Sbragia aims to play it cool
Jan 31 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal
AS the mercury rises ahead of the 141st Tyne-Wear tussle, Ricky Sbragia appears content to remain the coolest man on either side of the divide, writes Mark Douglas.
It is not that Sbragia (pictured right), is immune to the emotional investment of the supporters and players in the derby, just that he prefers to strip away the hype and frenzy and concentrate instead on how best to plot the downfall of a fellow relegation battler.
Just as it was against Fulham, his approach has been decidedly methodical – with the phrase “just another game” peppered liberally throughout his pre-match media briefing. Sbragia’s derby experiences as a player were limited to a win over Aston Villa with Birmingham in 1983 – although he was on the coaching staff when Sunderland secured their memorable win over Newcastle in apocalyptic conditions in 1999. He remembers both victories as “feeling good”.
Sbragia stands on the verge of completing a historic achievement. The Sunderland boss could be the first manager to oversee the double over Newcastle for 40 years – although typically he is playing that down.
“I would not think of that, to be honest,” he said. “It is nice to get three points – that is the main aim.
“I won’t be writing it down in a scrapbook but it will be nice to get something from the game. If not, I would be annoyed, not devastated but annoyed. There is pressure on both clubs ahead of this game but there is pressure on every club in the Premier League to get results. To be honest, I’m not concerned about Newcastle or any other club. They have massive support and I’m sure the atmosphere will be good but in general it is all about getting points.”
Typical of Sbragia’s attitude is his response to a question about Michael Chopra, who has not been able to make much impact against his former club since returning to the North East with Sunderland.
Asked whether he would be considering Chopra, who was left out of the corresponding fixture last season, Sbragia ignored the emotional pull and said that they would consult the sports science team before making a decision.
“We’ll work with the sports science people and try and work out the distances the players have covered over a full match and what they did on Saturday. Sometimes you have to cover a little bit more ground. It might be a moment for Chopra, he trained extremely well and played 90 minutes against Blackburn, which he needed.”
