Now lets see if the grass is greener

[standbythelads]

The ex pros have now moved into journalism and Mon is one of their former crew. They all pixx in the same pot and you never hear them call one another. Wouldn't give tuppence for their comments apart from Keane and Neville.

 

[MackemsRule]

The ex pros have now moved into journalism and Mon is one of their former crew. They all pixx in the same pot and you never hear them call one another. Wouldn't give tuppence for their comments apart from Keane and Neville.

So only ex pro's that YOU deem worthy have any credence?
If they were ex pro's with an axe to grind with SAFC I would be doubtful.

Micky Gray said it all, the players have to take responsibility.

"So where do we go from here Sunderland? Do we just keep sacking managers or do we start pointing the finger at the players..!!!"

Call me daft but I will go along with Micky rather than you as he has no axe to grind.

 

[Steven Royston O'Neill]

Not sure if the grass will be greener but it cant get any more scorched.

When have players ever carried the can, in our world we fail, we are sacked, seems in football those rules dont apply.

Cant see how we can blame the club, they appointed O'Neill, gave him free reign and money to spend.

In the end he failed, we all have opinions on why and I'm sure no true Sunderland fan wanted him to. His downfall for me was his transfer dealings.

My season ticket was renewed weeks ago and I will continue to support my club, I enjoy the day out. I supported Bruce till the end, O'Neill was not my choice but got my support until the end, if its Di Canio, who excites me, then fine by me.

 

[standbythelads]

Have you ever managed or studied the art of management? One role is to weed out individuals who are under performing and the other is to be meticulous with recruitment and ensure you have a team pulling together. That's what you get paid for. Micky might be sitting on some studio sofa with Mon soon. Easier to blame 'anonymous players' than the specific manager. Complete cop out.

 

[Davie 1973]

We were a dead man walking with Mon, nailed on certs for the drop. Now we have a chance, that's all.

I agree. MONs record speaks for itself , just 16 wins in 55 matches.

I was over the moon when he was appointed , but sadly things didn't work out.

 

[MackemsRule]

Not sure if the grass will be greener but it cant get any more scorched.

When have players ever carried the can, in our world we fail, we are sacked, seems in football those rules dont apply.

Cant see how we can blame the club, they appointed O'Neill, gave him free reign and money to spend.

In the end he failed, we all have opinions on why and I'm sure no true Sunderland fan wanted him to. His downfall for me was his transfer dealings.

My season ticket was renewed weeks ago and I will continue to support my club, I enjoy the day out. I supported Bruce till the end, O'Neill was not my choice but got my support until the end, if its Di Canio, who excites me, then fine by me.

Really?
The only time we have seen you back is to put him down.

Just droped by to say that I am positive that O'Neill makes Mr Bruce look a tactical genius.

Off home now.

Wouldn't it be funny If Mr O'Neill took us down

And

Mr Bruce brought Hull up.

The prroblem is a simple one, a manager who has made bad buys, played boring negative tactics, poor selection and substitutions.

Not Shorts fault or the clubs fault, all down to a past his sell by date manager.

whats all this **** I keep reading about the manager needs time.

yes he needs time to turn us into a top 8 team.
yes he needs time to make us top 4.

does he need time to stop us from being relegated, is that what you are saying?

Martin O’Neill’s reputation has always seemed peculiarly bulletproof. Just the other week, in an appearance on the Football Focus sofa, John Hartson was still tipping him to succeed Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager.

It was like being transported back to the early 2000s, a time when pre-Roman Abramovich Chelsea were considered largely inoffensive underachievers, Michael Ricketts was in proud possession of an England cap and O’Neill was widely regarded as one of the most promising managers of the new millennium.

However, a decade on and after a disastrous run of two wins from his last league 22 games as Sunderland manager, some uncomfortable questions are finally being asked about the Northern Irishman’s ability.

Hartson’s suggestion that he should be in the running at Old Trafford is plainly absurd but hardly surprising given the level of devotion he has long inspired in players and supporters alike. Hartson, a staunch O’Neill acolyte and favourite from his Celtic days, where they won numerous titles and reached the final of the UEFA Cup together, understandably continues to champion O'Neill's cause. Yet the popularity he enjoys amongst the public at large, disproportionate to his actual achievements, is rather more mystifying.

Leicester was undoubtedly a prolonged success story. O’Neill turned driven yet limited sorts like Robbie Savage, Matt Elliott and Neil Lennon into a competitive Premiership outfit that steered well clear of the relegation scrap and even lifted the League Cup in 1997 and 2000. Working on a budget brought the best out of O’Neill, forcing him to scour the lower leagues for unpolished talent rather than simply parachuting in the finished product.

By contrast, the free reign over finances he was given at Aston Villa and Celtic proved a costly experience for all concerned. Both clubs have had to scale back their ambitions and expenditures dramatically since O’Neill left. Celtic are still struggling with an inflated wage bill attributable to his period in charge.

Upon arrival in Scotland, he brought Rangers’ extended spell of dominance to an immediate end, delivering a domestic treble in his debut season. Yet the resources committed to coming out on top in this two-horse race are rarely discussed. Courtesy of an unprecedented spending spree, Celtic were able to lure Chris Sutton, John Hartson and Alan Thompson, amongst others, north of the border on huge deals.

Overpaying for such players, who, in their prime, serve an immediate purpose before becoming an unwieldy and impossible-to-shift burden, is something of an O’Neill specialty.

He left a similarly expensive legacy at Aston Villa, where Stephen Warnock and Richard Dunne—bought for big fees and of limited resale value—remain in situ. Some, including Emile Heskey, Carlos Cuellar and Habib Beye, finally left over the summer. Beye, like Bobo Balde before him, stubbornly saw out an overly generous long-term contract without troubling the first team.

The expected call from one of England’s elite clubs, or the national team, failed to materialise after O’Neill’s trophy-laden tenure at Celtic. So he pitched up at Villa Park instead, where—flush with investment from Randy Lerner—he was expected to propel them towards the Top Four.

A net spend of £84 million during his time in the Midlands brought successive sixth-place finishes, but the Champions League remained elusive. Significantly, O’Neill left when he found the American owner unwilling to throw good money after bad by continuing to back him in the transfer market.

How would you feel about having Martin O'Neill at your club?
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Although many managers have narrow horizons when it comes to scouting, O’Neill is one of the worst culprits. His tendency to pay a premium for unexceptional British players rather than risk looking further afield for bargains, in evidence at both Villa and Celtic, can be seen in his Sunderland dealings as well.

Indeed, he dedicated the entire summer and £12 million to chasing Steven Fletcher when Swansea acquired the infinitely more talented and versatile Miguel Pérez Cuesta for a sixth of that fee.

Aside from a love of the chequebook, his methods remain distinctly old-school. He is a motivator more than an innovator. The virtues of this approach (loyalty to a preferred starting XI, an anachronistic fondness for wingers—Steve Guppy, Stewart Downing, Ashley Young and Adam Johnson—and emphasis on an up-tempo playing style) may have outweighed the drawbacks for a time, but not now.

Football has evolved, O’Neill has not; he continues to get by on residual goodwill as it stands.

Yeah he certainly got your full support.

 

[Steven Royston O'Neill]

Really?
The only time we have seen you back is to put him down.

Every home game, season ticket renewed well before yesterday, yep, my full support.

This is just a forum, not the real world, a place for the odd wind up. TBH I find it a little sad that you have taken the trouble to search out posts but hey, mabe sad is the word.

Off again before you shout at me.















Yeah he certainly got your full support.

L

 

[MackemsRule]

L

Most intelligent response I have ever seen from you.