Kieran on mission to raise goal tally

Oct 2 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

KIERAN Richardson admits he is under pressure trying to prove his worth as a central midfielder to one of that best players in that position of recent years. But the 23-year-old hopes to repay Roy Keane’s faith by out-scoring the Irishman.

Richardson’s versatility has seen him used in a variety of positions during his fledgling career, but it is as an attacking central midfielder where he would most like to carve out a living.

To do that the England international needs to improve his goal output and Richardson has set himself a target of “nine or 10” for the campaign. The best haul Keane managed in a glittering career was eight league goals in a season before injuries caused him to modify his box-to-box style.

On more than one occasion the Black Cats manager has publicly expressed doubts over whether Richardson’s tackling merits a regular berth in the engine room, but he nevertheless selected him there against Aston Villa on Saturday. The Londoner is conscious of living up to Keane’s demanding standards but welcomes another opportunity to learn from his former Manchester United team-mate.

“He was one of the best central midfielders

of all time so he knows what he’s talking about and anything he says I take into consideration,” he said.

“I feel I can do a job in that central position but I’ll do whatever job I’m given as long as I’m playing for Sunderland.

“In the centre of midfield I’ve got to tackle more but winning the ball, being competitive, comes naturally to me so I’m enjoying it.

“I want to get more goals – I’ve had some positions already this season when I could have scored and you’ve got to take your chances in the Premier League. I want to hit nine or 10 this season but getting assists and playing well for the team is important too.”

The competition for places at Sunderland has moved up a notch or two after an influx of midfielders but Richardson is pleased to see so many good players eyeing his place.

“The gaffer brought some top-quality Premier League experience with Steed (Malbranque), Dioufy (El-Hadji Diouf), Djibril (Cisse) – with players like that around me you can only learn. The better the players the gaffer brings in, the better I become – hopefully he’ll bring in Kaka next season.

“The new lads have been in the game longer than I have, so when they tell you things you take it in but they are good off the pitch too. They have made things even better around the changing room.

“It’s healthy for everyone when you’ve got good players on the bench like Andy Reid and Yorkie (Dwight Yorke) who can change a game – recently we saw Chops (Michael Chopra) and Stokesy (Anthony Stokes) come on as substitutes and have a big impact on a game. But no one likes sitting on the bench and that’s a good situation for the club. It keeps us on our toes and gets the best out of the players.

“I was never worried I would lose my place. If you start thinking like that it’s the day you start slipping away into the background. I love challenges.”

The new-found squad strength has changed the public perception of Sunderland, but not Richardson’s. “We’ve got some big names now which maybe wasn’t the case when I first joined but Sunderland was always a massive club in my eyes,” he said. “It’s a sign we’re going for bigger things – I’m sure we can do that. The main thing is everyone here believes we’re a big club and top players who can go out and perform.

:: SUNDERLAND’S League Cup fourth round tie at home to Blackburn Rovers will now kick off at 7.45pm on November 12. The sides will therefore play each other twice in four days.