Sunderland have just one fit striker in their ranks now, and Tony Mowbray has outlined the club's disappointment in the latter stages of the transfer market.
HAPPY WITH TWO
"At the top end of the pitch we worked extraordinarily hard for the two and a half days we had to find another striker. We were happy to go in with two top strikers in our opinion and now we find ourselves with one."
LATE CHALLENGES
“It was really difficult late on to try and identify anybody. We have looked at every market and discussed the free players. At the moment we are happy to go with what we’ve got. I say happy but we were left disappointed with some of the targets that we had."
RIGHT FIT
“I think it’s right to say there is a plan and we are trying to create an identity and a culture and I think it’s important that the right players come in that we identify and go through the processes. I would prefer to go into these games with the players we have got than bringing in any number nine because he has a number nine on his shirt. If he doesn’t fit the culture and identify and what we are trying to coach into the team, I think it’s more important to keep on doing what we are trying to do.”
SIMMS MISSED
“It was only about Everton at the end of the day. I know Sean really well and they were trying to do their business. If they had done their business I was really hopeful Ellis would be coming back. We were trying to do other business and weren’t sitting waiting on Ellis. If Ellis had have come through it would have been great and I’d have had a different type of problem trying to keep everybody happy to give them a game. It didn’t happen for Everton and didn’t happen for us.”
STEWART INJURY
"For the football team it’s obviously a huge blow. He’s a big personality around the group and I think the team feels safer with him on the pitch. You just hope there is a smooth rehabilitation. The medical department will have a clear plan for him and we look forward for the days we can get him back on the pitch."
EVANS INJURY
“The difficulty is we have lost Corry Evans along with Ross Stewart. These are two men in a dressing room of kids really. We worked really, really hard to bring in another midfield player in of substance, of character who I know is a very, very good player. We got really close and it didn’t happen so we were left frustrated."
