Just been having a look at some stats in my lunch hour (first day back after 2 weeks off and I need a rest) and these look staggering to be honest. Scary if you want the truth. Since August 14th 2010 we have played a total of 45 games. Won - 13 Lost - 19 Drawn - 13 Win rate 28.8% (very poor which ever way you look at them) 52 points from a possible 135 More worrying is the Pre-Bent and Post Bent stats Pre Bent - 26 games played Won - 9 Lost - 7 Drawn - 10 (win rate 34.6% not brilliant but better) 37points from a possible 78 Post Bent - 20 games Won - 4 Lost - 12 Drawn - 4 (win rate 20% - that stat scared the ****e out of me this morning) 16 points from a possible 60 It doesnt require a brain the size of Prof Stephen Hawkins to work out we simply HAVE to sign at least one striker before midnight tomorrow, or its very simple. Whether you are pro-Bruce or anti-Bruce, there can be no denial now that the sale of our mercurial former top class striker, or more to the point the decision NOT to replace him yet, is the pivotal moment when Steve Bruces SAFC management nose-dived out of control. When he looks back on this period of his management career, this is the one thing that he can pin-point which has derailled his reign at the club for sure. Whether it is permanently derailled, or just damaged and limping along, only time will tell. If he can get in a top quality replacement before tomorrow, he may well rescue his job/position in many eyes. If he doesnt, he wont last until Christmas. They are facts that NO-ONE can simply ignore or dismiss.
Cant argue with the facts. However, the downturn since Bent left also coincided with the worst run of injuries to key players I have ever seen at the club. A fit squad for the second half of the season with Welbeck and Gyan fit may have made a very big difference. YES, we still need atleast one replacement for Bent and probably another back-up too.
Its hard to ignore those stats and im sure Short, Quinn and Bruce are very aware of them. I'm not holding my breath on a striker signing who can come close to filling the hole left by Bent.
I dont deny that we suffered on the injury front but Welbeck and Gyan are no replacements for Bents striking prowess anyway. This lad Cisse looks good as does Helmes (from what I have seen of him for Germany) but to be honest, I am relying on a you tube clip for both for information. Thats worrying in itself as we all know that you tube star footballers dont always make the grade in real life. Alfonso Alves anyone?
Hard to argue back really. Some scary stats but evidenced based and you`re right, only signing a proven goal score will stop Bruce losing his job (that & winning games).
Its crucial for Bruce and for Sunderland that we bring in a top quality striker. The fact we are trying is good but seemingly scrapping around looking to do just that with only 2.5 days to spare isnt. This should have been done and dusted back in the early days of the transfer as I dont see how if we offered say 14m for this lad Cisse when the window opened, they wouldnt have sold him then so they could get in a replacement. I mean, what set of amatuerish mugs would sell their top striker, with only a few days of a transfer window remaining and no replacement in place to stop them struggling afterwards....................... Er DOH!!!
Difference with Alves is that he was playing in a tin pot league, the Bundesiga is a different proposition, both lads have averaged more than 1 in 2 in the closest league to ours in style, and physicality.
Cest - Not being funny mate but we all know the situation at the moment with regards to strikers and even Bruce has stated this in the last couple of days. I don't know what your getting at with this thread. Yes, there are stats but stats can be made to look good or bad, it just depends what you're searching for and how you want to present them. We need to start thinking in a positive manner again about the club. Everyone is saying we've had a bad start etc - Liverpool, a point was a fantastic result considering the bounding we took in the first half. That game could have been a cricket score if Richardson had been sent off. Mags at home, again could have gone either way. Swansea away. Gyans search for glory cost us 3 points. Yes we need a striker or two but it's not as bad as you're making out. If you have time tomorrow, compare us against every team in the bottom half of the table last season from the same dates. We won't look as bad as you think.
Calm down lads, with what you have already you can progress. You can't though, if your boss spends his entire season playing Tinkerman. Steve Bruce should have had his first 11 integrated on match day one, he made 9 signings or something, well before most other clubs even made 1 signing. He spouted some utter drool, about how you need to bring in 1 at a time into the first 11...use your friendly fixtures for this then, don't use EPL games to experiment. How many of Man Utd's new signings have featured this season? ALL OF THEM, A LOT. Young, Jones, De Gea have all featured heavily. Liverpoop - Henderflop, Adam, Downing, whatever other mediocre rubbish they bought, all playing. Sunderland - Brown, Larssen...the only two to have any decent amount of game time, and you lot are complaining that it's no improvement on your absolute shambles of a finish to last season....why are you questioning how this could be if you only have 1 very, very average winger and a relatively unfit CB added to your side? Attack teams...that's what you need to do. Who's going to be scared of 11 midfielders? nobody. Drop Gyan, he's looking slouchy and fat anyhow, give your new youngster a chance on his own if needs be, what you don't need is a haul of new numbers coming in to play the same pathetic tactics, because it won't change anything. Muntari and Sessegnon changed absolutely nothing for you guys last year, two players who you'd have looked at pre-signing and thought things are about to get a whole load better.
I agree mate. Lets until 5pm tomorrow assume that we are gonna get one of Cisse/Bendtner/Helmes. We did it with Bent, we did it with Gyan, let's believe we'll do it again.
Oxford - the point I am making is I dont want to hear any excuses come midnight tomorrow such as "we just failed to land our man" and "we couldnt quite get the deal over the line" if we dont get in a quality striker in. Bruce has had 8 months to source a replacement and get one in. To fail, however gloriously, at this late stage wont cut any ice with me, or any of his detractors. You say if this had happened or if that had happened but mate, IT DIDNT. We havd 1 goal in 4 games, we have lost yet another derby game to a very poor magpie team and been knocked out of the cup again at the first hurdle and to lower league oppostion. Our general play for the past 5 or 6 months has been poor and I dont see an inprovement. I see better players but not a better team as the manager refuses to play them. I see us spending 8.5 million on players for the future and neglecting to sort out the here and now. What I dont see is any kind of strategy for success, which after 2 years and 5 transfer windows, I should be. I have seen 5 ridiculous transfer windows with 7 or 8 deals every window. A new team nearly every 6 or 8 months. Thats not building anything but uncertainty IMO and I want to see much better before I stop criticising the manager to be honest. We are not as bad as I may suggest (we do have a good squad) but we certainly arent as good as you seem to think either mate.
Well said!! really negative people on here. Look at our progress over the past 3 seasons, We wouldn't have believed it 5 years ago. Give it a rest you endless knockers.
Oh dear, another agree with me or your not a supporter thread. How sad. I'll just keep having my OWN opinion about Bruce and the club okay. If thats alright with you of course.
Not at all. When have I said that exactly? Please show the link and the quotes where I have said everyone shopuld think like me? As you can see, all I have done is put my point of view forward. I havent called into question anyone who disagrees with that or accused them of anything but as ever, the first line of defense is to slag thoswe with different views off. Thats the thing you see, its the BIB's that constantly call the BOB's disloyal and not true supporters, not the other way around. I am happy that you are happy. I'm not so happy but somehow that makes me less of a supporter does it? Mmmm. Interesting thinking there. Very sad state of affairs but interesting all the same.
Don't think you guys need another Bent-style striker now you have Sessegnon in the AM role. Just need a fairly good striker to bag a good quantity of goals. That has the added benefit of no huge teams trying to steal him.
I don't think any supporter should ever go against anothers view and personal opinion of the situation. I'm an almost eternal optimist, and i am tearing my hair out at Bruce, that's not me being negative, that's me feeling that something i love passionately is being mismanaged. I also agree with a lot of the points , i agree we've progressed under Bruce, i agree the overall squad is stronger, that doesn't make him beyond reproach, as if we stop progressing, then we go backwards. I will tell you now, the signings, or lack of , we make between now and the deadline are absoultely make or break, and i promise i will be spitting fire at Bruce if we get this wrong. If anyone wants to have a pop at me for that, they can kiss my tight (proudly) Mackem arsehole. I will refrain from any negativity until the window shuts, but i will be given my unedited and vocal opinion the second it does. Chappaz, Absolutely mate, and Cisse is that man, sign him, Bruce can have 9 fresh lives off me. A bent replacement is 100% what is required
Well you'd know Chippie. You are an aficionado of everything red & white after all. To set the record straight, a goal poacher in the vein of DB is EXACTLY what we require at this moment.
