Source: Daily_Mail
Lee Cattermole reveals Euro vision as Sunderland keep climbing the Premier League table
Sunderland captain Lee Cattermole says Steve Bruce's team are taking their challenge for Europe seriously. [LNB]Sunday's win over West Ham pushed Sunderland back up to seventh and maintained their unbeaten home run. [LNB]Cattermole, who missed most of his first season at the Stadium of Light through injury, knows the Sunderland squad built by Steve Bruce is the strongest the Wearside club have had since their two seventh-placed finishes at the turn of the century when they missed out on European qualification. [LNB] Man in the middle: Cattermole drives Sunderland on from the engine room[LNB]He also knows they have to build on their reasonable start to this campaign, which may have included the excellent win at Chelsea, but which threatened at one stage to be overshadowed by the thrashing at Newcastle. [LNB]Sunderland had 20 points at this stage last year and then went on a run of 14 games without a win. [LNB]They travel to Fulham this weekend and face Bolton before the Boxing Day trip to Manchester United.[LNB] The skipper is looking to remain in touch with the European places for the New Year.[LNB]Cattermole said: 'Last week we were seventh but all on the same points, this week we're clear, so it's good. But we're going into a good run of games and the gaffer's pulled us in training and said we need to try and get 10, 12 points to get us in the top six. [LNB]On the up: Black cats boss Bruce[LNB]'This period for the club is a big period. You can see the club is going places and we all need to keep pulling together and working hard. No one has said it yet, but I think we all believe we can go somewhere. [LNB]'We just need to keep working hard, take each training session day by day and each game as it comes because it's a long season. [LNB]'We've got great home form so the lads are confident coming here and playing. We've built a bit of a fortress here and people know they're going to be in a game. [LNB]'Every week we got out and say, "let's not disappoint people, if they're expecting a tough game make sure they get one."[LNB]'That's what we're doing every game at the Stadium of Light. [LNB]Sunderland's form has coincided with Cattermole's longest run in Bruce's side and the former Middlesbrough and Wigan midfielder seems to have learned the lesson of his early brushes with the law this season. [LNB]Cattermole was sent off twice after collecting two yellow cards in two of the first four games of the season. [LNB]There were calls for him to lose the captaincy after the second one on his ill-fated return to Wigan, which were ignored by Bruce, who simply asked him to grow up, and play with the responsibility the armband demands. [LNB]On Sunday he was booked after nine minutes for a lunge at Luis Boa Morte but behaved impeccably after that and drove the home side's three-man midfield. [LNB] Cool finish: Jordan Henderson was the hero with the goal against West Ham[LNB]He said: 'I don't need the papers to tell me when I'm doing well and not doing well, I know myself. I feel like I'm starting to hit a bit of form on the quiet. [LNB]'I think this is the longest run of games I've had since I came to Sunderland. I'm feeling good, I'm training every day. I haven't missed a day's training through injury and I feel like I'm finding a bit of form. [LNB]'I'm up and down the pitch and I haven't been sent off. It's nice to get a run of games. [LNB]'I like to play in front of the central defenders, especially when I play with Kieran (Richardson) because he likes to go forward. I've got to be a bit of an anchor. I enjoy doing that, I enjoy talking to people. [LNB]'I had a terrible time last year with injuries. I had one certain injury I couldn't shake off. I managed to play a few games with it but I wasn't doing myself any justice. Ask any footballer, if you're not playing games you don't get any form.' [LNB] Sunderland 1 West Ham 0: Henderson piles more misery on HammersNow watch me go! Jordan Henderson insists there is more to come after his fine strike sees off struggling West HamSunderland star Healy extends Doncaster loan after impressive startWatch all the Premier League goals every week on our brilliant Yahoo video playerSUNDERLAND FC
