Black Cats never in a crisis, says Anton Ferdinand
Mar 11 2010 by Steve Brown, The Journal
“That’s thanks to the gaffer and the lads as a whole. We got ourselves into gear against Fulham and played the game in the way it should be played.
“I’ve been in much worse situations than this. When I was at West Ham, we had to go to Manchester United on the last day of the season and win to stay in the Premier League.
“Situations don’t get much more difficult than that, but we survived and got ourselves out of it.
“This was never anything like that. I don’t think we were ever in a crisis. It would be naïve to think that we’re not in a dogfight, and that still applies – but we were never in a crisis and if we continue to play like that, we won’t be.”
Especially if hat-trick hero Darren Bent remains in the sort of form which, Ferdinand believes, could yet earn a recall to Fabio Capello’s World Cup plans.
“This just showed what a great striker he is, not only in terms of his goals, but also in his work off the ball and his work to bring other people into the team,” said Ferdinand, whose club are continuing to monitor Whitley Bay’s 21-year-old goalkeeper Tom Kindley following a recent trial on Wearside.
“Him and Kenwyne (Jones) were the heartbeat of our team. The way they played got all the rest of us up for the game.
“Kenwyne was unplayable at times as well, and when Kenwyne is like that, it helps Benty and brings other people into the game, and gets other people chances. Hopefully, that will continue.
“Darren is right up there with any other striker in the Premier League. His record in the Premier League shows that, it’s incredible really.
“He’s up there with the best, but it’s not just about the goals, it’s his all-round game. It’s coming together, and he’s coming together as a pair with Kenwyne, which is nice to see.
“It’s like everyone who’s English and has a chance of getting into that World Cup squad, all they have to do is keep playing well for their club. If they do that, you can’t ignore people who are doing well.”
