TITUS Bramble admits he was a surprise choice to take over as Sunderland captain, but he is delighted to have been given the honour so soon after signing for the club.
Bramble has led the Black Cats to two wins out of two wearing the skipper’s armband, although he refused to take any credit for the victories over Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa.
The former Newcastle United defender knew he had much to prove to fans at the Stadium of Light when he moved from Wigan Athletic in the summer, having spent four years with their fierce rivals, and things could not have gone much better.
After impressing with his performances at centre-back, the 29-year-old was thrilled to accept the offer of the captaincy from manager Steve Bruce while Lee Cattermole recovers from a back injury.
He said: “It’s a great honour to be captain of Sunderland.
“It wasn’t something I expected to happen when I came here, and I’m sure there were people out there even more surprised than me, but it’s absolutely fantastic.
“I was delighted when the manager asked me and I hope I’ve done a decent job over the last couple of games.
“We’ve won them both, that’s the main thing.
“I’m lucky because we’ve got 11 leaders out there on the pitch.
“It’s fairly easy, I haven’t had to shout and scream at anyone, although that isn’t me really so it would have been weird if I’d suddenly started.
“People might be a little bit surprised I’m captain because I’ve not done it before, but I jumped at the chance when it was offered.”
Sunderland’s two victories in 2011 have pushed them to within two points of fifth-placed Chelsea, although Bramble conceded they came at a high cost.
Although David Meyler’s knee injury may not be as bad as initially feared, both he and Danny Welbeck – who injured his hamstring at Villa Park – are likely to be out for several weeks.
With Cattermole, Michael Turner, John Mensah, Nedum Onuoha and Fraizer Campbell also on the injured list, and Bolo Zenden suspended for the FA Cup clash with Notts County tomorrow, Sunderland’s resources are being stretched to breaking point.
Bramble said: “We’ve picked up a few injuries at Villa and we are really stretched. It was an excellent win, but it has come at a cost.
“We already had a few out so to get even more is harsh.
“I don’t know what sort of state we will be in the for the Cup game and the derby, but we just have to get on with it. When players have come in this season they have done well.
“Look at Anton Ferdinand, I thought he was the best player on the pitch at Villa, but he couldn’t get into the team at the start of the season.
“We’re going to need people to do that over the next few weeks.”
Despite the injury concerns, Bramble argued Sunderland should be happy with how things are going, particularly after their second away win of the campaign on Wednesday night. He said: “To get an away win in this league is always hard, so to go to Villa and get a win after what happened with David Meyler and Danny Welbeck is a sign of the progress we have made. It was horrible to see what happened to David out on the pitch, but hopefully the scan will show it’s not as serious as we feared.
“I know Sunderland’s biggest problem last season was their away form, but we have improved this year.
“I think we know, if we’re going to qualify for Europe, we need to win on the road more often, so it’s great to get the New Year off to such a good start.”
