Squad has to share the blame says Danny Collins

May 9 2009 by Paul Cunningham, The Journal

DANNY Collins has told his Sunderland team-mates to take a long, hard look at themselves and ask why it is that instead of fighting to be playing games in Italy, Spain or Germany next season, the Black Cats are battling to avoid potential trips to Peterborough, Barnsley and Milton Keynes.

Sunderland travel to Bolton Wanderers today four points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with three matches to play.

It is an undignified fall from grace for players who, buoyed by a 0-0 draw at Arsenal, were openly talking about the possibility of qualifying for the Europa League as recently as February.

The Black Cats supporters have made their feelings abundantly clear, booing the players off after they appeared to go through the motions in last Sunday’s dire 2-0 defeat at home to Everton. Serious questions have been raised about manager Ricky Sbragia recently, but Collins believes it is the players’ fault that results have failed to match expectations.

“We managed to bring in a few players (in January) and expected to push on for a top-half finish,” admitted Collins. “We have to be thinking why we’re not pushing West Ham and City for the top seven.

“There has been a change of manager (Sbragia replacing Roy Keane in December) but a lot of the blame has to be at the players’ feet. There have been a lot of games where we should look at ourselves and think we didn’t perform there.

“We have to get back to the performances like Hull (away, in December), when Ricky got the job, there was a good togetherness then. People start to look for excuses

when you are not playing well and not getting the results, blaming the manager, but more blame has to be aimed at the players.

“If you watch training every day it’s top class, but on a Saturday it has been a different story.”

Having been named the supporters’ player of the year this week, Collins can probably consider himself absolved of blame.

A top-seven finish brings a place in the competition which will replace the Uefa Cup next season. Although Sunderland did not start the campaign seriously expecting to challenge for that, a heavy outlay on experienced players was not supposed to result in a nervous scrap against relegation.

Having fought two such battles already at the Stadium of Light – one successfully last season and one which ended with the then-lowest points total in Premier League history in 2006 – the former Welsh international thought such days were behind him.

“I was part of the team relegated on 15 points a few years back,” Collins recalled. “It wasn’t a good experience. I don’t want to go through relegation again and it’s something we are trying not to think about.”

Sunderland’s survival hopes are likely to be enhanced when Newcastle United entertain Middlesbrough on Monday. With George McCartney back in training but not yet ready for first-team football, Collins will be at left-back against the Trotters. That will mean a key role marking Kevin Davies, the focal point of Bolton’s direct style.

“When you go to Bolton, you know what is coming,” Collins added. “We know it will be a battle. They are physical team. We know we can pick up three points and we have to force that issue. We don’t want to be riding on picking up three points against Chelsea (their opponents on the final day of the season) to stay up. Middlesbrough and Newcastle have to face each other, but we have to look at ourselves.”