Think hell on is a bit far but I do remember serious criticism being aimed at the club for the buy back clause in the Cirkin deal. Similar to how the club are currently being criticised for the sell on fees.
People will twist about anything. There is a fixation with sell on percentages and buy back clauses. Just like the meltdown when it was revealed he "only" owned 41% of the club and people were raging that he'd lied to us about holding a majority share.....only for people to then point out the initial press release from the club only ever said "controlling share". If people want to twist, they'll always find something
Given we were a League One club and Cirkin was relatively highly rated I think that clause is a very big reason we got him and , imo, should be applauded
We're all waiting for you, can you at least make something up to whip us up into a mass hysteria of arguments and plane tracking?
It’s a gift and a curse how in house we keep things now! Fans get buzzing every window the it always ends up boring until about 2 days before a signing is announced
Sunderland, to my dismay, were a club regularly having our pants pulled down with incoming/outgoing transfers, sell on clauses and agents ... it was appalling and weak We now have a regime clearly making a stand ( or running the club on a shoestring and talking out all the profits depending on your point of view.) They're obviously making sure clubs, players, agents, supporters, etc know that we won't just cave in, every time, and pay people on their terms, not ours. The problem is, imo, you make an exception and that quickly becomes the rule. Once people scent blood they'd be like a pack of wolves. Agents, especially, talk amongst themselves and deliberately try to unsettle players. Once the wage structures are compromised they're scrap imo. All very annoying when we all want more but sometimes more is less ....
Generally supportive of the clubs approach. Probably loads of things happening we don’t know and complications that aren’t our fault, but I will definitely be frustrated if Mayenda gets an injury Saturday and we have Hemir or Rusyn up top. We need to land someone to cover a season and a half long glaring weakness, but I bet it’s hard going nailing it.
So whats the alternative? Continue the 3.5 year streak of not signing a competent striker that can score goals in this league? We have to flex or make a move at some point otherwise the same toothless displays will be watched over and over again. The different a quality 9 makes to us is there for all to see. There is no logic or excuse if we don't deliver again.
Plenty time left in the window however going into the season with EM as the number nine is pretty poor he has talent but no where near ready what makes it worse for me is we are two strikers away from a very very good squad
Yeah I agree, we simply have to bring a striker in with goals behind him and a good amount of appearances behind him. (Obviously, fit our style ofc). We can't go into another season of attack after attack and no goals coming from it and our wingers being doubled up on, it's just not on
All the noise out of the club says they know they need to bring an experienced number 9 in. For whatever reason they haven't been able to execute on it, yet. There's all sorts of reasons why it might be. And if Mendy has been due to join us for weeks and weeks that could be one of them. Like with the Still situation as Head Coach though, you wonder whether patience will pay off or if alternatives need to be sought. Not having the new "number 9" for the start of the season is very disappointing. But if Mendy (or whoever) ends up signing and scoring 20+ goals you would think it was worth the wait.
Could do with a proper update on Mendy like, seems to have dropped his statement and nothing is coming from it yet, feels like it's been quiet with him for a good bit
I'd like to think we might get news on outgoings as well. Embo, Bennette, Matete, Hemir. One or two of them will surely go this week. I was actually just thinking that I can't remember a start of the season with this little change / disruption to our previous season's squad. Just 3 signings - one of them being a sub keeper. Normally this time of year I'd be excited to see the new squad numbers (I'm a geek). But there's actually very little change possible. Probably Dan Neil will take the number 4. And either Rigg or Browne will take 8 once Embo leaves. I imagine Poveda will take the 11. In an ideal world they'd loan Hemir out and use it as a chance to take the 9 of him and give it to the new striker. It was utterly stupid giving him that shirt. Set expectations both internally and externally too high.
