INSIDE – STARTS
Chris Coleman hopes his Sunderland side have turned a corner and given him a selection headache of a different kind ahead of today’s Easter Monday visit of Sheffield Wednesday.
Coleman has developed a reputation as the tinkerman since taking charge of Sunderland with constant changes in selection due to injuries, suspension and lack of form.
Sunderland had gone 10 games without a win before the stunning 4-1 Good Friday win at Derby County.
Coleman rolled the dice again with five changes, but he now hopes the players in the side will make it impossible for him to drop them for the run-in.
Sunderland only have seven games left to secure their Championship status, but they have given themselves a fighting chance with the Derby win.
Aiden McGeady, whose consistency had been questioned by Coleman in the build-up, was one of the changes for the trip to Pride Park. The 31-year-old impressed on his return to the side, scoring his seventh goal of the season from the penalty spot. Coleman said too many of his players have lacked consistency this campaign but hopes they may have turned a late corner.
“It is not just Aiden that has lacked consistency. All of us, we all have,” added Coleman.
“We have given everybody a chance.
“People knocking on my door, saying ‘Get me back in the team, I should be back in the team’ and when they get their chance they need to be selfish and take it.
“We will avoid chopping and changing then. A lot of the changes have been forced upon us, injury and suspension, lack of form.
“But no these boys now have a chance to say ‘you can’t leave me out the team because I am performing the way I am performing, you can’t leave me out.’
“That is what we need between now and the end of the season.”