Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand could lead the side today against Arsenal - only weeks appearing to be on his way out.
With Sunderland's captain, Lee Cattermole, suspended and his potential deputy John Mensah struggling to overcome a calf injury, Ferdinand, an £8m signing from Upton Park during Roy Keane's Wearside stint, is in line to wear the armband.
"A row is a row," manager Steve Bruce said. "In management I've always said the one thing I'll never do is bear a grudge and that's been to Anton's benefit. Sometimes you have a row at work, it happens. Maybe he likes confrontation because the last two games I've seen him play have certainly been his best two during the 15 months I've been here. I thought that, maybe, he'd played his last game for me but, for whatever reason, he ended up not leaving. He's certainly got the bit between his teeth now; he's risen to the challenge."
Few have doubted Ferdinand's natural talent and pace but the younger brother of Manchester United's Rio has too frequently betrayed himself with a combination of poor concentration and an overly laid-back, sometimes less than dedicated, attitude. His manager effectively told him that, at 25, it was time he grew up.
"Maybe we'll need to have another row soon, another kick up the arse," Bruce said. "Maybe there's some truth in the idea of Anton needing a bit of confrontation to get him going."
