Bolo Zenden: Black Cats need resolve
Nov 30 2010 by Luke Edwards, The Journal
BOLO Zenden is impressed with the way Sunderland have recovered from setbacks this season but he has warned the defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers will be just as difficult to recover from.
The Black Cats slipped to their third league defeat of the season at Molineux last weekend, throwing away a 2-1 lead in the closing stages of the match to lose 3-2 against a side without a win in their previous nine league games.
Steve Bruce’s side have never allowed a bad result to do any lasting damage to morale or performances, the 5-1 hammering by Newcastle sparking a run of two wins and two draws before Saturday’s disappointing reverse.
But with their first-choice centre-back pairing of Titus Bramble and Michael Turner sidelined for at least two months, Zenden knows they have to keep proving themselves, whether it comes after a good result or bad.
He said: “Everyone knows in the next month we have got so many games coming up, and when it comes to January, whether you have started well or badly, you know then, two wins or two losses can be the difference between being in the top six or being at the bottom.
“I wasn't aware of the comparison with 12 months ago, but I believe last year we were flying for the first two months. Last year we were ahead of the others, whereas now it is much tighter. After the Chelsea game everyone was buzzing because it wasn't just a fluke, we had proper chances to win by even more. It's a cliché, but the important game is the next one.”
Sunderland were not nearly as bad at Wolves as they had been at Newcastle, although there is the same sense of frustration among supporters and players.
The Black Cats continue to play better when they are up against the glamour boys and all three of their losses (four if you include West Ham in the Carling Cup) have come against sides who were tipped to struggle this season.
