Despite all the great talk yet again at the end of last seasons great escape volume 3 and the promise of huge investment to stop it occuring for a fourth year on the trot, the demise of the Lombaerts deal today (or so it would seem) for whatever reason is starting to make those little voices come back for me. Why are we so **** at getting players over the threshold at Sunderland? Why are other clubs able to just put a bid in, have it accepted, speak to the player, have a medical and introduce them to the public whilst we create saga's every year. If stories are to be believed, Advocaat handed Short and Congleton a list of players as he left last May, that he thought we should go for with the new manager. It was a comprehensive list comprising 4 or 5 quality players he knew would change us for the better. However, here we are barely 4 weeks until the kickoff of a new season and our only signings are Coates (who was already here) and Mathews (a player Advocaat has already stated is back up to Jones). We have failed with Lombaerts; seem to be tracking the Scarlet Pimperknel in Lens and our only other transfer dealings are a protracted dispute with Inter over Alvarez and a lets piss off Vergini exercise. It's not great reading to be honest. The club are more secrative than never and no one seems to be bothered. Now, you can call me pessimistic or a doomsday monger all you want people but I'm telling you this is not a good window for us at all so far. We already seem to be on list B or maybe C now of players we are chasing. We don't need more Fletchers and Bridcutts here we need quality. I fear we will get more of the former now and less of the latter. What are Congleton and Byrne actually doing? As well as better players we also need better professionals in the top jobs IMO. I'm not confident at all tonight that we won't be in yet another relegation scrap this season.
I'm also a little concerned but there's plenty of time yet. I'm sure we're not the only team to have these issues, we simply don't know about other teams' holdups because we have no inclination to look into it in any detail. From the outside, I'm sure Noriwch, West Brom, etc. fans probably all feel the same. Just look at Stoke and Shaqiri
Not much we can do about Lombaerts if he doesn't fancy challenging himself in the Premiership. Lens should be confirmed by tomorrow, and he'll bring some much-needed pace to our attack. Matthews was definitely needed given how often Jones is injured, and Coates was outstanding towards the end of the season. Have a little patience mate!
Yes, all other clubs just snap their fingers and sign whoever they want How are the club being secretive? Your post is nothing but guesswork & supposition .......... as you say 'the window so far'. Very few clubs have done anything better than we have excluding the likes of Man City. Until the big moves are done the smaller moves have to wait, nothing surprising.
Nearly every close season sadly but equally sadly that's why I've seen and heard all the crap far too many times not to recognise it as such. We are already yet again on the back foot in a transfer window IMO.
Ok, I'll get me coat for the bad pun, and because I also disagree we're on the back foot already. Dick said he wanted 5-6 players, if Lens signs that'll be 4 in. As for quality, I'm going to trust to Dick's 29 years of experience that he knows what he wants for his squad this season and that he is getting those players he wants. So, all in all, I'm comfortable where we are so far this window.
I’ve listed the amount of players each club has signed so far and highlighted those clubs we will/should be competing against. In all honesty we are in a pretty similar position to most. Yes, the newly promoted clubs have went mad as all do, but other than Swansea and Stoke we are more or less similar to the other clubs barring 1 or 2 signings. I’m certainly not worried yet as there is still a long way to go. Also, we need to take into consideration is every signing made going to be an automatic first team player? If we take Stoke for instance, Shay Given is probably going to be back up to Jack Butland. Arsenal - 1 Aston Villa - 4 Bournmouth - 7 Chelsea - 3 Palace - 1 Everton - 3 Leicester - 3 Liverpool - 6 Man City - 3 Man Utd - 4 Newcastle - 1 Norwich - 2 Southampton - 4 Stoke - 7 Sunderland - 2 Swansea - 5 Spurs - 3 Watford - 6 WBA - 1 West Ham - 4
It's guesswork and opposition exactly for the reasons the club are the secret society as per usual. Why can't they just comment on a signing if it failed? By the way, on Sky website, I see the likes of Stoke, simikar clubs that will be around us, have signed 7; Watford 6; Southampton and West Ham 4; Swansea 5 and Bournemouth 7. Palace and Newcastle have signed only one each but they are top target signings. I have been the voice of doom for many on here for 3 or 4 seasons, you included but despite you telling me every year I'm this or that negative so and so and all will be well, weve not signed the quality and been bottom scrapers for 3 consecutive years. You may choose to be hoodwinked I'm not. Our transfer window isn't dependent on the big clubs moving and shaking, its about what we are prepared to do that matters. Coates and Mathews have not moved us any higher than we currently already are IMO.
If you truly think Coates and Mathews have significantly improved us then I give up. 24 hours ago the Lombaerts deal was a done one according to many but tonight its off. Will Lens sign? Who knows but my gut tells me we are already back peddling on targets.
Stoke have just lost their player of the year and one of the best keepers in the league for half his value. As replacements they've signed Shay Given, a loanee, a 31 year old free transfer, etc etc Yes, they're flying.
Lombaerts travelled, for a medical presumably and to sign as wages would have been discussed already so what did he see or hear that made him flee? Congleton and Byrne couldn't sell breath to a dying man IMO and our doF is a rank amateur.
Yeah you tell me every year that all will be well but every year they aren't. You keep believing in fairies and such and I'll keep a more realistic approach.
You've just ignored everything I've said about Stoke because it doesn't fit your 'argument' ...... you don't change do you
Dick wanted quality, I agree. But quality isn't going to walk into a mess like us without some persuasion, so negotiations are going to take time, both with selling clubs and the players themselves. We won't get every target but it doesn't worry me, there's loads of players out there who'll improve us all looking for a taste of the Premier League. I'm happy with how it's going myself.
Coates came good at the end of the season, maybe, maybe not as a result of Dick's influence. I don't know, I'm not closely involved so how the **** would I know, but I'm certainly not pissed off by him signing. As for Matthews, yes, I think he gives us more options and improves us. Given what we've had, I don't think that's too difficult. He also has a **** load of experience for one of his age. Lombaerts isn't signing, hardly the end of the world is it. And no reason to throw bricks at Congers and Dick either. Fingers crossed, Lens will sign, maybe even tonight, who knows. I don't see why what's happening would be regarded as back peddling. Most teams never get all their preferred options. They have a wish-list and do what they can to get who they can from it. That's not back-peddling. I guess if you're already setting the disappointment bar so low, you won't be too disappointed if the club does **** up. I'll do what I do every season with high hopes. Stupid, naive maybe, but my glass is always half full.
Mathews looked excellent this morning in the that 45 minutes of football. He's way better than Jones, can tell already. As for Coates, I've not seen a cb in Sunderland colours play a perfect game since John Mensah. He was outstanding back end of last season and I've no doubt his defensive contributions against Everton, Leicester and Arsenal played a major part in keeping us up. He was outstanding. More of that? Yes please.
