THE build up to this week's Premiership clash between Sunderland and Aston Villa, if you weren't aware of it already, surrounded the imminent return of three much-loved players from the Black Cats' recent past.

'Super Kev's' return to the Stadium of Light, with Thomas Sorensen and Gavin McCann, reopened two schools of thought around the pubs and clubs on Wearside regarding the triumvirate's contribution to the cause during their recent yo-yo years.

One set regard the trio as the Sunderland equivalent of the Holy Trinity; a personification of two successful campaigns which saw the Black Cats enjoy successive top seven Premiership finishes.

The other believes the three are average Premier League players, who like their team-mates, punched above their weight for a season or two.

The latter view, it has to be said, is held by most football followers living outside Wearside.

Manager Mick McCarthy, justifiably, asked fans not to nostalgically reminisce through rose-tinted spectacles about the threesome's time in the North-East - especially that of Phillips. After all, they were a part of the squad, which, took the club back into football's second tier before eventually jumping ship.

On McCarthy's arrival at the struggling club Phillips made it perfectly clear he wanted to be off. The 32-year-old striker's admission that he should have left two years previously reveals he cared little for anyone else at the club other than himself.

Unfortunately, his ruthless pursuit of glory was never realised as other clubs did not share Phillips' high regard in his own abilities.

No disrespect to Southampton or Aston Villa - his two clubs since leaving Wearside - but those clubs have not exactly rubbed shoulders with the Premiership's top five over the last few years.

Those in favour of the former Watford forward, signed by Peter Reid for a bargain £325,000, would point to his prolific return of 132 league and cup goals in 235 appearances during his six years.

In his first two Premier League campaigns Phillips netted an impressive 30 and 18 goals respectively an won eight England caps. The two campaigns prior to that, in what is now the Championship, he scored 35 and 25 times for the Wearsiders.

These statistics are impressive by anyone's standards but they don't tell the full story, so say those against.

Phillips was a one season Premiership wonder they argue.

The Hitchin-born frontman has only ever netted 20 or more goals in the top flight on one occasion.

His last four campaigns have hailed only 13, nine, 14 and 13 strikes and, he never netted once while playing for his country. Hardly statistics to place him alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry, Michael Owen or Alan Shearer. He hardly sparkled as a penalty taker either; converting only ten of his 17 spot kicks.

Phillips did find the net against his old side on Saturday but did little else before he trudged off injured.

The Strikers' Union, however, would argue that a forward's job is to score goals so goal scored, job done.

Similarly with Sorensen.

Is the Denmark international one of the Premiership's top goalkeepers?

When he arrived at the Stadium of Light he was hailed as a future world class stopper and an admirable replacement for retiring Peter Schmeical.

On Saturday the Villa keeper was hesitant and unsure at times; characteristics which have manifested themselves a number of times in recent years.

He spilled a couple of efforts against a spluttering Black Cats attack and although he did redeem himself to turn Alan Stubbs' first-half strike behind for a corner he wasn't thoroughly convincing.

A top five Premier League goalkeeper? Probably not.

McCann was another anonymous entity at the weekend.

The former Everton man personifies everything about what it takes to be a top flight midfielder. He is full of industry but lacks any genuine flair or class to carve an opening out of nothing.

Saturday's performances did little to support arguments that the threesome are anything other than steady Premiership footballers.

Not so much return of the magnificent seven - more the return of the mediocre three.