Important and fair to note that this was to detriment of our performances and league position last year. Constantly playing every minute absolutely damaged our form and league position last year. So it's not all good. I have also mentioned in the last about the (spotlight) speakman puts on players and both Mowbray and RLB has had this on them. Beale was here such a short time and the in squad discontent took massive priority. Definitely don't want to cause a rift on here as speakman has done a really good job, can not question that. But it's definitely a bit of a pattern with the same players getting unlimited minutes with bench players not getting minutes, almost like the club have written them off and are prioritising the ones that have a bigger upside. Again, you could argue that this is similar to last year, even when players are dead on the feet they last the full 90. That's not right. Is that RLB or again the spotlight? Think this is what @Bob the Mackem will be talking about.
I've said this before to you Bob and I'll say it again; People are aware through things you have said that you have connections to players and ex-players, managers, coaches and you have even spoke about knowing KLD, Speakman and Donald so people assume you are connected to club so when you come out and say It isn't until the last few lines you say imo by the way, I remember reading it when you posted it thinking that's a bit late after making it sound like you hear/know stuff! The bit in bold in particular makes it sound like you have inside info and rest of us are mugs for believing the pr machine! I'm not at all surprised people have reacted how they have. But you come along acting like it's their fault!
Aye mate that's all I do is talk bulls**t I don't need to prove it at all, the facts says that Bainbridge hasn't had minutes since Ndaba rejoined them
Yes I can read You don't say it's your opinion until the end, the rest you act like it's facts You will then send me private messages trying to stir things at the club, I've never once asked you send me stuff privately but you like to stir things and paint people in the club in a bad light That's why I called you out on you acting like it's facts So mature calling me scout 69
As I've said above its the way he does it. Comes along talks like he has an inside knowledge and that he has heard x,y,z isn't right at the club then he usually waits until to expand or explain says its just my opinion. I think this is one of the few times he has said its his opinion but it was written as a fact then the opinion comment was at the very end!
I'd understand it if it was a pattern across the board but it makes no sense for the club to be apparently forcing some players to start but then being fine with Ballard being benched and plenty other examples. I'd also argue that Jobe playing consistently last season has lead to him being the player he is right now and he wouldn't be close to how good he is right now without having a mistake filled season.
He just doesn't put it across the right way. I have said that certain players have been given more game time due to the parameters that speakman sets. This was ages ago and I was laughted at on here. Then Mowbray also said the same at the talk in the other week. It's definitely been talk in some circles for a good while. I do get the purpose of it, as it's our model. However, what we have to consider is the short term damage it may do. Yes, Jobe is better this year but last year he was poor and the teams performances suffered due to it. You could argue Rigg is following the same pattern as Jobe last year and I would say, short term, Rigg has been poor and overall team performance and results are suffering. Patterns.
TBF there is only Ballard and even then he has been injured and they wanted to bring back slowly. If fit, I didn't think he will be dropped again this season. I stated on here before the last game that they don't want Ballard benched. Unless he gets a knock I'll be amazed to see him on the sidelines.
Not really. Mayenda not playing over a loanee makes no business sense, Alese not playing in either of the last 2 games over a 30 year old centre back playing full back doesn't make much sense, Aleksic getting no minutes behind players like Connolly. Quite expensive players with potential been bombed from the squad as well. Agree on Ballard. A player like him should be pushing himself ahead of both O'Nien and Mepham really.
It’s RLB. Rigg (the only player who really fits the brief this season) didn’t start the season in the team. Browne did. However it quickly became apparent that Rigg was better. The retconning of events to continually demonstrate that there’s something murky going on is weird. Now we’re saying that speakman is pressuring managers to drop players that speakman brought in? Players who get used by fans as a stick to beat him with? Could it not be something as simple as the club identifying players with massive talent and recognising that these types of players need minutes to develop to benefit Sunderland on the pitch? Given that was proven in the case of Bellingham it seems likely. The Speakman debate is boring. It’s peppered with completely made up nonsense from people who long since decided that he’s bad and are always on the lookout for evidence of this. See Bob’s (I’ll be charitable) complete misunderstanding of RLBs comments about January. The reality is far more mundane. They just see football club development to be a longer term process than some Sunderland fans are willing to accept. They’ll take short term pain for long term gain. Many Sunderland fans these days piss their pants if we drop two points.
Alese and Mayenda both returning from injuries. The bomb for the squad is players, I feel the have wrote off. That's why they tried everything to shift in window and no one would take them due to wages. Since then they have been completely drifted and mostly play with the U21s. Why on earth would our midfield play every single minute when other options are on the bench? It's the upside and the in market players who everyone wants. It's the same as last year. Rigg is last year's Jobe IMO. It's a balance though, as I said, short term results can tank, and they have at forcing minutes into these players
I like the way that Speakman is picking the team and pushing certain players but then changes the team he picks and the players he’s pushing each time a new head coach comes in. Thinks he’s smart but it takes more than that to get past us.
No I get that but do you also not consider the point I made about getting the balance. Yeah, it's great that we will develop these players and the price will be higher next year. What about short term performance drops and results. We seen it last year and TBF with no win in 6 weeks we have seen in now. We have been crying out for some of these, higher priced players to be taken off for fresh legs. They haven't. I don't think it's RLB as the same happened under Dodds and Mowbray, as previously stated.
You said this when I said it was happening under Mowbray. Who has literally come out and said he felt pressured to pick certain players. Surely that is sufficient enough to show there is an element of truth in this ?
One of Lorient’s fans’ main criticisms of RLB was his lack of use of subs and the squad so I’d say it’s more likely an issue with him rather than ‘the spotlight’.
Mowbray is a pure self preservationist. He’s tapped into the murmurs from the fans and used it as his defence. You compare what actually happened against his version of events and it just doesn’t stack up at all. His version has Dack never signing and Aouchiche playing every minute for example.
If it was in isolation, I would agree. But for me, it's more of a club parameter decision and Frazier has said, take some short term pain for longer term gain. The arguement will be, what's that for though, selling? It's a tough arguement but I do absolutely believe the chatter that there is some pressure for certain players to get as many minutes as possible, and I am uncomfortable with that. I was under Mowbray, Dodds and now RLB.
With respect Dack is the needle in the haystack. I don't think he is to be honest. One minute most were calling him uncle Tone and loving him, now because he has said something that goes against the grain he is a self preservationist?
Mowbray too is renowned for his 65 minute substitutions, that didn’t change here and was very different from RLB, Alex Neil and Dodds. Almost like they all had autonomy to make their own decisions.
