Nick Barnes, Sunderland this season & commentary
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00:00 Nick, firstly, Sunderland sit in sixth place in the league. They've certainly had some impressive wins this season, but also some disappointing losses.
00:07 If you look at Borough, for example, all things considered, has it been a successful season so far, in your opinion?
00:13 Yes, I think it has been. I think the division is harder this year than it was last.
00:19 I think the fact that the table is panning out now with Leicester, Leeds and Southampton in the top four,
00:27 Ipswich who spent a lot of money over the last year in the top four, I think sort of indicates, as we all thought,
00:36 that those clubs that have got the parachute payments coming down from the Premier League would be there or thereabouts.
00:42 I think they're stronger teams than the teams that came down the previous season.
00:46 And also, I think there's a more balanced look to the league.
00:51 If you take Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham, I think, out of the equation, because Sheffield Wednesday have got a myriad number of problems behind the scenes.
01:01 Rotherham, I think we'd all accept, and with all due respect to them, are always seen as that team that bounced between the Championship and League One.
01:09 Not quite got the resources, the wherewithal to survive in the Championship, but probably too good for League One.
01:16 Anybody above those bottom three, as Stoke are starting to show now, other teams are starting to turn form around.
01:26 It means, I think, that the division is much more competitive than it was last season.
01:32 And I think, you know, Sunderland are marginally ahead on points as to where they were last season at this stage.
01:40 And, you know, looking at some of those defeats in context, the Borough defeat hinged on the sending off.
01:48 I think that completely changed the game in favour of Middlesbrough.
01:53 Other defeats this season, not unexpected, I think.
01:56 You know, you're not going to win as Tony Mobris every game.
02:00 And arguably, you know, at home, they're still a little bit vulnerable to teams that want to try and sit in and dig deep and just frustrate.
02:09 But overall, the football's still good.
02:11 I think in the signings they made in the summer, and no doubt we'll talk about the strikers, on the whole have been good and seem to have been...
02:23 Well, the best thing for me is that the players they signed last season, Ekwer, Barr, they're all improving.
02:29 And they've stepped into the team this season and look like they've been playing there for several seasons.
02:34 You mentioned the strikers there. Quite rightly, it is perhaps the department of their squad that is lacking perhaps a little bit.
02:41 Do you think Tony Mobris, if possible, will want improvements to his squad in January if the funds are available, especially in the striking department?
02:50 Without question. I mean, he said last week, if the four strikers aren't scoring goals, then they'll look for another striker.
02:56 And I think he will also be mindful that he's probably going to lose a couple of players, maybe more.
03:03 I mean, I think they're going to be tested in January.
03:05 You know, people are talking about Clark, Ballard, Sirkin, Huggins, Neil, Patterson.
03:12 They're all being watched.
03:14 They're all being targeted.
03:15 And, you know, the Scouts are turning up in their droves at the Stadium of Light every week, every home game.
03:20 So there'll be a test for the club in that respect.
03:23 But also, I think, mindful that they will lose a couple and they do need to strengthen.
03:29 They do need to push forwards.
03:31 They need to develop the squad going forwards.
03:35 So, you know, the strikers issue, I'm pleased to see that he threw Maienda and Berstau on at the end against Birmingham at the weekend,
03:46 just to give them a little bit of confidence, to give them a bit of a boost.
03:50 And Berstau was unlucky not to score.
03:52 Maienda showed he's powerful.
03:53 Scott certainly got a right foot on him.
03:56 So hopefully, I mean, Roos in improving, I think, every time he plays.
04:01 Hopefully they will start to score goals and come good.
04:03 And maybe it won't become such a topic of discussion in January.
04:09 For those who did come in in the summer, you look at the likes of Jobe Bennegan,
04:13 there's Oliver Sorensen, as you mentioned there, Berstau, just to name a few more.
04:16 Who has impressed you the most out of the signings who came in?
04:20 I have been impressed by Jobe.
04:22 I thought he might be a little bit lightweight, but I don't think he has been.
04:26 I think at times he's looked a bit tired later in games, but he's a sort of,
04:31 I'm quite impressed with his sort of box to box play.
04:33 The fact he gets himself in the penalty area as well.
04:37 He's got three goals now.
04:38 I thought his instinctive finish against Birmingham was impressive.
04:41 So I think there's a player there in Jobe.
04:46 The strikers, hopefully it will come good for them.
04:50 They are young. Rousin, older, 24, 25, a bit more mature, a bit more experienced.
04:57 And perhaps we're seeing that in his performances.
05:02 Hard to say about Nathan Bishop.
05:03 We haven't really seen him.
05:05 But by all accounts, he has got great character and works extremely hard on the training pitch.
05:14 When beyond that, I'm trying to think who else has come in.
05:16 I mean, it was that many came in, did it nine or ten?
05:19 You know, on the whole, Hamir's been a bit disappointing.
05:22 I thought he was impressive in pre-season.
05:25 I like what I saw of him and he doesn't quite delivered when it's come to the crunch in the Championship.
05:30 But again, you know, he's come from a sedentary sort of style of football,
05:35 maybe in Benfica's reserves and to the hustle and bustle of the Championship.
05:39 So again, I think we've got to give him the benefit of the doubt and time.
05:44 Aushish, well, I think he looks strong, promising.
05:49 Each time he's come on, he's had an impact and obviously did at the weekend.
05:55 Clearly there is a player there and arguably,
05:59 probably could be seen as the best of the sign, the pick of the signings.
06:05 Off the pitch, you know, they're under you and Mishad, you've got Kieran-Louis Dreyfus.
06:11 Do you think that off the pitch compared to where the club has been in previous years,
06:16 do you think they are moving in the right direction?
06:19 Without question.
06:20 I think that the club themselves will admit there's still a lot to do with the infrastructure,
06:25 the stadium, taking that forward.
06:28 There are still a lot of issues around that.
06:30 But the Academy now is basically has moved forwards progressively with the staff changes there and that sort of bedding in now.
06:40 And I think, you know, you only have to look back two seasons, three seasons when they were in League One
06:46 and the club was on its knees in every sense, really.
06:51 I mean, now that they've made huge strides in pushing forwards,
06:56 as I say, there are areas that clearly need improvement.
07:01 But I'm sure that, you know, as time goes on and that the coffers swell,
07:06 if you like, with, you know, regressive sort of seasons in the Championship and hopefully the Premier League,
07:12 the money will be there to improve that side of things.
07:15 They're slowly doing it internally.
07:17 Montgomery Suite, Quinn's Bar, those sort of areas have all been refurbished.
07:21 They'll be moving on to other areas of the stadium as well because it does look a bit tired.
07:25 It does need that refreshing, if you like, to bring it into the 21st century because it is, what, now 25 years old.
07:34 So it's time it had those makeovers.
07:37 And I think slowly but surely that is actually happening.
07:40 Just bridging on that, a lot of people last year said if Sunderland had gone up when they were in the playoffs,
07:45 it might have been a year too soon for them.
07:48 Do you think that's still the case this year if they were to go up this time?
07:53 I think you have to... I sort of use the Luton Town model as the example to say, would it be too soon?
08:01 It probably wouldn't be because the money, the cash windfall from going up,
08:08 even if you were to come straight down, is so huge, as we've seen with Leeds, Leicester, Southampton,
08:14 that the chances are if you've run the club well and your recruitment's good
08:19 and you can keep hold of a number of your players, you should be able to utilise that money.
08:25 Now Luton, they've embraced promotion on the basis that they will probably come back down,
08:34 but the money they've made from the Premier League will pay for a new stadium.
08:38 So they have now got a recruitment programme and process in place,
08:43 which means they could conceivably bounce straight back into the Premier League and have a new stadium as well.
08:49 So it's never too early.
08:51 I think if you get promotion, you embrace it. And I think some of the sort of team,
08:58 with the young players they've got, that may surprise a few people if they did get promoted.
09:02 I'm not sure that they would necessarily be the fodder that we've seen Sheffield United, Burnley, Luton to an extent.
09:11 I think they are so talented and they've got such a win-win mentality that I think they could cause a few surprises.
09:21 Just a word on a couple of other fan favourites.
09:23 Luke O'Neill has been captain for about this season and of course Anthony Patterson in goals pulled off some remarkable saves.
09:28 How well has O'Neill done as captain and how much potential, I think I asked Tony Mobradish a few weeks ago,
09:34 but how much potential does Patterson have as a goalkeeper?
09:39 Well, he's undoubtedly got potential. I mean, a lot of people are watching him.
09:43 You've seen him in action. I mean, yeah, he's got areas of his game.
09:48 I think weekend kicking was a predominant one, which he needs to improve on.
09:53 But in terms of his calmness around the penalty area, his shot stopping, his ability is unquestionable.
10:00 I think what Sunderland do have at the moment is two or three keepers who are potentially Matty Young at 16.
10:09 A lot of people are telling me he's better than Patterson.
10:12 And so they, you know, Nathan Bishop became highly regarded and there are others below Matty Young.
10:19 So I think the keepers, as ever, with Sunderland seems to be an area they do seem to excel in.
10:24 And Patterson is another, I think, you know, he will in time probably move on into the Premier League because he's got the credentials.
10:34 A bit raw around the edges still, but undoubtedly a very good goalkeeper.
10:39 - I was going to say, I'm a fan of Neil O'Connor. He is effervescent. He is a force.
10:47 I mean, Tony Mowbray talks about the impact he has in the dressing room.
10:51 My only, perhaps, caveat to him as captain is he can be a bit over the top, if you like.
10:59 I think he can, he's sometimes he's indisciplined, if you like.
11:05 I think, you know, Tony would use the example of the yellow card at Swansea that got him suspended against Birmingham.
11:12 Sometimes I think he is so enthusiastic, he's so vivacious, it carries over on the football pitch into the wrong areas.
11:20 I think he needs to instil some discipline into that side of his game.
11:26 If you look at a Corey Evans or other experienced players, they've got that ability to rein it in when they need to rein it in,
11:34 to slow games down when they need to slow games down and do the right thing.
11:39 I think Luke is still learning. He is like a puppy dog.
11:45 He's just bouncing all the time and wants to impress and has undoubtedly got a presence in the squad and is looked up to because he's one of the older members of the squad now.
11:55 But I do think there are areas of his game that he needs to look at and say, actually, that needs to be reined in a bit.
12:02 That area needs to be improved on a bit. But, you know, I don't think you can question his commitment, which is absolutely phenomenal.
12:10 And just finally, you yourself recently commented on your 1000th Sunderland game at Reading Newcastle.
12:18 How much has the club sort of weaned its way into your heart a little bit and also how proud of you, of yourself, to reach such a milestone?
12:27 Well, it's in there. I mean, you can't, it can't not be. I mean, I've lived and breathed Sunderland for 20 years, you know, day in, day out.
12:36 And to an extent before that, because, you know, living in the North East and, you know, whilst I was working with Newcastle United at the time,
12:44 I was covering some Sunderland games and was getting to know people there.
12:48 But once you're inured into it, you can't help but become, you know, it's part of my life.
12:54 I mean, it's a huge chunk of my life, you know, 20 years is a third of my time on this planet with this football club.
13:01 So I am proud, I think in this day and age, you know, to reach that milestone is an achievement.
13:09 I don't think I can underestimate that.
13:12 And I have to thank Gary Bennett alongside of me because we work as a team.
13:16 We are, as Gary will tell you, we're a marriage and it's worked because we do get on.
13:23 And credit to Gary as well, that his commitment to what we do has been absolutely outstanding for the pair of us to have done it for 20 years together.
13:33 And neither of us really have missed that many games.
13:37 Yeah, I think we're both very, very proud.