Results the attraction for Cats’ Ben-Haim

Mar 6 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

TAL Ben-Haim has warned Sunderland their ability to play nice football will not be enough to keep them in the Premier League as they prepare for the arrival of Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

Although the Black Cats have moved clear of the immediate threat of relegation under new manager Ricky Sbragia, they are not safe yet and a defeat by Spurs tomorrow would push them back into the congested danger zone just above the bottom three.

That is a concern for all of Sunderland’s players and, while Ben-Haim is happy at the Stadium of Light, he will not consider turning his loan move from Manchester City into a permanent deal until he knows the Wearsiders will definitely remain in the top flight next season.

He said: “We have a fantastic staff and good players. We try to play nice football, work hard as a team and we have seen that against Liverpool and Arsenal.

“Now it’s all about the results. If we don’t get the results, we don’t get the points and we will not move higher up the table and clear of the relegation zone.

“The lads have been brilliant to me – so have the staff and everyone at the club – and they have all helped me settle in well. I have had no problems but the key thing is all about the results now.

“We need the results. It’s not about me, or how I’m settling in, it’s all about getting the results for Sunderland.”

Nevertheless, having ended a miserable spell at the City of Manchester Stadium, where he had fallen out with manager Mark Hughes before escaping to the North East, Ben-Haim has found the quality of the team at Sunderland a welcome surprise.

The 26-year-old worked with Sbragia when he was part of Sam

Allardyce’s coaching staff at Bolton Wanderers and he has been impressed by the impact he has had as a manager after he agreed to take on the role following the sudden departure of Roy Keane in November.

A victory over Tottenham would probably mean Sunderland only needed a few more points to guarantee their top-flight status and Ben-Haim believes they can take plenty of encouragement from their recent performances against Liverpool and Arsenal, even though they failed to come away from either with a victory.

He added: “Tottenham will be a different game, we need the points. It will be at home when the last two games have been away and there will be more pressure on us to win.

“We know that and we know that three points against Tottenham would seriously improve our position in the league.”

“We defended well at Liverpool. We showed at Liverpool and at Arsenal that we can compete with the best, now we just have to make sure we keep with them for the full game.

“I know we managed to get a point at Arsenal, but to hold Liverpool back for 45 minutes and then concede two after half-time was disappointing.”

Meanwhile, Calum Davenport has said he is happy with life on Wearside, even though he is yet to play for the club since joining on loan from West Ham United in January.

Unlike Ben-Haim, Davenport has failed to break into the Sunderland side and has had to be content with a place on the bench, but the former Coventry centre-back believes this has helped him to settle in the North East.

That transition has also been eased by the presence of so many former Tottenham players on Wearside, with Andy Reid, Teemu Tainio, Steed Malbranque, Márton Fülöp all having played alongside Davenport at White Hart Lane.

He said: “I’ve really enjoyed the last few weeks, not playing has helped me settle.

“It always helps when you know a few faces coming into a new place.”