Jones's SOS to team-mates
KENWYNE Jones and Sunderland boss Steve Bruce today sent out an SOS – Support Our Strikers.
Jones and strike partner Darren Bent have scored 14 goals between them this season, while the rest of their team-mates have managed only four.
In fact, the Black Cats' third-top scorer this term has been own goals, with the only other Sunderland scorers being Andy Reid with two and one each from Kieran Richardson – banned tomorrow – and Michael Turner.
It's a situation Jones and Bruce know has to change as his side prepares to host Portsmouth tomorrow.
Jones, back in action at the Stadium of Light for the first time since October, said: "As strikers we expect to score goals and we don't duck that responsibility at all.
"It's what we love doing and what we try to do in every game we play.
"But I think the whole team has to work together to win games. It's everyone's responsibility to defend as a team and at the same time it is the whole team's responsibility to create chances and score goals.
"Sometimes you have teams with a lot of players chipping in with goals and maybe we need a bit more of that.
"Hopefully we can find a solution soon enough and we will be back on the up again."
Sunderland have not won this season unless Jones or Bent have got on the scoresheet and Bruce expects the rest of his squad to contribute.
He said: "It is a huge frustration that we have relied on Benty and Kenwyne to a degree to score the goals and we can't keep doing that.
"It is a concern because of where we are. Three weeks ago we'd beaten Arsenal, Benty had got the winner and everything was looking well.
"But we let ourselves down badly in the last two games and suddenly we have been asking where else the goals are coming from."
Bruce will resist the temptation to gamble on 32-goal youth and reserve team sensation Ryan Noble just yet, so that leaves the job once against to Bent and Jones, who is delighted to be back in action after five weeks off due to suspension.
"It feels a long time since I played at the Stadium of Light so I'm looking forward to it, as I do every game," said the Trinidad & Tobago forward.
"People are talking about pressure on us because of an 'expectation' that we should beat Portsmouth, but as players we don't say we expect to beat anyone.
"You go into every game, whether it's against Arsenal or Portsmouth, with the attitude that you have to do your best and do your job properly to have any chance of getting a result.
"That's the way we have to approach tomorrow."
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Weather for South Shields
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
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Wind direction: South
