Page 31 - 370167 LP253351 A Love Supreme Magazine - A5 48pp (Issue 260)

LEON DAJAKU: MISS
We only signed Dajaku permanently out of necessity, af- ter he hit a milestone of appearances for us last season. He’s been tried as a striker in the absence of Stewart
and Simms, but he is such a confusing footballer. As
Tony Mowbray said about the German, he’s not physical enough to be a striker but not quick enough to be an out-and-out winger. Apparently, he’s got a rocket of a right foot in training, but we are yet to see that weapon imple- mented in a real game. The first miss of this article.
AJI ALESE: HIT
Like Bass, Alese had a stinker against Sheff Wed in an overall weak team selection, but as time has gone on
the defender went on to be a really solid stopper for us. You can see why West Ham fans were fuming with David Moyes for letting him go this summer. It was great to
see Alese score his first senior goal against Watford and he covered really well in the absence of Dan Ballard. Another player who suffered an injury in the build up to the World Cup break, it fills me with great confidence that we will eventually end up with a backline of Alese, Ballard and Danny Batth.
JACK CLARKE: HIT
Jack was a known quantity when we signed him in the summer, having had him on loan from Spurs in League One. But I don’t think anyone expected him to be quite so influential this season, after he was fairly inconsistent for us in the Third Division. Over the summer Alex Neil seemed to have taught him how to use his left foot, as Clarke was no longer desperate to cut in on his right and get a shot away, a trick that, while dangerous, defenders sussed out very quickly. A great signing who, if he keeps this trajectory, will attract Premier League interest in the near future.
JEWISON BENNETTE: MAYBE
The Costa Rican wonderkid made a great impact off the bench against Watford. That goal, as well as great perfor- mances for his national side, have led to many fans clamour- ing for him to be in the starting 11. But Jewi is yet to start a game for Sunderland, and Tony Mowbray has explained the frustration of having a teenager here who doesn’t speak the language and can’t fully understand the instructions given to him on the pitch. While some of our signings have made con- nections within the group (Amad and Matete seem to be re- ally good friends now as well as dancing partners) Bennette still looks to be adapting to new surroundings. He’s clearly a special talent with all of the raw attributes, and I’m sure that over time he’ll become a hit for us. But right now, I don’t think he’s done quite enough to be deemed an instant success.
EDOUARD MICHUT: MAYBE
As I’m writing this, I’m struggling to think of things to say about Edouard Michut. He looks like a tidy midfielder who wants to sit deep and keep things ticking over. He has struggled with fitness issues since arriving from French gi- ants PSG and was sent off for our Under-21 side as he tried to get minutes into his legs. He was the best player on the pitch when he came on against Luton, but an injury shortly after meant we didn’t see him again before the winter break. Hopefully the rest has given him a chance to get some work done on the training ground and integrate himself into the squad.
Overall, I think the recruitment team deserves a lot of credit for building a young and hungry squad. If both of our strikers hadn’t have gotten injured we could easily be in the play-offs right now - despite many supporters raising questions in
the summer over the alarmingly young age of the squad. They’ve signed likeable players with good personalities, and the Lads on the pitch have adapted really well to being with- out a striker for a large part of the start of the season. Credit to them, and credit to Tony Mowbray who has been forced to find unique solutions to the striker problem.
ALOVESUPREME | ISSUE260 | 31
BY DANIEL MCCALLUM