Awful news! Wishing your wife, you and all your family, strength and love. All the best with the treatment and healing. We love our team but as you say so much more to life.
How far do we think we’ll go for Lucumi? I doubt we’ll go up to €28m personally, maybe it’s time to move on to other targets
You are a good poster mate, I completely understand taking a break from here, I do it quite often and although I am not as prolific as most, I find that the break refreshes me. Don't stop posting, yours and other peoples contributions are what make this board, and don't let anyone force you to do what you don't want to do. Illegitimi non carborundum
Jesus mate, puts it all in perspective. Thoughts with her and you, hope it all works out fine, fingers crossed.
Fits it with the rumours at the start of the year about him wanting to leave if they didn't get into the Champions League. If they'd failed he'd have used it to justify leaving. Them qualifying just complicated it. When you add in that they have no director of football now, Mitchell leaving after a year, Dan Ashworth after 2 years after being put on gardening leave for months and rumoured to have wanted out after a year and they've no CEO, it doesn't look good. It doesn't look like there's a clear strategy, too much time taken on transfers without closure and token low ball bids being put in. Now their star player wants out, it makes you wonder who else could be angling for a move. A club's fans should be concerned over stuff like this, but as it's the mags, f@ck 'em.
Having lived through what we’ve lived through over the years I’m amazed any safc fan could ever ‘let them worry’ about the money Bologna are gonna get jittery before the end of the window. Every pound counts in the days of PSR.
Different owners tho, KLD has always talked about being sustainable as a club so that's not going to change all of a sudden
My post wasn’t aimed at you Southern and if that’s how it looked then I sincerely apologise. Don’t stop posting, your a great poster
I’d probably argue that this deal for Lucumi IS a change of sorts. One of the most expensive signings in our history on an older player who we could sign a contract with in January for nowt. If he’s an absolute star then it doesn’t matter. But it’s most certainly a big commitment - and to me I don’t see the need to chase this one so hard (with the bid going up and up) at this exact point in the window. Bologna are going to start feeling the pressure very soon.
Aye. Fair point. But we've never had characters like this running the show before. The other thing to think of I'd say is that we are used to fees of £1.5m to £3m and so on. Now it's £20m and the like. But the numbers will work, it's just all a bit heady for us!
My best wishes to your wife and yourself. Football doesn't matter at times like this. Keeping everything crossed for her and I hope your receive good news in the coming weeks
I think it’s a weird one. Ultimately I’d say that the numbers DON’T work for us. We as a club don’t generate the money to sustain this many £20m signings naturally. This summer is a one-off shot due to us being promoted. It will add debt to the club and mean that we ‘have’ to make more transfer profits down the line. So for me it’s essential that we get it right - and don’t hinder ourselves for the future. Most on here would (and have) told me that it’s not a problem and we have to push to the limit to give ourselves a chance. However it’s only not a problem until it becomes a problem. If this lad is the difference and plays multiple prem seasons at safc than it won’t matter as I say. I’m certainly hoping he’s worth it!
I'd prefer an upgrade but it seems we're somewhere down our list of preferred targets now and if we can't get a definite upgrade, then cheap competition is an absolute must as a plan B.
The trip to Hearts is expect to see a gradual shift away from that approach, with Sunderland now starting to focus on that opening day game against West Ham United. Speaking after the 1-0 defeat to Sporting on Monday, Le Bris confirmed that he would now start to reduce the game time of those on the fringes of the XI and who could yet leave the club either permanently or on loan before the end of the transfer window. - Phil Smith