Head Coach, Lee Johnson has spoken ahead of this weekend’s fixture against mid-table Crewe Alexandra, the gaffer spoke about the takeover and updates fans on injuries.
INJURY NEWS
"Tom Flanagan is probably a week away, Josh Scowen wasn't involved against Fleetwood due to a slight niggle, it's just a tightness in the hamstring rather than a tear. He could return for the game against Crewe. Ross Stewart was on the grass on Wednesday, he was probably knocked back about two weeks in his rehab but while the team are doing well and we're scoring goals, he can progress at the rate required to come back fully fit and with no problems. I do expect to see Denver Hume again this season, he's in a good place. It's very difficult to put a date on an injury like his, because there are so many factors in their recovery. He's very positive which is a credit to his mindset because it’s never easy having a recurrence of an injury like that. He's doing a bit of running and we'll just build him up as best as we can."
LJ ON SANDERSON
“It's a difficult one to talk about, we love Dion and he's ours for the short term, but obviously part of our job is to help develop him for Wolves if they deem that they want him to stay on. We wish him all the best of course. Of course, if not, then a club like ours would of course be interested in a young talent like Dion. We expect performances like the other night against Fleetwood from him, we’ve worked hard, and he’s worked hard. He's a good player and if he makes a mistake he can bounce back, he negotiated having a yellow card extremely well and was very calm and composed on the ball. I think aerially he was dominant today and that's not something you would necessarily say is his strong point so those improvements in his performance are really nice to see."
ON THE NEW OWNER
“It's the right way to go. As we've seen on numerous occasions - broadening it out from Sunderland - people have chased the dream, but there are 24 clubs in the division and it's not easy. You have to keep on making the right decisions for the right reasons in the long-term, and play the numbers game. We know we're Sunderland and we know we're expected to win football matches at this level, and we know we are expected to win promotion. My job is probably to try and remove all that intensity, because if you don't the players can tighten up and you then end up with a frustrated performances because the expectations can't be met by what the team is doing at the moment. It comes back to the process, and nailing that. By the time you get to 3 pm on a matchday, there has been a lot of work gone on in the week to make sure the boys are in the optimum state to go on and win that game.”
PROMOTION
“Nothing is a given, is it? What did Churchill say, 'all I have to offer is blood, toil, tears, and sweat', and from my point of view I'd add the willingness to die in a ditch trying to win games. At the same time, we know how football works. Over a period of time, say ten years, you would expect Sunderland to return to their rightful place as long as decisions are made, and made well. Hopefully I will be the one to help facilitate that, but if not the club will be in a better place for the next person that comes along. That's my job, to take it day by day, and to make sure that compared to the day I entered the building, by the time I leave it is in a better place whether that be through my expertise, my guidance, my nurturing, winning football matches, any one of 1,000 different ways you can improve. When we are all pulling in the right direction, then it can be really powerful."
