BREAKING NEWS:Hull City vs Sunderland AFC kick-off time has been reschedule few minutes ago….
The latest team news, manager quotes and television information ahead of Sunderland’s visit to Hull City.
Sunderland will hope to continue an impressive run of form when they travel to Hull City this weekend.
John O’Shea’s transfer from Manchester United to Sunderland in July 2011 was a significant move for all parties.
It was arguably the last positive impact made by Steve Bruce on the club, using his United connections to convince the Irishman in ending his 12-year spell at Old Trafford.
A versatile defender who could also play in midfield, O’Shea made 393 appearances for Alex Ferguson’s United, with major honors including, but not limited to, five Premier League titles and a Champions League.
Though featuring heavily in one of the greatest British club sides ever assembled is nothing to scoff at, O’Shea was almost always on the periphery of the stardom surrounding the club.
At 30-years-old, the 2011 Mackem transfer presented an entirely new challenge, as he would instantly become one of the most recognisable names in the squad.
Bruce’s Black Cats had finished the 2010-11 Premier League season in 10th place, while the Wearside club would bite your hand off for those fortunes at present, supporters would have felt slightly disappointed with the manor in which they ended in mid-table.
Up until February 4th, the club found themselves pushing for European football in 6th place after a tremendous start to the season. A string of nine games without a win, however, meant Sunderland actually found themselves flirting with relegation by April.
What could have caused this sensational dip in form? Perhaps the pressure proved too much for Bruce’s young side, who with an average age of 25.1 were the second least experienced in the league.
With this most definitely in mind, Bruce’s transfers that summer saw an entire back-four’s worth of 30-something defenders with Premier League experience.
Loan acquisitions of Wayne Bridge and former Liverpool centre-half Sotirios Kyrgiakos were complemented by a permanent pair of recent Premier League winners leaving Old Trafford, the aforementioned O’Shea and Wes Brown.
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