Source: Northern_Echo
Reid heaps praise on his manager
ANDY REID believes the sense of purpose and direction Steve Bruce has imbued into the Sunderland players is the reason behind the Wearsiders most successful start to a Premier League season.
Since he joined the club in January last year, Reid has avoided a succession of culls within the Sunderland ranks and only two of the players who featured in the Irishman’s Stadium of Light debut played in last Sunday’s 5-2 victory over Wolves.
Reid’s much-publicised preseason training regime has reaped dividends on the pitch and prompted Bruce to label the midfielder as “arguably our best player for the month”.
Despite the Republic of Ireland midfielder being snubbed by his international manager this week, he revealed that he has never been happier at club level and is relishing his role as the creative mainspring amidst Bruce’s team of powerhouses.
“We are a team with more direction and purpose than last year and the manager has a lot to do with that,” explained Reid. “We are playing a different way – a bit more direct and try to play our football in the opposition’s half whereas last year we maybe kept it a bit too much at the back without going anywhere.
“That has given us an extra dimension and allowed us to be more creative in the final third because we’re in the opposition’s half a lot more.
Everybody knows their jobs and as a team we know what we’re doing.”
Reid’s trickery is an anomaly in Bruce’s side where the likes of John Mensah, Michael Turner, Lorik Cana, and Lee Cattermole have brought a physical presence that Bruce hopes will be capable of matching the Premier League’s most intimidating outfits.
Defeats to Stoke City and Burnley however, offered reminders of the weak underbelly that still lurks beneath Sunderland’s increasingly muscular frontage.
Reid noted: “I’ve always put a responsibility on myself to be the guy who creates things on the pitch. Lorik (Cana) and Lee (Cattermole) get through a lot of work, whereas I am a creative player. But whoever you are playing alongside, you still have to do your job and mine is to make goals and score goals.”
Meanwhile, Bruce has admitted he should not have played Cattermole against Wolves. The 21-year-old had missed the previous two games with a heel injury, and was replaced at half-time.
“That was a mistake on my part. In the Premier League, if you are not 100 per cent, then you get found out. I take the responsibility for that.”
