Speakman said this about the striker issue "We are really fortunate that we have seven or eight really versatile front players and our option has been, if we need to, to use them in a different way," Speakman told the club's podcast SAFC Unfiltered. He clearly believes what we have is fine. I say it's not. Form shows it too.
The decision to not be pragmatic and adjust our model slightly to give an option. Not just use our other wingers as make shift strikers.
I think that's what people used to call putting a brave face on ... .. these days it's called not giving the existing players a ready made excuse.
Seems like your speculating off the back of his statement ..... Only pulling your plonker by the way!
You're dead right, I'm just speculating .... we all are. I just find it strange that every Sunderland supporter in the world could clearly see what Speakman doesn't. If his ineptitude has cost KLD, and the club, promotion to the PL he should be sacked on the spot. It's totally unacceptable that he's wasted a golden opportunity for SAFC.
Problem is, players won't sign knowing they will be 3rd choice. This is what torpedoed the Broadhead deal. When you know we only play with 1 striker and joining the club means you are behind Simms as well as Stewart then most players would question how much game time they'll get. Broadhead joined Wigan because whilst they had 4 or 5 strikers already, none of them were a standout 1st choice.
Speakman was never going to say anything else. I'm not sure why some fans think the brutal truth is a necessity. Speakman could turn around and say something like "The owner wouldn't spend big money on a striker so we were looking at cheaper options. 4 strikers turned us down because they didn't want to be in the North East or got more money at Middlesbrough and QPR so we took our 5th choice and got Joffy". What benefit is that to anyone? It pisses off the owner and the fans and demotivates players. If I have 1 striker at my club, I can't do anything about it for 6 months and I need performances, I'd tell him I think he's next Pele if it helps. I'd tell him that we don't need another and I'd tell those lads on the bench that I think they can score goals too so hopefully they feel confident when they come on. You'd have to be very naive to think Speakman is in the business of complete honesty. You don't tell your wife that "statistically" there's many more attractive women out there or that if you hadn't been rejected the week before, you might not have looking in the first place. You tell her why she's special.
Its usually not conspiracy but cock-up... Imho it isn't cos they are trying to con us, anybody who knows anything about football knows you need a full deck to play a decent game. It was the luck of the draw (continuing the card metaphor), with Everton trumping us with Broadhead (wouldn't up the ante?) and Simms. Then we stuck with LND, and perhaps stuck with our process too slavishly when we should have twisted with a couple of short-term stop gaps.
It's a cock up if they knew they needed someone and didn't bother trying to sign anyone. And a cock up if they didn't think they needed someone. I don't believe either is the case.
I think it shows they were not desperate enough to go up this season, if it meant jeopardising the progress made so far, that's what I call sound reasoning.
If anyone hasn't already, I would listen to the What the Falk podcast. In it they bring up the lack of a replacement striker and make some good points - some of them along the lines of what Prehab have said but without concentrating on the same point over and over
I voted other because if we don’t make the playoffs it’s simply because after 46 games there are six teams above us. There are too many variables for any of us to know the reasons behind any decision the club makes so in my opinion, whinging about specifics is futile. As supporters we need to get behind this young team and give the current crop the best chance possible of getting into the playoffs.
The club may well have decided to sign Simms permanently, Broadhead permanently, Doyle permanently, etc etc etc. I decided to take Clare Grogan on a date when she was with Altered Images. Same result ... ... a polite audience and refusal leaving me totally frustrated
They have the mitigating factors of Stewart, Simms and lousy timing. They did try but not hard enough so failed the supporters, the young team and the manager. When Donald overpaid for Grigg, I wasn't angry cos he got what most of us thought we needed. It obviously turned out to be a disaster. I am angry with Speakman though because his lack of action was clearly going to jeopardize our promotion hopes.
That's just guesswork stated as fact again. Every club tries to be the best, only Man City ever seem to achieve it. If you believe that means 91 clubs have failed then fair enough.
Sorry but that's the bit I don't agree with. Do you really think that he's said to people around him, sod it I'm happy with what we've got and where we are in the league so that's us done - I can't see it myself. Maybe they were relying on Everton getting someone in and us getting Simms back but do you really believe that its the only avenue they would've looked at? That striker Nemeth we looked at name checked us, so we went after him and with no rumours getting out these days we don't really find out who else we were after but I don't believe there was a lack of action from anyone at the club regarding recruitment
