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Adam Mathews Leaves On Loan
Welsh international right back Adam Matthews has left the club to join Bristol City on until the end of the season.
Matthews has struggled to make the bench most weeks and has been allowed to leave Sunderland in order to get valuable playing time ahead of Euro 2016, a tournament Matthews will be hoping to be a part of.
With Emmanuel Eboue set to join the club it spelled the end of Matthews' short Sunderland career, and with the player now headed to Bristol City you would imagine he'll likely never play for Sunderland again.
I first found out on Friday and I thought it would be a good move for me – hopefully I can help the team and get some games as well.
Speaking to the gaffer, he wants to build for next season and push for a top-six place. I think it’s a good club and it’s heading in the right direction.
Obviously I haven’t played many games this season and he wanted to know how fit I was, but I feel good in myself and hopefully I can come in straightaway and show what I can do.
In the last couple of months I’ve played in five or six reserve games for Sunderland against good teams. I feel as fit as I can be at the minute.
If all goes well for both parties there’s a possibility of a (permanent) move in the summer, so we’ll see how it goes and if he (Johnson) wants to keep me.
If we manage to get back anywhere near the two million quid it took to sign him in the summer, then it will be a bonus. Awful signing, all things considered.
Defoe Decision Explained By Allardyce
Jermain Defoe may well have been dropped from the starting eleven by Sam Allardyce for the Southampton game, but in scoring he's ensured he'll start in the Tyne-Wear derby on the 20th of March.
Fabio scored against Crystal Palace, Wahbi scored against Man United and Dame scored against Palace.
Jermain hadn’t scored since Liverpool, so we put Dame up the top and he did a good job in creating chances.
He went off and Jermain came on and got the goal we were looking for, so it’s a nice rotation thing between them.
Jermain was disappointed he wasn’t selected, but he went on and scored. He says ‘there you go, are you going to leave me out next time?'
If dropping Defoe was enough to give him a timely kick up the backside, then it certainly worked. Defoe had one chance, and took it. He's been clinical this season - lets hope he can carry that into the derby game.
Defoe Confident Of Survival
Jermain Defoe feels Sunderland's squad is more than capable of staying up.
I think we'll be fine. I believe from now until the end of the season we will win a few games, because of the way we're playing, and the players we've got.
The new signings - Wahbi Khazri, Lamine Kone, all of them, and even the lads that came in during the summer like Younes Kaboul - have lifted us. Emmanuel Eboue looks like he's going to sign too, so it's a top squad on paper, but there's no point just saying we've got good players, you have to go out and perform. The rewards are so big that the lads should enjoy that pressure, if they can, and make sure we kick on and try and win games.
I think we just need to continue doing what we're doing. And it's important we stay positive, which we will do.
We just have to make sure that, when that whistle goes on the last game of the season, we're looking forward to coming back to play in the Premier League.
I've been lucky enough to score goals throughout my career and if you come off the bench you try to do that.
I've always put myself in positions to do that. I've always believed if I get the chance I'll score. I don't think I've got anything to prove.
I'm inclinded to agree with him. Our squad is solid, and once we get a win I feel we'll go on a decent run. The problem we have is that our next game isn't until the 20th, against Newcastle. Gaining momentum is difficult when you aren't playing games.
