We’re going to need 5-6 of them games this season against the mid table teams. Them points will be invaluable. Early signs are promising and it hasn’t been this been scary place after all. The recruitment has been quality, the back four costing peanuts really. Roefs and sadiki easily worth more than we paid already
I was thinking that yesterday. How we are able to stand up to everything. It's a vital thing now, the PL just is such a physical league. Especially at the back and through the middle. Over the last seasons a few of the promoted teams have looked fine in loads of games but eventually lost them because they didn't have rocks at the back and real physical presence in the middle of the pitch. Well lose plenty, but we won't get bullied very often .
Interesting that Mayenda wasn’t used. Putting that down to the fact he played twice for Spain u21 and the flow of game, but wouldn’t have minded seeing Brobbey for Wilson and Mayenda for Adingra. Not a complaint as results great but I’d like to see that option with Brobbey central and Talbi/Mayenda wide.
I'm not expecting Monty to reply and not even replying to him to reply to him but to ask the boards thought in him saying it isn't up there with 99? Any stats people on here? I thought this start (7 points frok first 4) was as good as we have had in the top flight for about 80 years and at worst is on par with 99? I think this start has blown me away, got to remember these lads are a new team together apart from a few!
Thats a low bar mind. Both Isidor and Mayenda have bright futures here, as I believe does Brobbey , how they were used yesterday is my only real concern about the game, which felt like a win , and maybe could have been, who knows. OaU
Good post mate. Just on Muklele, he has said himself he prefers RB and feels its more his natural position, however he's clearly a quality all-round defender. I said after the West Ham game, the new lads were getting stuck in, intimidating the west ham players and showed no fear. The tests will come naturally with the likes of Man U etc, but other than the Burnley game, the lads are reading the script of taking points where we need to.
It'll get tried I think. Amazing we look so like a team with all the new lads. I think we'll get better, as individuals and as a side. All good signs for me
1999 was a different world. The gap between the leagues is now gigantic. Reidy's team came up, brought in Schwartz and Bould mainly, and just got on with it and finished 7th Absolutely impossible to do that now without a lot of help IMO.
I was watching a podcast during the summer, a bloke was saying how Sunderland have done something no other promoted side ever do in order to match the physicality of the Premier league and that's recruitment from the French league. We've been doing right from the off. love it.
Mayenda is like a fish out of water wide, more importantly a serious waste of his talent, he was poor in the (international) game that I watched, and from what I see front 3 with Wilson and Mayenda out wide would be scary, even if we had Gyokeres in the middle. As for Brobbey watching his goals on video they are nearly all in the six yard box, he got no where near it while he was on the pitch yesterday, he was a complete waste of a shirt really, not his fault, the blame lies elsewhere imo. Better to have put Rigg and Mayenda on yesterday as the game was crying out for to a straight 4/4/2 as they seriously looked to win the game after about 60 minutes.
Looking forward to seeing an away game where the home team play on the front foot and we can counter attack. Both Burnley and Palace were happy to concede possession, drop into a low block certainly in the 1st half of each game and look to invite us on to them and we dont look to have enough to breakdown the low block currently. My fear is can we do enough to get goals away from home - so potentially we can get 1-1 draws or the odd 1-0 win.
He's one of the "Til The Enders" marra.. He will never be forgotten.. just sign your contract Dan and see what happens.
Brobbey hadn’t played any football since a 16 minute cameo on August 3rd. Needs time to get match fit. But even so, people on RTG calling him lazy and screaming for him to press and run nonstop. That’s not his style. We bought him to have a strong striker who can hold the ball up and get onto the end of things, these types of strikers usually don’t run about non stop Mayenda and Isidor, run nonstop and thrive off balls in behind but they don’t offer the hold up and physicality Brobbey does. I’ve noticed a lot of fans scream for a strong striker to hold the ball up but then expect them to do everything else like relentlessly press. Thats a unicorn of a striker and not realistic
That side would still be a very good basis though. A lot of them played consistently at premier league level for other clubs too and despite being a championship side we had arguably the best striking partnership in Europe!
