Pascal is cool with Cats, says loan star

Jan 14 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

DJIBRIL Cissé insists that Pascal Chimbonda is not a disruptive influence in the Sunderland dressing room, claiming the defender’s heated confrontation with team-mate Nyron Nosworthy after the Tees-Wear derby is a sign of how much he cares.

The full-back went head to head with defensive colleague Nosworthy after the final whistle of the weekend draw after clashing over a misplaced pass and the situation was only defused by El-Hadji Diouf’s timely intervention.

The flare-up came just a couple of weeks after Chimbonda re-established himself in the Sunderland first team, having been told by Ricky Sbragia that he would not be granted his wish to leave for French club Lyon in the January transfer window.

But Cissé, who insists he remains committed to Sunderland, believes that the incident was a positive sign that the player is still committed to the club.

He believes Chimbonda’s ‘bad boy’ reputation is undeserved, and says he was also a frustrated figure after Sunderland failed to finish off a Middlesbrough side reeling from Kenwyne Jones’ late equaliser.

“I think that the incident was good. It showed how much we cared,” he said.

“Even me, although I knew it was a good point because it was important we didn’t lose, I was disappointed.

“I was upset because we should win that game. I was not happy with my performance.

“It’s good to draw but we are better than Middlesbrough and my performance was not good so I was frustrated. On my good days

I should score a minimum of a goal a game, so it is right that I was annoyed.

“It was the same for Nyron and Pascal – it was just a sign of frustration. They are friends, we are all friends in the team. Sometimes in the heat of the moment you do things and five minutes later it is forgotten.

“Of course people still like Pascal in the dressing room. He is a good character, a funny guy and there are no problems with him. He is a good player as well and we are happy that he is staying.

“He was nominated the best right-back in the Premier League when he was at Wigan, so that shows how good he is.”

As well as defending his compatriot, Cissé has also confirmed that he has no interest in returning to Marseille – despite their attempts to recall him from his season-long loan at Sunderland.

Cissé is five months into a deal which will keep him at Sunderland until the end of the season and he has already repaid a large chunk of the £2.5m loan fee by notching eight goals.

That form has been noticed in Marseille, where injuries to key strikers has left them desperate for reinforcements. But any attempt to renege on their water-tight deal with Sunderland will be met with stiff resistance from both the club and the player.

“I have seen talk of Marseille wanting me to come back. I think they do want to take me back because they are short of strikers. But no, to be honest, I want to stay. I can understand why they would try to take me back, though,” he said.

“For the moment I’m good here. I have scored nine and my target was 15, it’s possible. If I’m offered a contract at the end of the season why change?”

Meanwhile, the club are reminding season ticket holders that they have until 5.30pm tomorrow to guarantee their normal seat for the club’s FA Cup tie against Blackburn next week.

The club have slashed prices for anyone buying in advance, with tickets available at £15 for adults and £5 for concessions.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa defender Luke Young believes Martin O’Neill’s side will come up against “new manager syndrome” when they tackle Sunderland on Saturday.

Former Middlesbrough defender Young said: “The team are enjoying the fruits of ‘new manager syndrome’ in that their results have picked up since Ricky Sbragia came in. They probably under-achieved beforehand, because they have good players in their squad. The Stadium of Light is always a difficult place to go, given the crowd. They’re always loud and they get behind them, so it will be a tough game.”