Source: Northern_Echo
Weather takes its toll on the Black Cats’ preparations
SUNDERLAND'S preparations for this Sunday's visit of West Ham United are being affected by the snow chaos gripping the North-East.[LNB] Black Cats took part in their first training session of the week yesterday at the Stadium of Light.[LNB] But the groundstaff are understandably reluctant for the first team to train on the playing surface every day in fear it will ruin a pitch that has round the clock care in a bid to keep it in the best possible shape.[LNB] An inability to train at the Stadium of Light every day, however, means Sunderland's first team are having to go days without a proper coaching session.[LNB] Yesterday's outing was the first time since Friday they have been able to do so.[LNB] And as the weather forecast is not favourable ahead of the Hammers' visit to Wearside, they may face similar problems for the remainder of the week.[LNB] Midfielder Kieran Richardson, part of a side that was unable to win for 14 matches through the winter last year when Sunderland missed out on a number of sessions during a six-and-a-half week chill, admits that opponents will have an advantage.[LNB] We need to train all of the time to keep ticking over. If you are not doing that then you lose sharpness, said Richardson. We will not base the losses last season on the weather but if we can train at the stadium we would be alright.[LNB] We obviously can't do that though because it wrecks the pitch come the weekend. I can see why the groundsman won't want us on there. The weather will dictate what we will do and it would be better if we could train at the training ground. But it is so frustrating.[LNB] Sunderland's biggest problem is the lack of an indoor facility at the Academy of Light, the club's Cleadon training complex.[LNB] South Tyneside Council have recently passed a planning application for a state-ofthe- art barn that would have a synthetic pitch, but now Sunderland must work on putting the multi-million pounds fund together to build it.[LNB] When we are not training it is a nightmare. We trained at the stadium today and that's not ideal. We need to train as much as possible, said Richardson last night.[LNB] We need that indoor arena.[LNB] There is a big suggestion that we will get one and the quicker we get that the better. A club like Sunderland needs one of those. It would be ideal for situations like this.[LNB] Sunderland, meanwhile, have granted George McCartney permission to extend his loan spell at Leeds United for the rest of the year.[LNB] McCartney has made 12 starts for the Whites since moving to Elland Road and he is now due to return to Sunderland after Leeds' match with Portsmouth on December 28.[LNB]
