Despite dividing opinion, Luke O’Nien remains one of Sunderland’s most influential players

“O’Nien will never be universally loved, but his importance to the team is significant and his work is

sometimes under appreciated,” writes Phil West.

Luke O’Nien may have given the impression that he was just another lower-league drifter when he first arrived at Sunderland during the wild

summer of 2018. After all, he was only expected to stay for a year or two before

being shipped out and starting a career as a wanderer up the football pyramid.

It hasn’t quite worked out that way, though—possibly to the continuous annoyance of some people—as next summer will be six years since O’Nien entered the Stadium of Light.

 

It appears that our captain, who is currently serving as Michael Beale’s sixth Sunderland manager/head coach, has

enjoyed the challenge of moving up from League One to the Championship. There

are no signs that he will be leaving Sunderland very soon.

 

He is still a calming and steady presence in the squad as the club moves forward, and it says volumes that he never lost

favor with any coach, from Jack Ross to Tony Mowbray. It isn’t merely a

coincidence.that he has continued to play despite six frequently tumultuous years;

other players have came and gone, but he remains a stalwart.

O’Nien was instrumental in the Lads’ narrow victory over Hull City on Boxing Day.

 

He put up a characteristically strong performance at the MKM Stadium, playing in his now-customary center defense position (with the excellent Jenson Seelt at right back). He tackled with abandon, blocked with joy, and generally delivered the kind of play that has become his signature.

 

It goes without saying that O’Nien has regularly been among the most criticized

players at the club throughout the years, for reasons that are frequently

unexplained. Regarding his skill in comparison to some of his teammates,

some of it is true, but most of it is overstated.

 

In order to begin to comprehend the criticism that O’Nien frequently encounters, you must take into the

character question, and this is where things start to make sense.

He came at a time when the ghosts of the workaholics who had contributed to our

demise still stalked the Sunderland dressing room, and it was obvious from

the start that he was going to put in the necessary effort, work hard, and seize

the chance that had been presented to him.

 

It’s possible that not everyone enjoys O’Nien’s almost unending optimism; in

fact, for certain people of a certain age, grumpy, straight-talking Kevin Ball is the epitome of a red and white captain.

Ball embodied Sunderland under Peter Reid with his love of a tackle and a face

you could shatter concrete with: no backward steps, never shy away from a

battle, win at all costs. It worked well and was appropriate at the time, but the role

of a club captain changes as the game does.

 

O’Nien is made of a completely different material, and it would be difficult to find

a compelling case against him for acting like a captain given his upbeat attitude, dedication to growth, generosity toward

the supporters, and willingness to play any position that is requested of him.

He’s not a shouter and he’s not known for his temper, but he leads by example, cajoling his teammates and playing a huge role in keeping an incredibly diverse group of footballers united. It’s true that he sometimes takes the darker arts of the game too far, but that’s part of the deal- you have to accept the quirks in order to reap the benefits.

 

As a defender, a position in which he finally seems to have settled after spending much of his career as a utility man, O’Nien has generally been a reliable figure alongside the brilliant Dan Ballard.

 

Has he made mistakes and costly errors? Of course, but as a good leader will do, he doesn’t shirk responsibility and uses the bad performances as a spur to respond strongly in the next game.

 

Whether you like the man or not, whether you rate him as a defender or you don’t, the unavoidable truth is that you don’t remain a fixture of Sunderland squads for over half a decade unless you’re adding something of value, and O’Nien certainly does that.

He witnessed Sunderland AFC descend to heights few of us had ever reached—losses in playoff finals, victories over teams we never imagined facing, and so forth. It was telling to see him kneel on the Wembley field following our victory over Wycombe in the playoffs. Having persevered through the worst of times, he was now reaping the benefits.

 

It appears like Beale will value O’Nien’s qualities, and as he gets to know his team more, he’ll realize that dependable guys are priceless. O’Nien undoubtedly falls into that category, and despite significant changes at Sunderland in 2018, he is still vital and unwavering.

Get related article>>>https://kvibezsport.co.uk/?p=2512&preview=true