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JULIO ARCA: LB
Although originally played as a left winger under Peter Reid for Sunderland, Julio Arca played most of his Sunderland career at left back. Reid spotted Arca`s attack- oriented game play whilst watching him
in an England v Argentina U21s game at Craven Cottage. Some of the attributes that the Argentinian possessed were his tackling, dribbling, wide range of passing skills, as well as his work ethic, which led him to having a strong rapport with the Sunderland fans. He may have scored more than 17 goals if his fitness had been on his side,
but in my opinion, 17 goals is still a decent return for the excellent Arca in 157 outings.
KEVIN BALL: CDM
I didn’t have big enough balls to even consider not putting “Bally” in my starting eleven. We signed the Hastings-born defender/ midfielder from Pompey in 1990 and in total, he would have a 30- year association with Sunderland. Most people associate Ball with his tenacious persona in defence, or midfield, but they disregard his ample goal return. Ball scored 27 goals throughout his entire career, 21 of those coming at Sunderland. One of his most memorable goals came against Chelsea in 1996, his diving header putting a hole in the Fulwell End net.
Gordon Armstrong was a graduate of Sunderland`s academy and made his debut in 1985. The childhood Sunderland fan is one of SAFC’s all-time top ten appearance makers, turning out for us 392 times in all competitions. This strong relationship between him and the club’s fanbase was further intensified by the amount of goals he scored for us. The most prominent of his goals came in 1992 at Roker Park, where Armstrong leapt like a salmon to score a bullet header in the FA Cup against Chelsea. In total, he would score 61 goals for us, which is a momentous achievement for a midfielder.
GORDON ARMSTRONG: LM
MIDFIELD:
BOBBY KERR: RM
Regarded as one of the all-time great players for the club, “The Little General”
as he was nicknamed, owing to his tough demeanour and standing a little taller
than my Grandma, scored on his debut
for Sunderland against Man City in 1966. Kerr`s all round work ethic would be key for Sunderland in the forthcoming years, making 413 starts between 1966 and 1979. His determination led him to score 56 goals for us. Ultimately, his skill and fighting spirit was the beating red and white heart of the Sunderland team in 1973, captaining the team who lifted the FA Cup.
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