Gordon frustrated by defensive dilemmas

10:55am Thursday 1st November 2007

ROY KEANE will again be forced to tinker with his backline in Sunderland's next outing and goalkeeper Craig Gordon admits that constant changes in defence have affected the Wearsiders' form.

After naming the same back four for back-to-back fixtures with West Ham and Fulham, Keane will be forced into fielding his seventh defensive combination in 12 Premier League matches at Manchester City on Monday.

Greg Halford's sending off on Saturday - his second of the campaign - means he will miss the trip to Eastlands and that means further adjustment is needed to the starting line-up.

With Paul McShane also due to complete his three-match ban, Keane will be short of options to play at right-back, particularly as he appears unwilling to pull Nyron Nosworthy out of his central role.

If Nosworthy was asked to revert to full-back, Danny Collins would move inside and Ian Harte would be selected for his first start as the club's left-back.

Keane is also toying with the idea of playing one of midfielders Dickson Etuhu or Grant Leadbitter there, which would be seen as more of a gamble.

Whatever Keane does he knows the situation is not ideal, more so because of the lack of clean sheets kept by his side this season.

Sunderland have not shut out their opponents since the opening- day win over Tottenham at the Stadium of Light and Gordon feels the enforced changes are taking their toll.

"We haven't got an awful lot of defenders available and it's an obvious problem," said the former Heart of Midlothian goalkeeper.

"Russell Anderson is still recovering following an operation, he's desperate to come back.

Paul Mc- Shane is still s u s p e n d e d , Greg will be banned and there have been regular changes.

"It's not ideal but it's the way things tend to work out in the Premier League. You need a good squad and you have to have players who can come in and do a job.

It's part and parcel of being in this league and we will have to deal with it and improve on it."

Sunderland conceded their 19th goal of the league campaign in the 1-1 draw with Fulham on Saturday, when the Black Cats had been looking to climb away from the relegation zone with all three points.

But Gordon, refusing to be downbeat, maintains optimism remains high on the training ground and that fortunes will soon improve for Keane's men.

"On the whole, the result against Fulham was perhaps a fair one," said G o r d o n .

"For a h o m e game, we d i d n ' t start too well but w e s h o w e d character to come back and take something from it. You never know, that could prove to be a vital point at the end of the season.

"We're scoring a lot of late goals and that's a great thing to have in your locker. It shows that we're a fit team because we're still going at the end and trying to get a goal, whether it be an equaliser or a winner.

"We've done that on a number of occasions and I hope we continue to do it. It's about fitness, but it's also about belief and character. It's a combination.

We've got a group of players who are willing to fight and to work for each other right until the end."

Gordon became the most expensive goalkeeper in the history of British football when Sunderland persuaded Hearts to part with their prize asset during the close-season.

But the 24-year-old, who has made numerous top saves despite often being on the losing side, is at the stage where the £9m transfer fee is not even in his thinking.

"The price tag has never bothered me," he said. "The job's the same no matter what the transfer fee. You go out there and focus on what you need to do."

Sunderland will have their first sell-out at the Stadium of Light for two and a half years when derby rivals Newcastle visit next weekend. There will be a capacity crowd of 48,000.