From The Durham Times: The Quiet Week Where Everything Happened

Alright there everyone, it's time we lent ourselves to The Durham Times, our favourite North East newspaper once again. This week, you've got me, quite literally spilling my brains and writing whatever came out of it as I'll be honest, completely forgot the deadline. It it reads a bit weird, that's why. My bad.

Anyway, perhaps you'll enjoy it. So much so that next week when it's someone else's turn you might want to actually buy it! You can do so from any local newsagents for the tidy little sum of 50p. Not bad for a weeks worth of news. If you live in the digital age and have that internet, head on over to their website and have a gander - www.durhamtimes.co.uk/.

Failing that you can always just head here on a Sunday where it makes much less sense. Until next week kids, enjoy our little review of the week...

What a strange week it's been at Sunderland, with pretty much nothing happening outside of the season-ending surgery being performed on Kieran Richardson and Sebastian Larsson.

Speaking on those two though, we have to be pleased with the contributions of both as their seasons come to an end.

After a solid start to the season with goals and crosses a-plenty, Seb Larsson was on courser for a wonderful, perhaps "Player Of The Season" type season. Unfortunately for the Swede it tailed off somewhat, but he did look back to form in the recent 0-0 draw with Aston Villa, where he was a menace all day down the right hand side.

To this moment, he's still our joint highest scorer in the league with seven goals, alongside Stephane Sessegnon and Nicklas Bendtner.

As for Richardson, this seems to be the season where he finally, after much shifting around, made the left-back position his own. There was even talk of a potential England call-up earlier in the season, and he has been one of our most consistent performers.

A potential problem with Richardson now though seems to be his future. After proclaiming he's found God on Wearside (actual, not Martin O'Neill) it looks as thought he former Manchester United man is settled. Rumour persists however of a move away, and with not to long left on his contract the talk of a move to newly promoted Reading could be more of a possibility than we'd like to think.

It would be such as shame to lose him after he's made such a great contribution to the club, after such a choppy start to his career in the North East.

While Richardson's future is in doubt, the same goes for Nicklas Bendtner. Never one to shy away from the limelight or one to really think before he speaks, he's been telling a Danish TV station that he's not looking to stay at Arsenal! Good news, we might actually get him... No, he later went on to say that he might not stay at Sunderland, even if we offered him the chance. Thanks Nicklas. Thanks very much.

Perhaps Bendtner could send us off with a few goals, if indeed he does decide the grass is greener elsewhere. Like many other fans, I've almost forgotten what a goal is, apart from being something people score against us after an absolutely barren April where we've hit precisely zero of them.

Bendtner nearly got us one against Villa, which was ruled incorrectly offside, unless of course a mans ego is part of the body he can score with, in which case he was miles off as it does exude his every orifice.

This weekend would be a good starting point. Bolton Wanderers come to town, and with the Lancashire side down in the doldrums, this might finally be the weekend where we get some goals, and if we're lucky a much needed win.
The game should also afford some of the fringe players a chance, what with Richardson and Larsson being missing. Wayne Bridge and Ahmed Elmohamdy might get a chance to prove their worth keeping around the club, and look for Fraizer Campbell and Ji Dong-Won to get some significant playing time as they sit in the same boat.

All fingers and toes are crossed for a comprehensive victory this weekend. Bendtner to get a few perhaps, Elmohamady to prove he's cut out for the Premier League and three points to put us back in the mix for a coveted top ten spot.

Anything less would be a disaster, and it's quite possible when we said almost the same schpiel about the Wolves game, which was yet another 0-0.

No, back to wining ways please, and we can finish the season on a high, proving to a certain League One also-ran midfielder that we're not the "s**t club" he seems to think!

So as we said, nothing much going on!

SIMON WALSH