Fletcher goal spree should encourage Sunderland to show faith in Campbell
Here at ESP we always encourage our readers to write in with
their opinion on anything concerning the beautiful game, and this has led to
James Halsey writing in with his concerns for his beloved Sunderland.
A 3-0 defeat at Manchester City is the
only loss in six matches for Martin O’Neill’s men, but they have only won once
during this time; and with their five goals all being scored by summer signing
Steven Fletcher, an injury to the Scotland international would be a worry.
Over to you, James...
“I don’t think any Sunderland fan
could have asked for more from Fletcher. Yes, he was overpriced at £12million,
but he has been superb in these opening weeks and, in all honesty, without him
we would already be staring down the barrel of a relegation fight.
“And therein lies the worry: what if
he picked up a serious injury? A look at his previous seasons with
Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley and even Hibernian would suggest that he is
pretty lucky when it comes to this, as he has more often than not features in
30+ games in the league per-season, but that doesn’t mean he is infallible.
“If Fletcher was to pick up an injury,
we would have the following options: Louis Saha (past his best and very much
injury prone), Dong-Won Ji (yet to play at all this season), and Connor Wickham
(too early for him at the moment). Of course, O’Neill could always stick Stephane
Sessegnon up front again as he did last season, but I’d much prefer him pulling
the strings and creating chances for a front-two.
“The other option would be to give
Fraizer Campbell more time. The former Manchester United youngster has only
started once this season and come off the bench a further four times, but it is
about time more faith was shown in him. Before he picked up his serious injury
in 2010-11, he was regarded as one of the bets talents in the country and an
option for the European Championships with England.
“Last season he came back from this
injury and although he only scored once, of his dozen appearances only half of
these came from a starting position. I’m sure that given more time on the pitch
(so far he has spent just 130 minutes in the first team!) he would get back to
his best – after all, he is still only 25, so he should be approaching his best
in the next year or two, but he can only do this given more time.”
Sunderland fans, what do you think? Do
you think it is now time for Martin O’Neill to put more faith in Fraizer
Campbell? And Manchester United fans, what do you remember of your former
striker? Would he now be competing with the likes of Danny Welbeck had he
stayed at Old Trafford? And what about you England fans? Given time and
appearances for his club, do you think Campbell could be an option for Rio
2014?
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