TITUS Bramble believes Wes Brown and John O'Shea are two of the best defenders he has played with, but it is their attitude off the field that has impressed him just as much.
Ask Bramble to name the best defensive partners he has played with, and he instantly cites former Newcastle United team-mate Jonathan Woodgate and Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray.
But he has been so impressed by Brown and O’Shea, who joined Sunderland from Manchester United this summer, that they could soon be challenging the Teessiders in that respect. “You can feel it around the club – they’re just winners, aren’t they?” said Bramble.
“They’ve got a winning mentality constantly. They’re just used to winning. They’ve brought that into the squad – for them, it’s just about winning.
“It’s great to have around. They’ve been playing with the best players in the world and all that just rubs off. It’s little comments they make, little things they do.
“They’ve just got experience. When they’re fully fit they’ve got everything. They’re no-nonsense. They’re defenders first and foremost, which is just great.” O’Shea’s early Sunderland career has been limited by injury to two appearances at full-back, but Brown has already made a big impression in the heart of the defence.
Playing against Woodgate’s Stoke City in his last match reminded Bramble of the best central defensive partnership he has played in.
“Woody is a great lad, a great character and hopefully he can stay fit because he’s had a lot of injuries,” said Bramble, after cheekily thanking him for scoring an own goal that day. “He’s the best player I’ve played with, him and Tony Mowbray (at Ipswich Town). They taught me a lot. Woody is a special player. Fingers crossed he can stay fit.”
Bramble could not get into the side until Anton Ferdinand was sold to Queens Park Rangers, and admits competition for places in defence is huge.
“I’m back in the team now and I want to stay there,” he said. “We’ve got a great squad and you know that if you miss a game you don’t know when you’ll play again. We’ve got Tina (Michael Turner) not playing at the moment.
“ You know that if you go out of the team it could be three, four or five weeks until you get another game. That’s very frustrating.”
