OTD: BRAMBLE SIGNS

On this day in 2010, Sunderland signed Titus Bramble from Wigan after a three-year stint at the Latics for a fee of £1 million.

The defender arrived at Newcastle United in 2002 from Ipswich Town, joining for £6 million. Sir Bobby Robson saw huge potential in the Ipswich academy graduate, which is why he paid such a big fee. However, his time on Tyneside was somewhat of a disaster. In his second season in black and white, he was voted the worst player of the year in the Premier League! His form increased slightly as he matured, although he was never a fan favourite at St James’ Park and always had a mistake in him. He was eventually released in 2007.

He went on to sign for Wigan Athletic, signing a three-year deal. He made his debut in a 2-1 defeat to Everton, before scoring his first goal in another 2-1 defeat. This was against Aston Villa, where Bramble found the net via a header from a corner. He was a mainstay in the Wigan team under Steve Bruce, and then Roberto Martinez. The defender won Wigan’s Player of the Year award after impressing in the 2008/09 season, and earned a contract extension until 2012.

In 2010, Bramble followed Steve Bruce to Sunderland. He was 29 at the time, and signed a three-year contract. He was so bad at Newcastle that they weren’t even upset at him joining their fierce rivals. On Wearside, Titus continued his upturn in form and became a cult hero amongst fans. He was a more mature defender and had even been given the captain’s armband on a number of occasions.

However, Bramble was caught up in off-the-pitch antics that kept him out of the side for a long, long while. He was cleared of all allegations, but never looked the same player afterwards. Under Martin O’Neill, Titus lived up to his nickname of “Shambles”. The defender looked off the pace for a while and was seemingly incapable of man-marking. He was ultimately let go when Paolo Di Canio arrived after some shocking defensive performances late on in his career.

Titus’ time as Sunderland may not be remembered all too well by many, but he served us well in the time he had to prove himself.