Despite competing with the likes of footballing royalty in the form of Laurent Blanc, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Jaap Stam while at Manchester United and even at Sunderland with Titus Bramble (just kidding) Brown and fellow defender John O'Shea have pretty much spent their career together, moving from Old Trafford to The Stadium Of Light at the same time, a move that was always going to benefit each other. As mentioned in the last page, Brown may have been the difference in Sunderland's defensive improvement, but he couldn't have kept the ball out of the back of the net without his partner in crime, who has been Sunderland's best defender overall this season (although it's not difficult based on some performances). So providing that Gus Poyet doesn't put too much pressure on Brown and wraps him in cotton wool to get the best out of him, he will be like a new signing for The Black Cats, and one that they have desperately needed in their quest to avoid the drop.
Joseph is a sports journalist, who has previously worked for Sky Sports News, Soccer Saturday, UEFA's coverage of the Champions League and Europa League and The London 2012 Olympic Games, as well as football clubs such as FC Halifax Town, Corby Town and Crystal Palace FC.
