Bent’s not so welcome return

Thursday, 27/10/2011

by Stephen Maddison, Shoot's Sunderland blogger

“He could have been, in my opinion, one of the greats of Sunderland – and I’m talking about up there with the very best goalscorers in the club’s history if he had hung around”.

It wouldn’t take a second guess for Sunderland fans and followers alike to guess who manager Steve Bruce was quoted describing here. Now in the wake of his return to the place where he revitalised his career (in all competitions scoring 36 goals in 63 appearances) the spotlight is only going to be on one man at The Stadium of Light this weekend; Darren Bent.

Sunday, January 16, 2011 was Bent’s last appearance in a red and white shirt, as he was involved in (what’s come to be expected now) a disappointing derby display against Newcastle. However as fans were leaving the ground delighted to snatch a point, many, including myself, were left wondering what was wrong with their normally reliable talisman (Bent had only scored two goals in his last 13 league matches); we were about to find out.

In the space of 24 hours, all over Wearside Darren Bent opitimised the phrase ‘from hero to villain’ as it emerged he was travelling to Birmingham to undergo a medical at Aston Villla ahead of a proposed £24m transfer. Sure enough the deal was completed within 48 hours, and only four days later Bent looked back to his usual self as he produced a trademark finish on his debut to secure a 1-0 victory for his new club over Manchester City.

It is safe to say that the whole saga left a bitter taste in a lot of Mackems' mouths. The abrupt nature of Bent’s departure seemed to deflate any excitement and ambition the fans had gained through our great first half of the season. Of course then in typical Sunderland fashion we endured a slump of eight defeats in nine games; only placing further emphasis on our lack of goals and making Bent an even more disliked character.

For football reasons I, surprisingly along with other Sunderland fans, can understand why he left. We are talking about a man who scored 24 Premier League goals for a ‘lesser’ side and then still got overlooked for Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad, there’s no question he must of asked himself ‘what have I got to do’? However for the majority, it is the manner and timing of his exit that gave the impression he had no care or loyalty for the club, and I cannot disagree with that.

This Saturday marks the long awaited return of a figure that used to be held in such high regard in the stands. A hostile reception is inevitable as for the first time in three years I hope the surname ‘Bent’ shall not grace the score sheet in a fixture at the Stadium of Light.

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