Cats can finish in top seven says Danny Collins

Mar 5 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

DANNY Collins believes Sunderland remain capable of striking for a top-seven place this season, despite the end of the Black Cats’ impressive unbeaten run at Anfield this week.

Wedged roughly the same distance from the relegation places and the top seven, Sunderland’s fate remains uncertain, and boss Ricky Sbragia has been quick to remind his players that they are not yet out of trouble.

Recent performances, however, have been quietly impressive and the industry and invention illustrated by the team since the beginning of February hints at a side with enough in reserve to beat the drop with something to spare.

That is a view shared by the ever-reliable Collins, who turned in another fine performance at Liverpool despite Sunderland’s resistance being breached twice in the second half.

Although not complacent about the threat of relegation, he feels the team should be concentrating on finishing just outside the European qualification places, rather than looking towards the foot of the table.

And in a sign of the increased expectations at the Stadium of Light, he branded his team’s second-half performance at Anfield “not good enough”.

“It was a disappointing result but we will try to take the positives out of it,” he said. “Kenwyne Jones had the great chance and it lifted us because we played some great stuff, we more than held our own.

“But what happened was we came out after half time and we conceded two goals which were poor. We had two where we switched off – and that’s not good enough.

“A game lasts 90 minutes, not 45. It’s an old cliché but it’s true. We

came here last season and we had got to half-time 0-0 and then we lost 3-0. They did it again.

“If we’d have won we could have gone eighth, as it is we could still be looking over our shoulders. But we have enough here to be pushing on for the top half.

“We have still got to face some of the teams around us and we are confident we can get the points to push on. As a player you have to look at the positives and we are just five points from the top six or seven.

“We have the boys, the squad is good enough to get the points to get into those places. We have the teams in and around us to come to the Stadium of Light and I’m sure we will be in the top of the pile of the group around us.”

Sunderland have performed admirably for 135 minutes of their encounters at heavyweights Arsenal and Liverpool, with only the second half at Anfield rating as unsatisfactory. But Collins has dismissed talk that the club is happy to simply compete on the same level as the top four – insisting they can only measure their progress in points and not plaudits.

“It’s all good coming away from the top teams where haven’t been hammered and we have done well against them,” he said. “It’s all right saying we are playing well, blah blah blah, but we are not picking up too many points from them.

“But if we can take the form from Anfield and Arsenal into the Tottenham game then I’m sure we will be okay.”

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Márton Fülöp is hopeful that his uncharacteristic error at Anfield will not cost him his place for the visit of Tottenham. Craig Gordon is waiting in the wings in the unlikely event that Sbragia punished Fulop for his rare error, but Fülöp is unconcerned.

“It is the manager’s decision now for Spurs. I will prepare like I’m number one and am playing,” said the goalkeeper.