SUNDERLAND'S Phil Babb insists he has nothing to prove to the Premiership this season after making a return to the League he escaped from two years ago.

After a nightmare 1998-99 season at Liverpool, Babb never kicked a ball again for the Reds competitively.

And, despite making 166 appearances for Liverpool, the following campaign led to him playing reserves team football and spending a month on loan to less glamorous Merseyside neighbours Tranmere.

Babb was part of the Rovers side that lost 3-2 to Newcastle in the FA Cup in February 2000 - the last first-team match the centre-back played on English soil.

But after his contract at Anfield expired he was offered the chance to play for Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon - an opportunity which he says was too good to turn down.

The 31-year-old was offered a three-year contract at Sporting this summer - after helping his side to a League and Cup double.

However, Babb admits that making a return to the English top-flight has always been on his mind.

The centre-back joined this summer with Sean Thornton and Thomas Myhre and he said: "It was a conscious decision to leave the Premiership and to go abroad.

"At the end of the day it was my decision and I'm not out to prove anything to anyone. I'm back here to enjoy my football and a chance to play in the Premiership again. The only thing I want to do is help Sunderland.

"It's been three years since my last Premiership season. And I'm looking forward to it.

"Once I sealed my move here I really wanted the summer to fly by, so I'm really excited and can't wait for the pre-season to be over."

Sunderland's Bosman free transfer has been encouraged by the pre-season training with his new club but he admits it is a different way off life to that in Portugal.

And the ex-Millwall, Coventry and Bradford man is expecting Premiership football to have got more frantic than the last time he appeared in the top-flight against Wimbledon in May 1999.

"In Portugal we were basically training twice a day and there was a lot of technical work," said Babb, who has 34 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

"There were different systems and it has helped me because it's all knowledgeable.

"It's only going to help my game in the long run.

"The continental way is coming more and more into the English game because of the influx of the foreign managers and the players.

"The game is changing so fast - it's a completely different game to what it was four years ago.

"The game is slightly slower over there and in the three years I have been away I think if anything the Premiership has got faster but that's about it.

"Football is in a constant state of change and I think that is quite good for the game."

He added: "It's hard to describe the differences between the two countries unless you are there, but the passion of the crowds in Portugal are so intense and the media attention is immense.

"It's dedicated to football there and they have to fill the newspapers with stories and you have got 300 people and 50 journalists around after one training session."

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