Year on Wearside was brilliant, says Nedum
DEFENDER HAS WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF LOAN SPELL WITH BRUCE’S BLACK CATS
DURING their Premier League years it’s fair to say Sunderland had varying success when it came to loan signings. Nedum Onuoha’s season-long spell from Manchester City in 2010-11 should certainly be considered among the more positive ones.
The versatile defender made 32 appearances for Steve Bruce’s side as they achieved a tenthplace finish in the Premier League, and will almost certainly be best remembered for that goal versus Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Now 33 and still playing for Real Salt Lake in the MLS, Onuoha had a very respectable career, including 188 Premier League appearances in total for the Black Cats, City and Queens Park Rangers.
He admits his season at Sunderland was one his personal favourites though.
He told Sunderland Live: “I absolutely loved it. It’s probably one of the favourite years of my career. “It was the first time I left City and I went to a big club, big stadium, passionate fanbase etc. We finished tenth in the Premier League so it was a success really.
“The club now isn’t where it should be, but looking back at that time, when I arrived they said the goal was to try and finish in the top ten and that didn’t feel like something that was outlandish because of the players we had there. So many really good players.
“Whenever you go somewhere new you have to start afresh and impress, but when it’s a loan I feel you have to really hit the ground running because you only have a year for people to understand and respect what you’re about. Otherwise, the loan is a complete waste of time.”
He continued: “I was a little older than the average player that goes on loan. I think I turned 24 that season.
“But to step away and see something different is big. I think many, myself included, take for granted where if you come through a club’s academy and then go on to play for that club’s first team, that’s all you know and it’s hard to have a different perspective because ultimately you’ve never heard of one.
“Going somewhere else and seeing different routines, different ideas and different beliefs, it’s tricky, but I was lucky because I knew so many people in the Sunderland team anyway. I was surrounded by good people on and off the field.
“It could have been a lot more tricky, but having such a good group of lads really helped. I just really enjoyed it and it wasn’t hard to transition.”
It was a solid Sunderland team that Bruce had assembled. Craig Gordon and Simon Mignolet were competing in goal, while outfield players Phil Bardsley, John Mensah, Bolo Zenden, Steed Malbranque,
Jordan Henderson, Asamoah Gyan and, until January, Darren Bent. That’s to name but a few.
It was a strong squad and one which Onuoha remembers how much the Sunderland supporters got behind.
“The Sunderland fans were great,” he said. “Ultimately, I say to people when they ask where I’ve played, get yourself to a city like Sunderland where the sport is essentially the epicentre of everything. Obviously there’s plenty of other things the city can show off, but at its core, it’s geared towards football and the people who support that football team.
“Other places don’t have that. I played in London for many years and of course, it’s an incredible city and a great place to live, but whether you played football didn’t matter because it’s a city where people are into a billion different things. But in Sunderland, when you stepped out everyone knew who you were. It was intense, but in the same breath, what a place to play your football! I’d rather that than being somewhere where nobody cared.”
Onuoha’s time at Sunderland came to an end when his loan period did, at the end of that season. There had been some talk of making the deal a permanent one, but in the end, nothing materialised and six months later he left Man City to join QPR where he spent seven years.
It could have been a lot more tricky, but having such a good group of lads really helped
Nedum Onuoha