Sunderland 1 West Ham Utd 0:THE CRUSHING disappointment of learning that the Stadium of Light will not, after all, stage 2018 World Cup games may not abate in a hurry but Sunderland fans are beginning to believe Wearside could host Europa League competition next season.

As Jordan Henderson’s winner left West Ham bottom of the league and Avram Grant’s job security again being called into question, Steve Bruce’s side climbed to seventh. Suddenly, the perceived injustice of Russia’s World Cup bid success faded from the forefront of local minds.

Bruce’s response to his team’s recent thrashing at Newcastle was to adopt a more positive, attacking approach. Out went the 4-5-1 formation, useful for nicking draws but ineffective once opponents went ahead, and in came a reversion to 4-4-2.

Against West Ham, Sunderland’s manager took another bold forward step, fielding three strikers, Asamoah Gyan, Darren Bent and Danny Welbeck in a fluid, essentially 4-3-3, system.

His team’s resultant high energy movement regularly seemed to bewilder West Ham. Certainly Scott Parker was unable to dominate central midfield for Grant’s team in the same omnipotent manner he had ruled that department when the London side won a recent League Cup tie here.

In mitigation Parker, who played reasonably well, had been suffering from a chest complaint, and an arctic afternoon was hardly the ideal environment for a convalescent. Moreover the extreme cold appeared to be literally numbing several brains; with no one, it initially seemed, more affected than Henderson.

The recent England cap persistently picked the wrong pass or attempted interception. Or at least he did until he met Gyan’s chipped cross on the half volley with his left foot and scored a fine decider at the end of a move initiated by a clever interchange involving Lee Cattermole and Nedum Onuoha.

Henderson’s ability with both feet and refusal to hide even when games threaten to go against him, promises to pay rich long-term dividends.

Having confused Grant’s defence by pulling wide and turning goal creator, Gyan reminded everyone that he is more than a mere support act and duly clipped the top of the crossbar courtesy of an audacious angled chipped cross-shot.

While Bruce’s side are slowly evolving from scrappers to pass-and-move stylists, West Ham are not quite as bad as the league table might suggest.

“Sunderland is not an easy place to play, but the difference between 1-0 and 0-0 is only a little bit,” said a politely defiant Grant who played down relegation worries. “We need to start picking up points away but we’re not cut adrift, we’re only six points from mid-table.

Grant needs Kieron Dyer to keep on offering glimpses of the wonderful attacking talent he once was and the continuation of Jonathan Spector’s rebirth as a surprisingly creative midfielder.

If only his eventual low shot following a glorious surging slalom run had not flashed a yard wide of an upright, Spector might have equalised. It was not to be, on a day when the visitors met inspired home centre-halves in Anton Ferdinand and John Mensah. Up against his old club Ferdinand arguably enjoyed his best game in a Sunderland shirt.

“We defended very well while also looking a threat but West Ham have a lot going for them. They’ve surely got too many good players to be relegated,” said Bruce.

Quinn's broadside for broadcasters Panorama did England no favours

SUNDERLAND chairman Niall Quinn believes the politics surrounding the World Cup 2018 bidding process meant England’s bid had “no great chance” of success.

The former Republic of Ireland international, who experienced the finals himself as a player, is devastated that his club has missed out on the chance to play host to football’s biggest showcase.

However, he admits they might have been fighting a losing battle from the off.

“Every city that was part of the England bid got there on every issue that had to be addressed over the last year and a half,” said Quinn. “What we weren’t able to put together was a way of defeating the way the politics involved can influence the way the votes swing.

“If we didn’t make it past the first vote, then we can’t have been in with a great chance no matter how good our bid.”

That said, Quinn insisted that Panorama’s investigation into alleged corruption among members of the 22-man Fifa executive committee who took the vote did not help England’s case.

“The truth of what happened will all come out in due course and I am all for freedom of speech, but we will never be able to accurately measure how much the Panorama programme may have impacted on the bid.

“What I would say to the people who thought it was in the public interest to broadcast that programme a few days before – rather than a few days after – the decision is: Come and explain that to the people of Sunderland.

“Come and explain that no new hotels will be built, explain that the infrastructure that was promised and planned can’t be rolled out now and explain what’s happened to the jobs that would have been created.”