Signed as a right winger from Rennes in our last Premiership season, Johnston showed touches of his brilliance shortly after arriving, although it was too late to save us from relegation. He played most of the last two seasons down the left wing. Where he has been class, he would still, presumably be on the left wing if it wasn’t for his drawn out contract saga. Reid has shown typical stubbornness by not sorting this problem out. To say we are missing his ability is the understatement of the century. In our side he’s on the right because of Martin Smith- at ALS when we have a Rolls Royce we like to drive it.

Despite being the best player in the history of the entire world, Smith spent most of his time under Reid rotting in the reserves. Why Reid refused to give Smith a run in the first team is perhaps one of the greatest mysteries to mankind. Answers on a postage stamp to the usual address. Although Smithy single-handedly kept us up when Reid first arrived, he dropped him in his first full season in charge and never really gave him a fair crack of the whip after that. The son of Pele is now scoring quality goals every week at Sheffield United.

With a CV reading “sixty eight international caps and a trophy-laden career at Bayern Munich” Helmer was obviously never going to be good enough to command a regular place at Sunderland. His loan transfer to Hertha Berlin spells the end of his time at the SoL after playing only one full game. Nobody in Sunderland understands why he wasn’t worth a run in the side, and after playing in last year’s Champions’ League for Bayern he will now be performing in this seasons champions League for Hertha Berlin. Rumoured to have fallen out with the management after a training ground bust- up.

When we signed Cast Iron fireguard from Lyngby, the Sunderland Echo spent the next four months telling us how good he was. Carsten came third in last season’s Danish player of the year and therefore must be decent but since his arrival on Wearside he has not impressed. Has gone on record as saying that his is not being used in his best position, behind the front two, so that’s where we’re putting him in our football-as-it-was-meant-to-be-played-team.

After scoring his first foal in the fog at Southland, bridged never looked back, scoring a stack of class goals for the lads. Rated as one of the most promising forwards in the country, it was a surprise that he never really got a regular run in the team. Even when Phillips was injured. Dichio was often selected ahead of him to sign his contract or leave and ended up going to Leeds for £5.4m, which is still in Sunderland AFC’s bank account, along with the ten million Reid never spent. Somehow he never plated up front with Phillips now what a Premiership partnership that would have been. Incidentally, Phillips once said of Bridges, “ he had more skill in his feet than the rest us at Sunderland put together.”

Craig Russell may not have been the finished item when he played for Sunderland, but he was fast as lightening and he had red and white blood in his veins. In the 96/97 season when we were relegated from the Premier League Russell, who scored the goals to put us there, wasn’t played as often as he should, excluded from the side when Paul Stewart was plated as a lone striker. If he had been given a chance in the Premier, Russell would have provided the bit of fire that lacked up-front and, who knows, we might have stopped up. Now on loan at Darlo.