Disappoints me whenever I find out a player isn't living in or around Sunderland. I know it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things but it hurts my pride a touch.
You haven't named anyone other than Ballard who plays in O'niens position. So there would be no need to drop the players you have listed
I think it’s probably likely down to how many properties are rented out in Darras Hall/Wynard for mega money. Off the top of my head I’m not really sure there’s anywhere as unique as Darras over this way. Personally I’d rather live in Whitburn/Cleadon right next to the coast and training ground.
To be honest, if I was a Sunderland player I would live elsewhere. If I was a Newcastle player I’d live elsewhere. I’d want my kids to be hidden and/or I’d want a bit of anonymity. So don’t read it that way.
Sorry, I'm talking about Coventry ... ... I'm well aware of his stats at Sunderland. I'd also say many supporters were indifferent about him and wouldn't have wanted him back if Stewart was fit.
Ok. I will explain again. Our BEST Xl, that is the BEST ELEVEN players we can field and our most regular starters currently aren’t good enough to automatic promotion as we’ve seen the last few seasons. So we can improve as a team. To improve you surely replace the players in your BEST Xl who aren’t as good as those around them, that means SIGNING a better player.
My point is that many players, and managers tbh, don't want to bring their families to live in the NE. People have just mentioned children and that's a big consideration. Also the wives and girlfriends of wealthy players want shops ... sorry but it's true. That sticking point can be overridden by paying massive salaries which Newcastle can do ... ... but I believe they'd choose London every time if the money was the same.
Hence the logic in offering players something different, as we have been since KLD has been here, but which people don't seem to appreciate.
That doesn't take into consideration losing players to injury like Stewart, Clarke, Ballard, Huggins, Cirkin, etc. Perhaps, if they'd stayed fit or we'd signed a good striker the other ten players would've been good enough.
It's one of the few things that really annoys me tbh. We spent year after year after year bribing players, who clearly didn't want to be here, to come to Sunderland. I could list them but it's late and it would take hours.
All teams have injuries though it’s not just us. Last season I’d argue most of our better players were fit pretty much all season. I do agree that a striker could’ve changed our season but to what extent I’ve no idea, the season we scraped play offs we were still 21 points off automatics whilst obvs last season is was 40 but the standard was set so high by those at the top. There’s only probably Cirkin and Evans (my choice personally I know most probably wouldn’t have started him) that were missing. Ballard, Hume, Neil, Ekwah, Clarke, Jobe, Patto all played more than 40 games.
Which ignores Seelt when he’s back from injury. If he’s already identified as first choice when fit and say Zak Johnson is being fast tracked where does an extra CB signed for a couple of million on decent wages put us? A loan CB would work but don’t see point in wasting budget if can instead be spent on CF.
The one that sticks in my mind is Lens. Massive ego and went on to do feck all when he finally got his wish to leave us despite us paying 13.5m for him. Out of them all including 13m Ndong he seemed to be the biggest arrogant tw@t in my opinion
