Results tagged “Ricky Sbragia” from Journal Live - Blog Central
I WAS able to get back into sparring after my injury yesterday, thanks to my friend Pete Friar.
For those of you who don't know, Pete is the physio at Sunderland Football Club and just one of the many people at the Stadium of Light who have really supported me since I turned professional as a boxer.
Pete's been to three of my four pro fights cheering me on but just recently his support has been more hands-on.
Results tagged “Ricky Sbragia” from SAFC Banter - Join the debate with Sunderland fans, staff writers and club legends
NIALL QUINN has promised to deliver a 'big name' as he searches for the right man to take charge of Sunderland next season.
The Black Cats chairman has started looking for potential candidates after Ricky Sbragia quit on Sunday in the wake of the Wearsiders securing their top-flight status on the final day of the Premier League campaign.
Sbragia, who has an excellent reputation as a coach but was a managerial rookie when he took over from Roy Keane in December, stepped down saying he believed Sunderland needed a big-name appointment to move the club on to the next level.
AS Niall Quinn compiles the list from which he will select Sunderland's new manager, the role of the previous occupant is still to be decided.
Chairman Quinn publicly promised Ricky Sbragia "a job for life" when announcing the Scot's resignation in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's final game of the season. The inevitable decision not to make Djibril Cissé's season-long loan permanent was confirmed yesterday, but as yet it is the only real loose end to be resolved. Sbragia's fate is one of the most pressing because of its bearing on his replacement.
In talking about the parting of the ways, Quinn spoke vaguely of a job in "player recruitment" for Sbragia, but both men admitted they had yet to discuss the matter.
NIALL QUINN will today start the search for Ricky Sbragia's successor after the Sunderland boss stepped down in the wake of securing the Black Cats' place in the Premier League.
Quinn paid tribute to Sbragia and promised him a 'job for life' at the club, with a role in player recruitment the likely next step for the popular coach.
Quinn said: "I want to put on record our thanks for what Ricky has done and how grateful we are that he stood up and took the job on in December.
"He got us to where we needed to be. He's given this club a lifeline and now it is an opportunity we have to grab with both hands and kick on.
"Ricky has agreed to stay and be part of that. He's got a job for life at this football club."
RICKY Sbragia will give his Sunderland players a history lesson to convince them they can escape relegation the right way this weekend.
Beating Chelsea at home on Sunday is the only way the Black Cats can guarantee their Premier League status for another season. Failure to do so will leave them hoping that Newcastle United and Hull City cannot win their matches.
Sbragia, though, is confident his players can look after themselves. If that sounds a tall order, more unlikely escapes have happened before.
The good news for Sunderland in this dark, relegation haunted time is Ellis Short has decided to take full control of the club no matter what division the Black Cats are in next season. Now that is a comforting thought.
The American's millions are like a warm, reassuring hug from your mum after a nightmare.
Whether his money is needed to help soften the financial disaster of relegation or fund another bold recruitment drive in the Premier League, he is, according to Niall Quinn, absolutely vital if the club is going to have any chance of realising its ambition.
Phew, try saying that as fast as you can. So, as the days on the calender are ticked off, the final game of the Premier League season draws ever closer, and there is an awful lot to play for.
In a week where Sunderland collapsed against Portsmouth, Ricky Sbragia has allegedly told Niall Quinn he will step down after the game against Chelsea and Elis Short has agreed a deal that will see him take complete control of the club, Sunderland fans have had a lot on their minds.
It is likely that Sunderland will, in time honoured fashion, have to rely on results elsewhere to survive the dreaded drop. Given the performances of recent weeks, one can not see Sbragia leading his side to victory over Chelsea, despite how important the game is, so pray to the God's of football that Manchester United and Aston Villa will do the club a huge favour and send either Hull or Newcastle down.
It is widely accepted that Sunderland never do things the easy way, and at least the relegation battle is keeping fans interested in the football. Since I started supporting the Lads in 1994 us fans have been through a relegation battle, promotion, relegation, a failed play-off campaign, a record-breaking promotion to the top flight, two seasons of challenging for Europe and being top dogs in the North East, another relegation battle, a season being the worst team in Premier League History, another failed play campaign, another promotion, another season of being the worst team in Premier League history, Roy Keane guiding the club to promotion and last season finishing 16th, relatively safe with a few games to go. Life is pretty interesting at the Stadium of Light, it'd be a shame to have it any other way.
Results tagged “Ricky Sbragia” from Journal Live - Luke Who's Talking
The good news for Sunderland in this dark, relegation haunted time is Ellis Short has decided to take full control of the club no matter what division the Black Cats are in next season. Now that is a comforting thought.
The American's millions are like a warm, reassuring hug from your mum after a nightmare.
Whether his money is needed to help soften the financial disaster of relegation or fund another bold recruitment drive in the Premier League, he is, according to Niall Quinn, absolutely vital if the club is going to have any chance of realising its ambition.
Results tagged “Ricky Sbragia” from SAFC Banter - Join the debate with Sunderland fans, staff writers and club legends
RICKY Sbragia says he has "no regrets" about taking on the job of keeping Sunderland in the top flight - even though his reputation is on the line this weekend.
With the serious business of staying up still to be resolved, the Sunderland manager wisely played a straight bat to questions about his own future ahead of the crunch Stadium of Light clash with Chelsea.
But all the indications are that Sbragia is unlikely to remain as manager past the end of this campaign - even if he fulfils his brief of keeping the club in the Premier League.
SUNDERLAND'S Premier League fate will be decided on the final day of the season after they failed to take numerous opportunities early last night to secure their safety.
If Newcastle United beat Aston Villa and Hull City triumph over an under-strength Manchester United, the Black Cats will need to beat Chelsea to play in next season's top-flight.
It is an uncomfortable situation they could have avoided with victory over Portsmouth.
RICKY Sbragia has hailed the impact of homegrown hero Grant Leadbitter in Sunderland's relegation fight - after revealing the club turned down a bid for the midfielder in the transfer window.
Wigan tried to sign the England Under-21 international in January and while Sbragia hinted that Leadbitter might have fancied the change of scenery, the Sunderland boss was determined to integrate him into his first-team plans.
That faith has been repaid over the course of this campaign and during the recent points drought, the 23-year-old has been one of the Black Cats' few consistently good performers.
RICKY SBRAGIA says Djibril Cisse has responded positively to being axed at Bolton last weekend.
The Black Cats boss dropped his 11-goal top scorer for the trip to the Reebok Stadium, to change formation and go with Kenwyne Jones as a lone frontman.
And the system worked as Sunderland earned a goalless draw against the Trotters, with Cisse making an 18-minute cameo when Jones went off injured.
RICKY Sbragia will be keeping his fingers crossed that Teemu Tainio's fragile frame is ready for another 90 minutes of football at Portsmouth on Monday.
The Finnish midfielder was Sunderland's star performer in last week's 0-0 draw with Bolton Wanderers. He brought a calmness to the Black Cats' engine room and a touch of class with his passing, as well as allowing the players around him greater freedom to express themselves offensively.
So it was a concern when the 29-year-old left the field after 79 minutes following a knock to his ankle.
RICKY SBRAGIA expects nothing less than total commitment from Sunderland against his old club Bolton tomorrow.
The Black Cats head to the Reebok Stadium looking for their first away win of 2009 - and with it the points that would bring them to the brink of safety.
But after two dismal performances against West Brom and Everton - both of which ended in defeat - Sunderland boss Sbragia is looking for a much-improved display against Bolton.
ANTON Ferdinand has been told to study videos of his brother Rio to realise his potential as a defender.
After Sunday's defeat by Everton, Sunderland manager Ricky Sbragia was highly critical of the Londoner's tendency to switch off mentally at key moments.
It was an accusation regularly leveled at Rio earlier in his career, and Sbragia wants Anton to learn from the Manchester United defender, and other top centre-backs.
PHIL Bardsley believes that Ricky Sbragia "deserves" a crack at managing Sunderland next season.
But the reliable defender knows that the onus is now on the players to prove it by producing a winning performance at Bolton.
In the aftermath of another dismal performance against Everton it has been suggested in some quarters that Sbragia has 'lost' the dressing room - a serious charge to lay at the door of a manager battling to resuscitate a side that looks haunted by the threat of relegation.
SUNDERLAND will ditch the misfiring partnership of Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cisse for the crucial road trips that could decide their Premier League fate.
Black Cats boss Ricky Sbragia is planning to switch to a 4-5-1 system and use one of the pair - most likely Jones - up front on his own for the games at Bolton this Saturday and at Portsmouth a week on Monday.
Jones and Cisse have netted 21 goals between them this season, but as a pairing they have never hit it off.
RICKY Sbragia has told his team to follow Danny Collins' tenacious example as they go in search of Premier League redemption against Everton this weekend.
Sunderland's defeat against West Brom plunged the team back into the thick of a relegation battle alongside North East rivals Newcastle United and Middlesbrough.
But it was the manner of the performance as much as the result which caused anger and anxiety in the Black Cats' ranks.
RICKY SBRAGIA will make his players sit through a video nasty in a bid to get Sunderland's dismal defeat at West Brom out of their system.
The Black Cats crashed 3-0 against the Premier League's basement side at the weekend - missing a golden chance to move another step away from the relegation zone and towards safety.
And boss Sbragia will make his team watch the lowlights of the game to try to avoid a repeat of the same mistakes in the final four games of the season, with Everton next up at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
Results tagged “Ricky Sbragia” from Journal Live - Luke Who's Talking
There is only one word to describe Sunderland's performance against West Bromwich Albion and that is disgraceful, which is pretty much what Ricky Sbragia went for after the game.
Throughout their troubles this season, Sunderland supporters have been able to console themselves with the fact Newcastle's have been considerably worse.
Now, though, the Wearsiders could realistically be overtaken by their local rivals and sent crashing into the Championship in their place. I can't think of a worse humiliation and nobody in Sunderland will be feeling very smug at the moment.
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Dave Riche - General Manager Dave Riche, who has been with Hinckley United for several years, is involved in the day to day running of the club facilities.
