Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v West Bromwich Albion - Tuesday 26th November 2024 - KO 20:00

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Your Prediction:


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I mean more rotate coming as on a sub mate, he can play both positions so getting him last 20 for one of them would make more sense than starting every week imo.
I knew exactly what you meant. He wouldn’t be coming on for Jobe is more my point - that lad plays 90 minutes regardless of performance.
 
I knew exactly what you meant. He wouldn’t be coming on for Jobe is more my point - that lad plays 90 minutes regardless of performance.
Good job he’s our best player by a distance I guess - and has warranted virtually every minute he’s had.
 
Improved so much in the last few months. Still only 19 though, it’s a shame we don’t have other options in the middle of the park to rotate these young lads. Rigg is special but the way it’s currently going he’ll burn out this season.
We have form for doing this, jobe last season, Doyle a couple of years ago
 
Massively but I also think people judge it on him being our boy wonder (who has been class this season)

I love rigg, I've said several times he's the best youngster I've ever seen at the club but he's off it at the minute. I don't mind him starting games but there's got to be times when he is brought off when he's not on it

He's only 17 so he will have plenty of poor games, so nothing wrong with the odd rest

the perfect 'riggy' post mate, i am obviously no coach but i look at it that these lads will have sh1t games and dropping them for a game or two would not do them any harm, they need that time to reassess and realise they still have plenty to learn...i simply feel that at such an early age a bad performance will affect them and once they take a step back they will see that they are good players and everyone has bad games, not an easy job to get that mindset into teens though.

personally, i thought we played well against a team that came here not to lose and we should have taken more care over our shooting, just delay it a second rather than stabbing at it.

ref watch, probably the best game i have seen 'mad-ley' have for us, but that linesman just wanted to give anything against us.

i am sure RLB has been aiming to get mepham and ballard together at the back so wondering where onien will fit in now, although they hardly had anything to do, they did seem to pair well.

mepham gets my MotM though, apart from one 'lost it in the floodlights' mistake he just moved around mopping up.
 
Perhaps I could phrase the question a bit more clearly.

If we buy a specialist CDM do we drop Jobe or Rigg as a regular starter irrespective of substitutions, rotation or end of season burn out ...

... and where would Neil play to make the most of his talents.
 
There’s a train of thought that Dan Neil is only playing CDM because we have no one else for that role …

… if we buy someone, in January, who would we drop for Neil, Jobe or Rigg?
I would drop Dan and put Luke in there and leave Mepham and Ballard in behind him, he has been immense this season and doesnt deserve to be dropped, when he has played in central midfield before he was younger, less experienced and with poor quality central defenders behind him. He can use both feet and reads the game well from deep. Cant be any worse than Dan has been this season and I hate digging him out.
 
I would drop Dan and put Luke in there and leave Mepham and Ballard in behind him, he has been immense this season and doesnt deserve to be dropped, when he has played in central midfield before he was younger, less experienced and with poor quality central defenders behind him. He can use both feet and reads the game well from deep. Cant be any worse than Dan has been this season and I hate digging him out.
Luke O’Nien is a defender, that’s it. Keep him well away from the midfield. It hasn’t worked previously and won’t in the future.
 
Luke O’Nien is a defender, that’s it. Keep him well away from the midfield. It hasn’t worked previously and won’t in the future.


What about the People who said he would never be a defender? He actually marked that bloke from Sheff WEd out of the game in the play off semi, Barry Batman
 
the perfect 'riggy' post mate, i am obviously no coach but i look at it that these lads will have sh1t games and dropping them for a game or two would not do them any harm, they need that time to reassess and realise they still have plenty to learn...i simply feel that at such an early age a bad performance will affect them and once they take a step back they will see that they are good players and everyone has bad games, not an easy job to get that mindset into teens though.

personally, i thought we played well against a team that came here not to lose and we should have taken more care over our shooting, just delay it a second rather than stabbing at it.

ref watch, probably the best game i have seen 'mad-ley' have for us, but that linesman just wanted to give anything against us.

i am sure RLB has been aiming to get mepham and ballard together at the back so wondering where onien will fit in now, although they hardly had anything to do, they did seem to pair well.

mepham gets my MotM though, apart from one 'lost it in the floodlights' mistake he just moved around mopping up.

Thought the only thing he could have done differently is book their keeper for time wasting (as early as the first half to be honest)
 
Luke O’Nien is a defender, that’s it. Keep him well away from the midfield. It hasn’t worked previously and won’t in the future.
He provided most of our dangerous balls into the box last night, he was much further advanced than usual, the lad done well, he is worth a try rather than persisting with a clearly out of sorts Dan Neil. His distribution has improved massively since his last midfield appearances.
 
Agree. Need to see it step up in Jan IMO. If he doesn't trust the bench, move them on and get some better quality in. Can not flog these young lads into the ground. Fatigue will set in massively and mistakes will be made. I would argue we have already seen that bite us a few times this season. Coventry and Millwall etc.
If I remember rightly though everyone and his dog was saying this about Jobe last season and to my mind it’s made him into the player he is this season
 
If I remember rightly though everyone and his dog was saying this about Jobe last season and to my mind it’s made him into the player he is this season

Not sure Jobe having a poor half a season last year because he was knackered has made him a better player this season mind.

My own take on it is that it boils down to whether we want to be a club who sacrifices promotion for developing players. There’s far too many in our fanbase who A) think we are better than we are based on comments made about other clubs in and around us and B) would refuse better players because they’d potentially be replacing someone like Rigg or Neil. We are a good championship team with some top youngsters but we can certainly improve - otherwise we’d be running away with the league. We can’t handicap ourselves by playing too many young lads who will inevitably end up shining and getting a move away from here whilst we’ll find ourselves no further forward. It’s all about balance and having players in and around these lads who will help them thrive and knowing how and when to use others ie Rigg and Watson.
 
Sky referred to Jobe as Bellingham all game has he reverted to using his full name as I forgot to look at the name on his shirt.
If he hasn’t think Sky are being disrespectful to the lad which isn’t a surprise as I rarely have the volume up louder then needs be to follow the bits the cameras don’t show if that makes sense.

They must've heard about us taking the piss when Sheff Wed play and they keep saying "Barry Bannan". Maybe they kept saying Jobe Bellingham to get their own back! <laugh>
 
If they can work on it tactically wouldn’t be against a 343. It’s a great formation in football gets employed a lot more

fully fit

patto
Mepham O9 Ballard
Hume Neil Jobe Cirkin
Roberts Isidor Mundle

just a suggestion
 
The question is.... How much will selling Clarke contribute to our kitty in Jan, and how ambitious will our owners be to take a risk and take us to the next level in that window

I don't think they will mate. maybe spread the money over two or three signings will be the best we can hope for, in fact it may already have been spent, on deals like the Roberts contract, in which fingers have been burnt , large investments ie like for like is not part of the plan imo.
 
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