Calum Davenport must earn move
Apr 25 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal
RICKY Sbragia has challenged Calum Davenport to earn himself a permanent move to Sunderland by reproducing the form he’s shown in his first two appearances in red and white.
The West Ham defender has settled at the Stadium of Light and is keen to convert his loan switch into a permanent deal over the summer – but Sbragia is giving away nothing about his close season intentions.
If Davenport continues to turn in performances as collected as in his first two starts, the decision will be a simple one for Sbragia. Excellent against Manchester United, he was similarly composed in last weekend’s “must win” clash with Hull City – and that will be enough to edge out Tal Ben-Haim and keep him in the starting line-up for this afternoon’s Hawthorns clash. After waiting the best part of three months to make his debut, it is a good return from a player that Sbragia signed just before the closure of the January transfer window.
“Calum Davenport has been super for us and really patient. He’s not been knocking on the door too often,” he said. “We gave him two reserve games and felt he needed those. I said be patient and when the chance comes you’ve got to take it.
