WHEN George McCartney and Carl Robinson became embroiled in an on-field slanging match at Wigan on Tuesday, thoughts inevitably turned to a different altercation.

As the pair moved towards each other with voices raised, the memory of Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer trading blows quickly sprang to the forefront of the mind.

But, while Newcastle's players indulged in combat rather than criticism last weekend, Sunderland's stars restricted themselves to a bout of verbal sparring.

A few choice words, an urging to do better, and the duo were trotting upfield to launch the next Black Cats' attack.

It is easy to cite Bowyer and Dyer's altercation as evidence of a deep-rooted division that is hindering Newcastle's development.

The pair maintain there is no bad blood but, when punches are being thrown, it is clear that the unity and togetherness demanded by both Graeme Souness and Mick McCarthy is sadly lacking.

Sunderland's squad wasn't divided at the start of the season - it just contained a host of new signings from different backgrounds, with different degrees of footballing experience.

Yet, eight months on, and the Black Cats can boast one of the closest and most focused groups of players in the game.

When the final whistle blew at the end of Tuesday's win, every Sunderland player joined McCarthy in front of the 8,000 travelling fans.

That togetherness has taken the Black Cats to within eight points of the Premiership and, while harsh words will always be needed, it is actions of unity that have proved to have the greatest effect.

"I don't want to say too much about what happens at other clubs," said goalkeeper Thomas Myhre, who contributed to Sunderland's 18th clean sheet of the season this week. "But everyone knows that fighting on the pitch speaks for itself.

"Enough has been said about it, but I don't think it would ever happen here.

"We have harsh words because we demand so much of each other. But firing each other and becoming physical are two different things."

Myhre discovered the importance of unity when he spent three months of last season at Crystal Palace on loan.

The Norway international was part of a side riven by disputes and indiscipline when Iain Dowie arrived to replace caretaker boss Kit Symons in December 2003.

Dowie's first priority was to restore a sense of harmony and purpose and, five months later, Palace were pipping Sunderland and West Ham to promotion.

Myhre sees definite similarities between the camaraderie at Crystal Palace and the solidarity at the Stadium of Light and, with just five games of the season to go, is confident the Black Cats will follow the Eagles' path to the Premiership.

"The togetherness is very good," said the 31-year-old stopper. "That has been the case all season and that is what has put us in the position we're in now.

"When I first went to Palace last season, the togetherness wasn't there. The confidence was low and it was a club on a downward spiral.

"But, when Iain Dowie came in, he brought the lads together and made the players demand a lot from each other.

"We have done that. The evidence is there in the way we have played and the way we have behaved on and off the pitch.

"At the training ground, in the changing room, before training, during training and after training, there's a lot of banter and a lot of harmless jokes.

"It's the same on the pitch in games. If we don't do the work, we know we can say harsh words. We want the whole group to perform all the time."

Such a bond must always begin at the top and, in McCarthy, Sunderland have a manager who knows all about the internal dynamics of a team.

His much-publicised fall-out with Roy Keane taught him the importance of maintaining unity and, this season, the Black Cats boss has done all he can to keep his squad focused on a common goal.

"He is the boss behind everything," said Myhre. "He is there all the time and he gets everything.

"He gets the banter and he gets the stories. He knows the mood at the training ground. He knows when to put his foot down and say 'Enough is enough'.

"He is always the one who, if we don't perform well enough, will tell us. He is very, very honest and that's important."

McCarthy's honesty extends to his relationship with Myhre, with the Sunderland boss admitting that financial concerns almost resulted in the goalkeeper joining Crystal Palace in the summer.

Myhre's current contract expires next month but, with Premiership football looking more and more likely, the former Everton stopper is hoping to get another crack at the top-flight with the Black Cats.

"I will do whatever I can to help this club win promotion," he said. "But I don't know if they want me to stay on.

"I have said before that my family is settled here and I enjoy playing for the club. If I could stay it would be fantastic.

"But I have been in this game for such a long time that I know the club needs to look after their things and I have to look after mine.

"That is the way football is run. But, at the moment, I am a Sunderland player and a very happy one at that."

* Michael Gray is determined to make up for lost time when he returns to the Leeds side for the Championship clash against Watford at Vicarage Road.

Gray concedes he let himself down after being sent off for fighting with Gillingham's Darius Henderson during a 1-1 draw at Elland Road last month, resulting in a three-match ban.

The ex-Sunderland left-back, on loan from Blackburn said: ''It's been very frustrating to miss those games, but I should have been a little bit more professional.

''I came here to play games and when you find yourself in the stands because you're on a suspension it's not very nice."

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