson—to shore up an impressively strong bench.

A top half finish last season could rightly be regarded by the Sunderland hierarchy as something of a successful step on their way to establishing themselves as a bigger Premier League side, but the ambition and ruthlessness of the club this summer shows that they still have a bigger target yet—to get the club into Europe again.

Competition for a top six—or five, as it turned out to be last season—place is more intense than ever these days with the duos from Manchester and North London, plus Chelsea and Liverpool, almost certain to occupy them in some order or other, while Aston Villa, Everton and probably even Sunderland's biggest rivals Newcastle set to fight over the seventh place which could offer another route into the Europa League.

Steve Bruce will have to eke out every last piece of consistency from his players this season to manage it—but one thing is for sure; if Sunderland don't improve on a top 10 placing this time around, it won't be for lack of trying in the transfer market.

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For once in this crazy world of Premiership football, the little guys took the big name. Sure, the name is not proven or mature, but don't get me down about this transfer news.

Sunderland's acquisition of Connor Wickham was good for all parties. 

The EPL has become a party for but a handful of teams. You have your free-spending Chelseas and Mancheter Uniteds that blow the competition out of the water when it comes to buying power. 

It leaves middling teams to stay, well, in the middle. There is no hope for a Sunderland to crack the top three when they can't buy the skilled assets that would get them there. 

The only thing they can do is buy young and hope it takes them far. So it brings a smile to this soccer fan's face that one of the best young talents in England chose to bring his talents to Sunderland. 

Not only is it a great find for the club, it will prove vital to a young striker who is well on his way to becoming the next crown jewel of England.

Sunderland has opened the pocketbook and ensured what may be a future battle to keep an offensive star with their club. 

If Wickham matures into his 6'3'' frame, and can meet expectations, Sunderland will be better off for some time. Then the inevitable fight to keep a star from shining elsewhere will come to fruition.

It is a battle that every middling club must contend with. For now, Sunderland is content to stick Wickham in the rotation and see exactly how he reacts to the rough-and-tumble nature of the EPL. 

And real, Wickham couldn't have chosen a better side to grow within. The big boys certainly would have come calling, but this was the right move for an 18-year-old with years to develop. 

At the top-tier of clubs, life is sink or swim. You either prove your mettle or get swept aside for another that will. With Sunderland, Wickham will get added time to show if he truly can translate talent into match-day skill. 

Smaller clubs can't buy their talent, so they grow it. Wickham provides that rare opportunity for a mediocre club to take the next step. 

Now it is time for Sunderland supporters to cross their fingers and hope the boy is worth the hype. 

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has signed a new contract set to keep him in charge of the Black Cats until 2014.

Since leaving Wigan Athletic for the Northeast in 2009, Bruce has enjoyed some success at the Stadium of Light. After posting a 13th-placed finish last season, Bruce has his team playing some good football that has seen them contending for a top-half finish for the first time in a decade.

Steve Bruce summed up his feelings on the contract extension by saying, "I'm delighted to have signed a new contract. It's a magnificent club from top to bottom, with wonderful support and everything is in place here for a manager."

"We have the makings of a fantastic young team. It's been a great challenge so far but one that my backroom team and I have relished, so we're looking forward to continuing with that over the next few years."

Chairman of Sunderland, Niall Quinn, added, "It was hugely important to bring stability to this football club and I firmly believe that, in Steve, we have the man to do just that. In only 18 months, he has reshaped our squad beyond recognition, bringing in some fantastically talented players, many of whom are young and desperate to achieve and improve."

"He embodies the ethos of teamwork and the importance of camaraderie in creating a wonderful spirit of togetherness amongst the players and staff. He has already raised the aspirations of, not only the players, but also the supporters and instilled a belief in everyone that we can go on to achieve the sustained success that we all crave."

Sunderland have been shocked by the news that leading scoring Darren Bent has requested a transfer request as struggling Aston Villa prepare an £18 million bid for the England forward.

Bent is the Black Cats' leading scorer this season with 11 goals, but the 26-year-old has looked off the pace recently, leading to criticism from Sunderland fans.

Arriving from Spurs for £10 million in the summer 2009, Bent has scored an impressive 36 goals in 63 games, leading to his recall for England and his first goal for his country against Switzerland.

An under-pressure Villa boss Gerard Houlier is lining up the striker to solve his side's goalscoring problems, as they have managed just 24 goals from 22 games.

Emile Heskey has only managed three goals, while Gabby Agbonlahor and John Carew have both failed to find the back of the net in the Premier League this season.

Bent has failed to develop a potent partnership with club record-signing Asamoah Gyan this season, as Danny Wellbeck has been impressive at the Stadium of Light.

Bent struggled in the Tyne/Wear Derby yesterday; his only real chance coming early in the first half when he found space in the Newcastle box only to have his effort saved by Steve Harper.

The request still will come as a surprise to many Sunderland fans as they sit sixth in the Premier League and are on course for a shock place in Europe this season.

In contrast, goal-shy Villa sit in the bottom four, with survival the only thing on their mind.

A club statement released by Sunderland read: "The club can confirm that it received a written transfer request from Darren Bent following yesterday's Wear-Tyne derby match."

The club must now decide whether the £18 million offered is value for money; the deal may depend on whether Sunderland can find a suitable replacement for the forward before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

It was the low point of the season: a crushing defeat in a derby match with the one team that the Black Cats are always expected to compete against.   

The 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Newcastle United left many fans wondering if the team was over matched and if Steve Bruce was unable to get the best out of his players.  Bruce seemed at the time to be telling the Mirror the same thing, "We were blown away, and didn't handle the occasion."

In front of the home crowd this time, and on the back of a fairly good run which sees the Black Cats within striking distance of a place in Europe, the team cannot afford another failure. They simply must win against Newcastle.

Darren Bent, Danny Welbeck, and Asamoah Gyan are keys to the Sunderland attack, and they will need to be aggressive from the beginning.  

Newcastle, after getting off to a rough start in their return to the Premier League, have risen to eight and are now only five points behind Sunderland.  Newcastle will have to get off to a good start.  If they score early they may be able to take the crowd out of the game or even turn them on the home side.

Sunderland leads the Premier League with 11 clean sheets, they have done this while losing a number of defensive players to serious injury.  They will need to be defensively excellent again this week.

The Black Cats have only lost one game at home this season, so they will be looking for a push from the big home crowd.

For Sunderland to continue to progress this season they will need to beat the teams lower than themselves.  A win against Newcastle will not only be a psychological boost, but also one that will push them above lower teams in the league.

After getting bumped from their last cup chance last week, they will need to continue to move up the table to realize their European dreams.  No better time than against Newcastle.

West Brom vs. Newcastle

West Brom have doubts over the fitness of Brunt, Scharner, Odemwingie, Morrison and Shorey. This may sound like an extensive list, but it is quite probable that we will see one or two of these players feature in the match against Newcastle, simply due to the fact that Brom are lacking in other options.

Considering their cracking start to the season, the Baggies have dipped in form recently, if you exclude their hammering of Everton last weekend. Still, it will be interesting to see if they can make it two unexpected hammerings in a row and manage to give the Magpies the same treatment that left a few mouths wide open last weekend.

Newcastle are seen as one of this year's overachievers, granted a couple of years before their relegation this is the sort of performance that would’ve been expected of them.

The away side were tipped to be struggling to stay up; they wouldn’t be the first big name to have gone to pieces after relegation. One only has to look at Leeds a few years ago as an example. If form is to be believed then this could very well be their match, especially considering the fact that on away matches they aren’t doing too badly.

Sunderland vs. West Ham

Sunderland are doing pretty well for themselves this season and considering their next match is against strugglers West Ham, things look likely to get even better. In theory, Sunderland could end up sixth if things go their way this weekend. They will almost certainly win this matchup, which is a good start.

John Mensah should make a start despite picking up a knock last week while Bramble and Turner are still out and this does of course leave them a little strapped at the back. The Black Cats have not lost at home all season and there defence has been pretty much impeccable, with only Chelsea having a better record.

West Ham’s woes just continue to get increasingly worse and they have yet to register an away win this season; there is very little chance of them breaking that unfortunate record, with their injury crisis keeping most of their attacking players ruled out. Fortunately the Hammers should have Scott Parker available, however considering the fact that he still isn’t fully fit, he should be the only real threat that the Hammers have going forward. A win here would be great for them, although it is unlikely they will manage to do so.

Liverpool vs Aston Villa (Monday, Dec. 6, 2010)

Liverpool and Villa have both had rather inauspicious starts to the season so neither of the sides have achieved the positions that the fans or the teams themselves would have expected to be in. Liverpool did have a particularly rough opening few games, although things start to have pick up somewhat for the Merseyside based outfit. The problem, as always, is the fact that they rely far too heavily on Torres and Gerrard, if even one of these players is missing the Reds often crumble.

On a more positive note the home side will be looking to make this their fourth successive win at Anfield. If the Reds can actually score the opening goal, the statistics would suggest that the side should manage to take all three points. On the other hand, they have lost every match where they have conceded the opening goal.

The Villans will be lucky to take any points from this match, having won only one of their last nine league matches. They are simply not on the top of their game, granted they struggling with a huge list of unavailable players, through a variety of reasons excuses don’t make for points. Aston Villa are unlikely to turn this match into anything positive without a miracle.

Joe—livescoredaily.com—live scores

I know in my last blog I said I would sway around the tackling issue but enough is enough. So much has happened in the last few days and some of it has been over the top.

Sam Allardyce, Owen Coyle, Harry Redknapp and even Steve Bruce have criticized Mr Wenger on his comments about referees. They all pretty much said that Arsene Wenger is trying to influence referees and Bruce reminded us of the players Arsene Wenger has managed over the years such as the Adams and Keown’s etc. Read on..

Firstly, I would like to see the reaction of the same managers if they had 3 players out for around a year with a broken leg. A fourth could have been added last week. So for those managers to be saying what they were saying was slightly out of order. Perhaps all this interest from Madrid and Milan has distracted Big Sam. (I wonder what Sam has to say about Diouf not looking at the ball as the cross came in and shoulder barging Mark Schwarzer in the box)

I can see that Owen Coyle was just trying to support his players but did he not see Cahill take out Chamakh on the half way line when the striker was nearly off the pitch?! Did he not see Robinson’s challenge on Diaby?

For the record, Mr Wenger never said he does not like the physical side of football in England. In fact he said he enjoys the competitive side and said he does not like players ‘that jump out of tackles’. Mr Wenger was talking to the FA more than any team or manager. He was saying how tackling is a technique and perhaps isn’t taught enough. He said he is fine with tackling but when studs are up and the tackle is near his player’s knee or from behind or two footed, then something has to be done and more protection needs to be available. I remember a tackle from Boateng last season at Hull that could have been a leg breaker too.

An unlikely source in this argument was none other then Adrian Durham from TalkSport radio. Let’s just say, I have had some heated discussions with Mr Durham before but this week he jumped to the defence of Mr Wenger and that deserves some respect as he is proving that maybe he is fair and just says what he thinks. He offered an apology to Mr Wenger because he feels he has done a great job with Jack Wilshire and that Wilshire is the brightest prospect since Gazza (that does mean he left out Rooney). As soon as Darren Gough (who is a cricketer not a footballer in case you didn’t know) and Micky Quinn started talking about Mr Wenger not liking the physical game, Durham was quick to step in, he told the world what Mr Wenger actually said. Adrian Durham told the listeners and the so called pundits and presentations that Mr Wenger said that the technique and art of tackling is not there. He said nothing about not like the physical game. Every single caller was set straight by Durham too. Durham also thought that some of the tackles are of such a poor technique that they can easily hurt players and this is not correct.

When so called experts talk about Mr Wenger’s comments, they often say, well ‘what does Mr Wenger expect teams to do? Let Arsenal just play and walk the ball in the net’, well Durham had an argument about that too. The one team to outplay Arsenal last season was Barcelona. They did not come and kick Arsenal or have any leg breakers; they pressed the ball, they did not give Arsenal space and closed them down as soon as Arsenal had the ball. This worked. Barcelona was much better then Arsenal and this was not by tackling illegally. I do not think anyone can argue with that theory and well played Adrian Durham for coming up with it. I certainly have changed my opinion on Durham and may tune in more (till the next time he slates Arsenal!)

Another argument I have heard is that Mr Wenger never seems to say anything about his own players making bad tackles. Well, I beg the question, what manager does?! Any Arsenal fan will admit that there have been tackles from Arsenal players that have been poor tacklers. The Gallas tackle against Bolton was poor and many have said the Wilshire tackle against Liverpool was also bad. Both were poor tackles, but is Mr Wenger publically going to slate his players? That would be foolish and bad management. I cannot tell you what Mr Wenger said to Gallas or Wilshire but one former player tells us all about how it was when he was playing

Ray Parlour, nicknamed the Romford Pele, was also on TalkSport this week with Durham and talked about his days at the club under Mr Wenger. He admitted that he had made a few challenges that were not the best, he stated he did not want to hurt the player but miss-timed the tackle and Mr Wenger always had a word after the game telling Ray to cut it out of his game. So if Mr Wenger was having a word with these players who had been in the game for years and been at Arsenal longer then Mr Wenger himself, you would think, he would do the same for the current crop. It’s something that cannot be proved but with Parlour giving his evidence, the likeliness is that Mr Wenger does talk about tackles with his players.

Then we come to the game at the Stadium of Light and that highlights Mr Wenger’s argument with the FA again. Last week at Everton, the whistle blew when Everton were on the break and attacking and were nearly in a shooting opportunity. So that must mean, if the time is up, the time is up right?

Then why when the corner was cleared out by Arsenal, was the whistle not blown. There was four minutes of injury time and there was no injuries, subs or goals and therefore, do not understand where the extra 30 seconds or so came from. I can understand a referee missing a goal, or calling a wrong offside, or perhaps getting a small foul wrong, but when a referee fails to count to sixty, four times, it does worry me. Perhaps I am just bitter because of my passion of my club but that was tough to take.

In regards to the game in general, Sunderland were superb and importantly were fair. Their was no real tackles that I thought were over the top, there was a few miss timed ones from both teams but generally the game was fair.

Alex Song was sent off for two yellow cards. The first yellow card was very harsh. There was no contact in the tackle and that was not a yellow. The second yellow was correct as Song did block the player but because the first yellow was wrong, the second yellow could have been the first yellow and therefore Song may not have been sent off (still with me?) He did give away a few fouls so may have got a yellow before the second yellow but if the first yellow had come later, then he may not have been sent off. However, a player like Alex Song should know he must adapt his game when on a yellow and must take more responsibility. He should have known he was on a booking and not committed the foul that eventually saw him sent him off.

One last thing I noticed was that ESPN certainly do their best to stir up trouble! I didn’t make it down to Sunderland due to personal reasons however; I saw how Rebecca Lowe told Steve Bruce that Arsene Wenger does not like the physical game and asked for a reaction. Was Lowe actually at the Mr Wenger press conference because she clearly did not know what she was talking about. That then got Bruce mocking Mr Wenger and all from a question that shouldn’t have been asked. I found her very two faced and she was trying to cause trouble between the two managers.

This is now the end of my rant. I felt I could not take it any more! A draw is not the worst result but its always disappointing to concede in the last kick of the game.

There’s nothing like a game against Spurs, mid-week; and a chance to bounce back at the Emirates on Saturday.

Come on you Arsenal..

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Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

Asamoah Gyan helped Sunderland to a share of the points with Wigan at the weekend as he scored on his "perfect debut."

The goal made him an instant hit on Wearside with the Black Cats' vocal support. It did not do him any harm with his teammates either.

However, he had already made his way into their hearts after Darren Bent asked him to sing for the team on the eve of the match. A little known fact about the powerful Ghanaian striker is that he has also produced a number of rap songs under the pseudonym of Baby Jet.

As Ghana geared up for the World Cup, Gyan teamed up with the 50 Cent of Ghana, Castro De Destroyer, to record African Girls. A rap song infused with Afro-Caribbean style themes and Western African beats, the catchy number has gone down a bomb on YouTube since the World Cup, where interest in the striker grew to massive levels after an impressive tournament.

Gyan has been one of Ghana's best kept secrets since making his debut for the Black Stars in 2004, and has provided 22 goals in 44 games for his nation.

During the World Cup in South Africa he went on to earn all the accolades he deserved after Ghana proved to be the only African side capable of challenging the dominance of Europe and South America. He scored a late winner against Serbia in the opening game of the tournament and left the pitch to a standing ovation and thousands of journalists scratching their heads after the little known Rennes striker stole all the plaudits for many better known players.

A second goal in two games, this time against Australia, and all of a sudden Ghana was on the verge of becoming the only African nation to progress out of the groups. The Black Stars then beat the USA in the round of 16 after an epic confrontation was settled in extra time by Gyan again.

All of a sudden, Ghana was in the Quarterfinals, where Uruguay was waiting.

The game proved to be the biggest draw of the Quarter Finals as 84,000 packed into Soccer City to see one of the most intriguing matches of the tournament. A 1-1 draw after 90 minutes forced the game into extra-time, where the Ghanaians' fitness seemed to give them an edge.

As the clock counted down to the final whistle Ghana won a penalty after Luis Suarez handled a certain goal on the line. The Black Stars hero of the tournament, Gyan, stepped up to take the most pressurised spot-kick in African football history and missed, sending the game into the lottery of penalties.

Credit where it's due, Gyan took his country's first penalty when it would have been easy to say no and scored with aplomb. Unfortunately, Uruguay won 4-2 and progressed to the semifinals.

From a personal point of view, the penalty miss cut very deeply for Gyan, but his strength of character and phenomenal form during the tournament caught the eye of scouts all over Europe and on deadline day Steve Bruce parted with £13 million to that the Black Star striker to the Black Cats.

It was a real coup for Sunderland. Gyan was linked with Manchester United, AC Milan, and Arsenal back in 2007, and his style of play seems perfectly suited to both the Black Cats and the Premier League in general.

Gyan's training routine with his new club was interrupted by the international window, and he only managed to train with his new team twice in 15 days since signing.

It didn't curb his confidence though, and he gave the Black Cats crowd exactly what they came to see after he latched onto Jordan Henderson's superb cross to score a goal reminiscent of Johan Cryuff in his heyday.

Although tired, he still managed a trademark dance for his new fans.

“I did a couple of dances," Gyan said, "but I was really tired, so I didn’t want to continue. I didn’t sing though. Not this time. I did sing for them before the match, Darren Bent asked me to. It was a song by Buju Banton, a Jamaican reggae singer. If you’re a new player in the team you have to sing to everybody. I was good. Of course they thought I was good; they were happy with it. They’ve seen my musical videos, so they know I can do it.”

If Gyan can live up to his growing reputation, everyone will know he can do it.

This article was previously featured on Tiger Beer Football, where Willie Gannon is the featured Blogger, over 18s only.