Stokes determined to prove his worth

Sep 5 2008 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

SUNDERLAND manager Roy Keane is ready to sanction loan moves for several of his fringe squad members in the winter months – but striker Anthony Stokes insists he does not want to be one of the players departing.

The transfer deadline may have expired for Premier League clubs but from Monday teams in the Football League will again be able to exploit the so-called ‘emergency loan’ system to borrow players for up to three months.

Excluding players already out on temporary deals, the Black Cats’ squad numbers 34 and Keane will be happy to prune that further in the coming months if he can find suitors in the Football League willing to take the likes of Graham Kavanagh and David Connolly.

Keane wants Stokes (pictured left) to get more regular first-team football but he is not yet prepared to let his Republic of Ireland forward leave, despite overtures from Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United.

And that suits the 20-year-old, who insists he would prefer to stay at the Stadium of Light and fight it out with new signings Djibril Cissé, El-Hadji Diouf and David Healy for a starting role.

“The competition is very high at Sunderland – higher than it’s ever been since I joined,” said Stokes. “We’ve got one or two strikers in now who have proven track

records in the Premier League and are regular internationals so it makes it all that bit tougher for me. But it’s good for all of us that they’ve come in and raised the level that we’re expected to get to.

“To be honest, I haven’t really thought about going out on loan.

“The gaffer hasn’t said anything to me about any interest or asked me whether I want to go out, so it doesn’t really come into my head.

“I’m 100% focused on trying to get into the Sunderland team and I won’t think about going out on loan unless the gaffer says something to me. He’s been really supportive since I joined the club so I want to pay him back by scoring goals for Sunderland. But I’m sure if the gaffer wants me to go out on loan he’ll let me know about it.”

Sunderland’s extensive summer recruitment saw Keane sign three strikers, potentially pushing Stokes and compatriot Daryl Murphy down the pecking order.

But crucially as he battles for a place in Sunderland’s plans, Stokes can count a supportive manager among his allies. Keane retains his belief in the Dubliner’s potential and that gives the former Arsenal striker a fighting chance as he prepares to stake his claim. Still, it will require a significant improvement from Stokes if he is to muscle his way back into Keane’s plans.

“The aim is to get back in the team and of course I think that’s possible,” he said. “I’ve been in all of the squads so far and I came on against Manchester City so I think the manager still sees me as someone whose in his plans.”

The defeat against Manchester City has punctured some of the enthusiasm at the Stadium of Light but the international break has given the squad members left behind on Wearside a chance to take stock.

Stokes believes the wounds of the City defeat will have healed by the time the team regroup to take on Wigan Athletic a week tomorrow.

“The Manchester City result didn’t go too great for us so we need to come back from the international break ready to go and ready to get back to winning ways,” he said. “A lot of the lads have gone away for the international break so maybe that will help them get it out of their systems. We’ll be raring to go in a couple of weeks, I’m sure of that.”