:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49088303/ROUNDUP_HEADER_copy.0.jpg)
Larsson Feeling Calm About The Derby
Seb Larsson has insisted that the game against Newcastle on Sunday is one that we should be relishing.
The Swedish international midfielder recently returned from a lengthy layoff and is one of a number of players that are hoping they will be selected for the game against our local rivals, who sit two places below us in the table in nineteenth.
Larsson told the Sunderland Echo:
Of course there’s more pressure on the game with both clubs involved in the relegation fight, but you always look forward to this game.
Yes, the pressure’s on because of the situation in the league, but it’s one of those games that you want to be involved in as a player. You want to walk away from St James’s Park with three points again, which would set us up nicely for the run-in.
It’s a massive game, but they’re always massive. I’ve been involved in enough of them now to realise how important they are for the whole area, but three points for either team at this stage of the season is obviously massive. We all know that.
If we can get them in the local derby as well, it would obviously put us in a good situation, but there’s still a lot of games to go after that, so nothing is going to be decided, even though we’re desperate for the points.
It's an attitude that has served us well in recent times against Newcastle. Act calm and don't rise to panic. Here's hoping the same sort of feeling applies to the rest of the squad.
Agnew Gets Second Bradford Trial
Reserve midfielder Liam Agnew has spent another week on trial with League One side Bradford City.
Though the promising youngster is highly thought of at Sunderland, his contract expires in the summer and as a result he has been allowed to train with Bradford in a bid to earn a permanent deal there.
Bantam's manager, Phil Parkinson, has personally scouted Angew on a number of occasions and in spending a second week with the Yorkshire side, Agnew is being given a further chance to prove his worth to a side that can perhaps guarantee him more football than we can going forward.
According to the South Shields Gazette, Parkinson is undecided as to whether he wants to take Agnew on loan now, or wait until the summer before opting to move.
Blinco Joins Norwegian Side On Loan
The oddest move of the season thus far surely goes to Sunderland youngster Jordan Blinco, who has joined Norwegian fourth divison side Bergsoy on loan until the end of the season.
Blinco is a regular for the U18s side but has left England to join up with his new team ahead of the start of the Norwegian season in the coming weeks.
Blinco told the official website of his new club:
I’m very excited for the challenge ahead. It seems like a great club to be at and I just want to get started and play games now.
I play on the wing or the number 10 position. I like to dribble at players and take them on, and I really like to score goals - hopefully I can do that for this team.
I can bring a different style of attacking play and a lot of goals to the team, and hopefully that can push them up to where they should be. I want to improve as a footballer in all aspects - physically, mentally - and I think this is the right decision to make to come here and play for a good team.
Blinco spent time out on loan at Boston United earlier this season and, though the move seems rather bizarre, it's a learning experience for a young player that needs it.
You can hear Blinco's interview with the Bergsoy Youtube channel here:
