I’m not sure. RLB doesn’t need to be involved in the latter stages of negotiation and Speakman won’t be involved in the match (apart from picking the team of course ).
I think we're shrewd in our player dealings. For established players,value is difficult to get in the English market,so,we look abroad to do better. Obviously comes with its' problems of language,settling etc., and that certainly does provide its' problems,...hopefully we're on top of that,although, we have goofed a couple of times!
Just normally nothing happens on deadline day on a match day just hope we are done before deadline day
It's weighing up the age old Time/Money argument, where you can use your money to gain more time or take your time and make more money. If you're patient, which is hard for Sunderland fans despite where we've been, we will reap the financial rewards. The flipside is chucking money at it in hopes you save time.
I'm very much in the "take our time to get better" mode. I'm loving the way we're building a side,using a blend of Academy lads mixed with added in. I'm not in the least impatient......I don't think we've got it right yet,so we need more time. If we lose one or two of our young stars in the process,so be itl. I'm confident it'll be right financially for our club and for the players,and we'll start to see the benefit of our ambition very soon.
Their aim seems to be targeting another lump of parachute payments … … they were rotten, in their last PL season, this team is no better.
I definitely see why, its almost romantic. The short term issue is if we don't go up this season, we will be looking at a big revamp. I said before, this is exciting in its own way; We'd lose Cirkin, Neil and Jobe at a minimum. Hume, Ballard and Rigg, there'd be questions asked. Of the loans, I think only Isidor would be retained, with us unable to pay the wage for Mepham and the transfer of Le Fee would be null and void. If you lost the first three named, you're looking at 50 million immediately, I believe.
It will definitely go down to deadline day. It always does. The fact we're playing is only a minor inconvenience as it means Speakman won't be able to watch the match. RLB will be able to be in comms with Speakman, if needed, up to a couple of hours before. And frankly by then any "decisions" will have been made and it will just be formalities / technicalities to complete.
These are just my thoughts on the whole striker scenario and finding the complete profile. Isidor is mint, i love him but I do think his one drawback is his movement in the box, it's good but he's missing those runs where he goes to make one run but changes it to dupe the defender and there's times le fee has gone down the left and we can all see it's going to be a low ball to the front post but he doesn't make the run. He seems to make a run and stick to it rather than changing his run or making those last minute movements in the box. Been a few times a ball has come in and i'm like 'Where is Wilson?'. It's clear the type of striker we want and need in this system is one who is quick, tall, good finishing and good movement too. I worry that this type of striker only has two ways of getting them. Option A - They have already been noticed and because they are the complete profile they are already in the PL or a top league and cost millions Option B - they are an unearthed gem that we try to find and take a chance on before they blossom and get noticed for how good they are in multiple areas, Finishing, movement, tall, pacey etc. I wonder if Abdullahi might be that unearthed gem, from descriptions of him being an out-and-out 9, a good finisher, strong etc from KS and RLB and to the story of him going into the 21s changing room and giving trey advice on his movement. I wonder if we have that striker already at the club. The caveat being his surgery and the length of time out is really going to make it so we don't actually get to see him much at all this season. Sorry for the ramble just my thoughts. I think the system would fully click if we found a striker that could use that movement to get chances from the flashes across the box we make etc. That said Isidor is class, I love him and he is doing really well. I'd just love to see that extra bit added to his game
Absolutely no reason why we can't do business right up the deadline. It's not as if O9 is doing the medicals and Patto sorting the contracts (*/ insert dropping the pen joke here /*)
Assgaard is a decent player and Kone has potential. They’re probably better long term bets than previous Luton signings but asking a lot for them to step up immediately in a struggling side.
Add to this that the £50 million will then be spent replacing / improving the squad with some serious money and it isnt necessarily all doom and gloom if we didnt make it this year. Not that it will be doom and gloom as I do believe this is our year for promition
