Character

To be a successful football team, one attribute which is needed is character!

Most professional players have fantastic technical ability, they can pass, shoot, dribble and tackle. But it is their character which determines how great a player or team they are. How they react to a setback or defeat.

Sunderland simply did not perform well against Birmingham over a week ago, then they were knocked out of the cup as they were unable to take their chances against Villa and it looked as though it would be a disappointing end when West Ham took a surprising 2-0 lead at the Stadium of Light. Even though Sunderland pulled a goal back in quick response with an exquisite Andy Reid free kick, many people would have questioned whether the Black Cats could gain anything from the game as they were reduced to 10 men, Kenwyne Jones being sent off for pushing Herita Ilunga.

However under Steve Bruce, Sunderland have a bit more character within their team, squad and club, professionals who won't stop driving forward and are willing to take risks to achieve success. It was a different sort of character under Roy Keane a few seasons ago, players would run as they were fearful of Keane, whilst under Ricky Sbragia, the players were individuals and once things went slightly wrong they could not cope with the pressure,simply giving up. Bruce has unified his squad by reducing the numbers and bringing in the right sort of characters. He expects a lot from his players, he drives them on to produce their best, both for themselves and for each other as a team and this is exemplified on the pitch by the captain Lorik Cana. He gave the West Ham midfield very little time on the ball, chasing them all over the pitch and snapping in to tackles to make up for being a man short, (this whilst having been booked early in the first half).

Sunderland showed their character and produced a brilliant second half performance, playing with a really high tempo with lots of movement meant plenty of chances were created. The equaliser came through Kieran Richardson tapping to earn his side a point. Many people felt as though three points were deserved, but it wasn't to be and West Ham did have a number of opportunities to win the game, so Sunderland fans should be pleased with a point in the circumstances and the knowledge that Steve Bruce's red and white army have character.