Joking aside there seems to only be a *** paper between our clubs in terms of under delivering at present. It's a long summer so let's hope things pick up for the North East in general as all ai see at the mo is a talent drain...
Spot on. I'd put him in our team ahead of Ameobi, Lovenkrands, Best and Ranger. If we've got him for nowt then that's champion. I only hope he can agree personal terms, as our club seems to be increasingly stingy when it comes to wages. I'll be disappointed if he's the only attacking signing we make until the end of the window, but I'm pretty sure he won't be. There's another 70 odd days left of the window...
Talent drain is something I don't really see, for both clubs there's a lot of promising youths coming through which is good for the future (it's not so good if they go south at the first offer that comes in unless it's a stupid offer like we've seen), all that's gone is your boy Carroll and Jordan for us, players come and go as a fact of life in football. As long as progress is made on the pitch each season I don't see it as much of a problem.
I have to agree with you lad, although in all honesty Barton is still and will always be a di*k who in the real world without his money would be serving an asbo somewhere if not inside.
He is a dick, it would be a brave club to come and buy him.....an English club anyway, I think he is only a liked man in Newcastle these days. Even if the club try to peddle him out they might find it hard to get shot. Who knows.
On last seasons form on the pitch, clubs should be lining up to get him, but his attitude is always questionable and that will always be his biggest problem unfortunately. I think he would provide the bite in midfield that England is missing which would make us more difficult to walk over but it'll never happen, just cos his name is Joey Barton.
Very true, that boat has sailed for him now. He can't keep his trap shut like. Good for the fans because he feeds us no bull **** but it's also what's burning his bridges with the club.
Don't you dare tell anyone jarramag but I'd love to have Barton in a Sunderland shirt (I know it wont happen) because I like players with attitude and arrogance. It rubs off on the team and its the same reason I like Bellamy. You need that 'I dont give a ****' attitude to succeed in sport and ALL the top sportsmen and women in the world have it in droves. I think we actually lack a bit of that edge and that its one of the reasons we struggled for the second half of the season. We need more winning characters in our dressing room and on the pitch.
True but it needs to be the right arrogance, ****ers like Diouff and Chimbonda are prime examples of the wrong characters to have at a club.
I think Cattermole fits the description quite well. He's a lot like Barton in many ways, just not as much of a ****er off the pitch.
He's a different kind of player to Barton, not as mobile nor as inclined to get forward, but your right a similair kind of attitude and also has had (still has) his issues off the pitch, with beer and a big gob.
I think football-wise he's a lot more like the Barton who played central midfield, not Barton the winger.
Love them or hate them, these kinds of players are very rarely away form the centre of attention. They influence games and teams but carry some baggage many find uncomfortable and I agree Catts falls into this category for some. He is certainkly no angel and has been less than clever off the pitch but is maturing quickly and I like him as a player and a captain. We just need 4 or 5 equally big characters and we will be flying.
Spot on, when it's been tough this season we've had very few players standing up and being counted (can only really think of Bardsley off the top of my head) which is pretty poor when you really think about it.
