‘Reborn’ star has qualities to survive in the big time

Jan 2 2008 by Paul Gilder, The Journal

Having won a second Championship title and completed 100 games for Sunderland, 2007 was a good year for Danny Collins. The revitalised defender is hoping 2008 is even better, as he told Paul Gilder.

MILLMOOR. October 25, 2004. The beginnings humble, the glamour scarce. Rotherham’s outdated stadium didn’t provide a salubrious backdrop as a little-known 24-year-old made his Sunderland debut. In the subsequent period he, like his club, has gone far.

The crowd that afternoon totalled a little over 6,000, the stage small and the atmosphere muted. These days, the scene is far different, the challenge far greater and the stakes far higher.

Much has changed in three years, yet in Danny Collins, there has been an unexpected constant. His appearance against Manchester United last week was his 100th in Black Cats colours, a landmark few could have expected him to reach. Although the result ensured the celebrations fell flat, the significance wasn’t lost.

“I’m so proud,” admitted a player whose 101st game for Sunderland – Saturday’s important Premier League triumph against Bolton – proved to be a happier occasion. “Playing 100 times for a club like this isn’t something that everyone gets to do. I’m honoured to have done it. I see it as a great achievement and it means a lot to me. But I’m not satisfied yet.”

Collins has not been without his critics during his 38 months in the North-East and acceptance hasn’t come without a fight. A player plucked from Chester for £140,000 has seemed to face an uncertain future on countless occasions. Yet he is a survivor.

“I feel I’ve established myself,” he said. “I feel part of things here. I feel involved and I feel wanted. I’ve been here for three years, I’ve played 100 games and, although I’m taking nothing for granted, I’m hoping that there’s more to come. I don’t plan to finish at 100 games and I don’t plan to lose the shirt. I’ve had it for a while and I’m determined to make it mine.”

To some last summer, Collins belonged to a different time and era. To some, he appeared more Millmoor than Manchester United. To some, he seemed more Football League than Premier League. But Mick McCarthy’s unheralded acquisition is proving people wrong and enjoying it. That the 27-year-old remains a regular participant is one of the unlikelier aspects of Roy Keane’s reign, yet Collins has played more times for his current manager than he did for the Irishman’s predecessor.

Even the supporters once so critical have been forced to reconsider his merits, the general feeling being that not only has Collins been his team’s best defender this season, but that he also ranks amongst the club’s best-performing players.

“I’m enjoying my football again and I’ve got a lot to be grateful for,” said a player whose rebirth has been remarkable. “I enjoyed 2007, I feel that it was an important year for me.

“It has been an eventful year – although it always seems to be here. We started the year mid-table in the Championship but went on to win the league and that was a great achievement, something for everyone to be proud of. I played 40-odd games last season and have been a regular again this season and I’ve loved it all. I think 2007 has been the most enjoyable year of my career so far. I’m hoping 2008 proves to be even better.”

Keane’s team must avoid relegation for this year to rate as a success and, although Sunderland failed in the Premier League the last time out, Collins is confident there will be no repeat.

“I’m certain we can avoid the drop,” said a player promoted twice and relegated once during three up-and-down years in the North-East. “We’re starting to sort ourselves out and there’s a buzz around the place again. We’re all confident going into 2008.”

Beating Bolton has helped on that front, Keane’s team having surpassed the 15-point total with which the Black Cats finished a calamitous campaign in 2006. The Wearsiders need just two more to equal their 2002-03 haul.

“That’s important,” said Collins. “Beating Bolton was important. It was a big win for us, three massive points. We’ve got to build on it, attempt to go on a run and get some momentum going. Bolton are a difficult team to beat and we should take great heart from having done it.

“We’ve shown that we can contain players like (Nicolas) Anelka and (El-Hadji) Diouf. That’s what you have to do in the Premier League. We limited them and we have to continue to do that.

“It was important to move out of the bottom three. It’s tight down there, and there’s still much work to do. But it always gives you a psychological boost to be able to look at the league table and not see yourselves in the relegation zone.”

Collins shone against Bolton, his performance one that ranks among his best in a red-and-white shirt, and although he is not a natural left-back, the Welsh international is starting to feel as though he belongs on the top-flight stage.

“I’ve been pleased with my performances for a while,” he said. “This season has been good for me. I’ve established myself at left-back and I feel I’ve been playing well. People are saying I played well against Bolton, but I don’t think that it was that much better than usual. I’ve been pleased with my form. I feel I’ve settled down and that I’m showing what I can do. But it’s not just about me.”

Collins will be keen to maintain his recent fine form against Blackburn this evening as the Black Cats attempt to start 2008 as 2007 ended. It is no surprise that he is relishing the challenge.

“We’ve managed to pick ourselves up after what happened against United (Keane’s team lost 4-0 at home on Boxing Day) and I hope it can be a turning point in our season,” added the defender last night.

“We’ve got to start looking up. I think we can be proud of ourselves.

“It would have been easy to throw the towel in and let our heads drop. But we came out fighting, we stuck together and we earned the points.

“The points against Bolton is something to build on. We’ve got to make sure we do that against Blackburn. We’re going there in a positive frame of mind and we feel we can get something. That has to be our mindset.”