Sbragia favours a softly, softly style
Mar 3 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal
RICKY Sbragia doesn’t care if he gets called ‘boring’ – he will stick to the 'softly, softly' approach that is beginning to reap rewards. Mark Douglas reports on a man looking increasingly at ease with the task of keeping Sunderland up.
HE leaves the shouting and snarling to others, but Ricky Sbragia speaks about Sunderland with increasing authority these days.
Off the back of the best seven days of his fledgling managerial career, Sbragia leads his Black Cats to Anfield tonight with credible hopes of accruing another point along the way to Premier League survival.
And he, like his team, is beginning to look a much more assured presence on the big stage.
From rebutting Arsene Wenger’s post-match whine about ‘negative tactics’ to drawing the clearest distinction yet between himself and his predecessor, Sbragia has blossomed since the transfer window swung shut.
The evidence? Sunderland’s elevated league position – higher than Roy Keane ever managed, with less resources. And the first talk from Sbragia about planning for the future and seeking a longer deal if he keeps the club up.
Far from shying away from questions about Keane’s exit interview with the Irish Times, he embraced the idea that players should enjoy their work and live without the fear of failure hanging over them.
And, Sbragia estimated, he is getting 10% more from the squad than Keane was in the dying days of his regime.
On the eve of another trip to one of English football’s traditional giants, that is quite a bold statement from a man not prone to delivering headline-friendly sound bites. Authority is easier to assert when the team is doing well, and five games without defeat confirm that Sunderland qualify on that front. But it is also an indication that Sbragia is more comfortable working with players who, after an initial wobble when he was first confirmed as permanent manager, are beginning to respond positively to his ‘softly, softly’ methods.
While Keane demanded respect and shuddered at those who would not afford it to him, Sbragia is happy to earn and nurture it.
He has vowed never to single out one of his players for abuse on the touchline or in the dressing room, preferring instead to issue an instruction or dressing down in private.
