Keane calls on his stars to be more threatening

Feb 25 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

ROY Keane has told his players they must make their own luck if they are to stop being a soft touch outside of the Stadium of Light.

Not since September 22 have Sunderland managed so much as a draw on their travels. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Portsmouth’s Fratton Park was their 10th in succession, matching the worst run in the club’s history.

With Derby County – whose only Premier League win this term came against Newcastle United, five days before Sunderland’s last away point – their next opponents, some might be expecting the dismal sequence to end on Saturday, but Keane warned there will have to be an improvement for that to happen.

“There is an element of a change in confidence when we play away,” acknowledged a manager who has seen his side’s home form improve markedly since the turn of the year. “But we have to make that happen and grow. We just need one chance but I never fancied us to score (against Portsmouth).

“That’s the nature of football. It’s about boxes, we conceded a bad goal and never looked like scoring. Where I want to take this football club you have got to have a goal threat.”

Despite defending well, Sunderland failed to register a single shot on target on the south coast. So as soon as Jermain Defoe’s disputed penalty hit the back of the net, the result was in little doubt.

The failure to beat one of the division’s most under-performing home sides has only added to the pressure against its whipping boys.

“Every game for us at the moment is difficult anyway,” Keane reasoned. “We can’t rely on the games coming up, like Derby, if we play like that. We know we will be in for a tough game next week. But we have to do more going forward. It doesn’t matter how long we’d have played for (at

Portsmouth), we wouldn’t have scored. We have had that too many times this season.”

The former Republic of Ireland captain was noted during his playing career for mental toughness, a quality he implied some of his squad lack.

“There may be a different mentality away because of the run we are on,” he conceded. “That affects different players, no doubt. At home you have 40,000 fans urging you on. That helps players. If you want to be a top modern player you have to be able to handle it home and away.

“Our record suggests we are not quite at it yet away from home. Quality-wise, we didn’t have enough going forward. To have lost as many as we have is disappointing. We are better than that. We had a big setback when we lost 7-1 at Everton and bounced back the next weekend. That’s what we have to do at Derby. We hope it will change but we have been saying that since August.”

Sunderland’s task in the Midlands was made more difficult when Danny Collins was cautioned for an 86th-minute foul on Glen Johnson. Collins will now serve a one-match suspension after reaching five yellow cards.

Meanwhile, the Black Cats have handed professional contracts to four of the club’s FA Youth Cup team – Jordan Henderson, Nathan Luscombe, Jordan Cook and Martyn Waghorn.

“We’re always monitoring the young lads,” explained Keane. “They deserve the praise when they do well, but we don’t want any young players getting carried away. Waggy’s obviously had his chances in the first team this season and we took Jordan Henderson and Jack Colback with us when we went to Liverpool three weeks ago. I’ve told the young lads they will get their chances if their attitude is right.”

Striker Waghorn is the only member of the quartet to have played first-team football so far, making four appearances. He has signed a two-and-a-half year deal.

Sunderland travel to Swindon Town in the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.