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The five Sunderland players that need a good kick up the backside now that Coleman has arrived

Our new manager is renowned for his successful man-management and motivational techniques, so getting a fine tune of these five players over the next few months is of paramount importance.

Wales v Republic of Ireland - FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

Jonny Williams

The Prembery-born number seven was a regular in Coleman’s Wales squad and although we’ve seen glimpses of the quality that the midfielder has, it’s been too few and far between. We were warned about his inability to stay fit when he joined on loan in September and he was once again removed from the action on Saturday due to a shoulder problem.

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However, he’s the only midfielder we currently have who seems to be able to pass and move it - with purpose. If the new manager can keep him fit and replicate his Welsh form, we could be in a much healthier looking position in the table.


Lamine Kone

There’s a real possibility that the Ivorian may never get the opportunity to play under Chris Coleman due to his recent injury coincidentally ruling him out of action until the January window. We’ve said this time and time again, but if the new manager can convince Lamine that this is where he should continue his football AND sort his questionable attitude out, we have a capable defender - one who was rated at £18m not so long ago - on our hands.

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Moyes and Grayson couldn’t motivate a fat kid to eat chocolate cake, but Chris Coleman led his country to its first tournament finals appearance since 1958 - you’ve got to hope that, somewhere down the line, he’ll be able to get a tune of a defender sorely lacking both in confidence and inspiration.


Lee Cattermole

Former Wigan Athletic midfielder Cattermole has been one of our worst performers throughout this season, there’s no doubt about that. He’s looked ponderous, out of sorts and in all honestly, he looks like his commitment is on the wane.

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Has apathy hit even the high-waisted one? 47-year-old Coleman was club captain at Fulham for countless years and played amongst some pretty big personalities during some of their more successful years, so he should at least be capable of reinvigorating Cattermole, and in doing so giving him an opportunity to start afresh at a time when a new approach is much needed.

If he can get the real Lee Cattermole back to his usual self, we’ve got one of the better midfielders in the division on our hands.


James Vaughan

This may seem like a strange suggestion, but bare with me. Right now, we all seem to have given up on the former Bury man being anywhere near good enough at this level, and on the evidence he has shown us so far - I’d probably say that’s a fair assessment.

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However, you have to appreciate that our new manager coached a team that had the likes of Hal Robson-Kanu and Simon Church as options up front to the semi-finals of a major international tournament, so maybe not all hope is lost.

With Lewis Grabban scoring goals, perhaps re-developing Vaughan is not much of a priority, but it’s worth remembering how toothless we looked when he got injured.


Callum McManaman

This boy does have talent, perhaps even a hint of arrogance to his play, but it’s just not worked for him during his brief stint so far at Sunderland. Under Simon Grayson he had to be content with a place amongst the substitutes on the bench for the most part, but will hope to push Duncan Watmore and Aiden McGeady in the coming weeks for a starting berth.

Sunderland Unveil Callum McManaman Photo by Scott Heppell/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

This is a player who put in a man of the match performance not too long ago playing for Wigan in the FA Cup Final - he’ll not be wanting to sit on the bench for much longer and is surely looking to revamp his stuttering career here, so he has plenty to prove.

Still only 26-years-old, the Scouse winger should really be entering his prime soon and has plenty of tricks and talent in his locker, especially at this level - perhaps it’s time to see if our new motivator can coax it out of McManaman on a regular basis.

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