Is Bendtner the answer, will Campbell come back? Or do we need a new striker in January? Is OShea a better centre half than full back, so do we need a left and right back? Should McClean be given more time or do we need a winger? Are our midfield good enough? Should we buy big in January, or wait until August? Any other thoughts?
More firepower up-front (or just any firepower up front!) A strong central midfielder. At left back and perhaps another centre back. How much did Bruce spend again?! There's no time like the present and if O'Neil see's players he thinks will improve the current outfit then he should get them signed and cash should be made available. Just my opinion of course.
One word. It's a word which will divide Sunderland fans and I know you won't agree Cest. That word is Bent.
I think we will get short term loans or a couple od cheap options that will see us through to the summer. Its clear as day to me we need a midfield player who can pick a pass in the final third....But we need a big fella up front that will bring the best out of Campbell when he comes back. I'm sure O'Neill knows who he want by now. My big question is, who will be getting rid of..I'm guessing those players vunerable are Cattermole Turner Elmo Gordon or Mig (or both) Gardner Maybe even Bardsley Thoughts anyone?
I'll let you into a little secret Mackem, you may be wrong there. My pal who I've been going to the games with for the last 30 years and me were talking in the car yesterday BEFORE the game and he said something that I agreed with. Villa still owe us money on Bent. They issued a statement that they think Bent may well be off next month. Bents personal problem with his time at SAFC has been removed (Bruce). We desperately need a striker that can finish. Bent is maybe available. We dont have a lot of money to spend? It would be a case of scratching the balance and taking back the player and away we go. I had to agree that as a scenario, it made a whole lot of sense really. However 2 major problems arise from it. 1) Has the ill feeling between both parties, so evident from SAFC fans at the home game with Villa a few weeks ago, totally tainted the relationship now? Would either party accept the other so easily? It could backfire spectacularly if he fails to score say for the first 4 or 5 games? However, I have little doubt that any detractors would soon be swayed if he banged in 15 goals between now and May 2012 and we finished top 8 for instance but Bent is a confidence player and was mega successful in his 18 months here because he was universally loved and wanted. That warmth and respect will be short lived from many fans this time round imo and that may effect him if he came back. 2) Would MoN want to court Bruce's old flames to get his SAFC career up and running and is he the kind of player MoN is looking for in his team? There is of course a 3rd problem: 3) Would he actually want to come back here in the first place? Weren't we bad for his England career? Wouldn't we not meet his wage demands 12 months ago? Maybe its best left alone but Mackem, I'd be far more inclined to consider it today than I was a few weeks ago because to be honest, some of the names mentioned dont fill me with glee and the money we are talking about is silly. Far better maybe to go back to what we know works and invest in that? Bent and Wickham/Bendtner up front sounds canny to me and with Campbell on the bench soon to support, our attack would be pretty potent again.
Well, faced with some of the alternative suggestions like Zamora for £8m, or Heskey, Johnson and some foreign players I've never heard of, its not such an abhorrent idea as it was several weeks ago. Would I rather take Bent back for nowt, pay him £80k per week and just bite the bullet, or should we pay more money for some of the players mentioned above who couldnt lace his boots up as far as potent strikers are concerned? You should never cut your throat to spite your face Sombrero. Good decisions are made with the head not the heart. I think Bent was a total twat for what he did but always maintained that the relationship he was having (maybe still is) with Miss Bruce, was at the heart of the problem at SAFC all along. He left, or wanted to leave because of Bruce and him not having a good relationship over shagging the bosses daughter. However, the manner in which he left still leaves a sour taste and although I utterly condem him for that departure, I have never once questioned his ability to score goals at the very highest level. He is a top striker. We need a goal scorer and he is certainly that and a damned good one to boot. If he did come back, and scored a hatful of goals, he would quickly regain sime of the warmth he once had - football fans are as fickle as **** all over the world - but its only speculation and fans discussions so maybe will never happen anyway. However, I can see why you and your fellow barcodes would not want to see him return to us for sure.
That's what I mean, the way he left you. Surely he's despised by the fans? Can't say I'd want a player who stabbed us in the back back at our club.
The Bent will never happen so its pointless speculating on it imo. We should be prepared to spend whatever is available on a striker. I wouldnt let anyone go unless there's a silly offer.
Cest, a couple of points from your post. I don't want to impune any one player, but that midfield of ours last year was far too defensive minded. I think you need an enforcer to break down opposition play - but we didn't need Catts, Meyler and Colback in one team. You need some attacking thrust mixed in with it. I think Capello would have to admit that Sess, Vaughan, Larsson and (possibly) McLean are a whole different kettle of fish to what we had when that decision was made. so the England problem may have already been resolved. Point two : there would be a problem if Bent didn't score in his first 4 or 5 games. But think about it. Darren Bent, with Larsson and Sess or McLean on the wings and Vaughan behind him, doesn't score in his first 4 games? Christ, Hills would give you 1000/1 on that! Let them lads do the football and stick Bent up front - you'll get goals all right. I agree that wages is a real problem. I'm not one of those who called the lad 'greedy'. From what we've been told, he asked for about half of what some of his England team-mates are getting - so how the hell's that greedy? But with wages running at 80% of turnover, we do have to think about it. A few weeks ago you pointed to a small Korean link at the top of the SAFC club site, and posed the question of whether a Korean sponsor had been found (well spotted, by the way). I think MON would have to consult Ellis Short on where we stand there, and take the Bent decision from that. No one on here is going to know the answer. Interesting. I don't need to express my opinion. Just look at our goals scored column - there's my answer.
I think we need 2 x forwards & a defender. I think we have enough cover in Midfield Onouha (Can cover across the back 4) Heskey (not my choice but i think MoN will sign him) Target man can hold the ball up Pavlychenko (Good forward who will score goals if we keep creating chances like we have been) or Owen on loan (proven PL goal scorer if kept fit)
It depends on any statement as to what led him to want away after 12 months though? If his relationship with Bruce's the father-in-law, led to his relationship with the Bruce the manager to deteriorate, to a point that it led to a player so seemingly happy to then want away in his first summer, then its a little more palatable. It may well be purley personal reasons not footballing ones why he left. I always held the view that this was the bulk of the reason he left and Bruce let him go so easily without a fight. If he did come back, scored a hatful of goals, then of course he could redeem himself, as any player could. Rush left Liverpool to further his career abroad but went back after less than a year with his tail between his legs and became an Anfield legend. Hughes left Man Utd and went back and if Bent came back and scored 12 - 15 goals in the last 18 games of this season for us, he'd be a superstar again and guarantee his place in the team for the Euros. I agree about spending the right money on the right player but if its £12m on this lad Cisse (who I know nowt about), spending £6m or 7m on Zamora and a then £40k per week salary, or whoever it may be, or giving Bent an extra £30k per week over 2 or 3 years to come back, then I'm up for turning the other cheek to be honest and using transfer money for wages. Agreed as well that this is purely fans speculation right now and nothing has been suggested by the club that this may be on. We dont know what happened behind the scenes do we. Did Bent and Quinn part on good terms? If so then there is an open door. If they didnt, then there isnt a door to open anyway. Point is, even I am coming round to this idea now. This.
Me and my mate started discussing Bent yesterday, shortly after the second time when Bendtner had a clear shot and took to long to shoot. It started a debate amonst about 20 or so of us (all randoms, BTW), and we were unanimous. We´d take him back in a blink. If we signed Bent, Samba and Olsson, we´d have an awesome side. SAFC1978, Onouha is available for 3million, we MUST try. I´d put him CB next to Brown personally, although O´Shea was rock solid yesterday.
I do 100% agree if we had Bent out there yesterday we would have won by 2-3 goals. I do hate him for leaving & i have said before he can **** off i would not want him back but if im totally honest all would be forgiven if he came back.
Course it would mate. I´ve been as bad as anyone in my slagging of the twat, but all would be forgiven as soon as his first goal went in. I think there´s more chance of us signing Messi like, but Villa surely owe us 10million plus so you never know. Ellis is pals with Learner, mebs get him pissed and do a deal, chuck Collins in as well!
There's one other point to make about the England position - Capello's a gonna in seven months time. What he thinks of Sunderland is only going to matter until July.
And if Arry gets the England job Bent wont get picked anyway Arrys misses will we all know how much Arry loves Bent
He very well may be going, he may stay yet, but dont think so, but he will take charge of the Euro`s, if Cappello says to Bent, go back to Sunderland and i wont pick you for the euros, Bent will not come back, and that`s a certainty (don`t think i would either tbh) Bent scored 24 goals that season for us when we had the crap midfield, got us i think 30+ points as well with those goals, then he goes to AV, has 2 games, 24 touches in each, 1 in the box each and scored from those 2 touches and Cappello says he is a better player than when with us, bollocks. If MON brings him back, fine, not my choice though, i would rather have Cisse or Gignac or Sow (wouldnt mind Hazard either), just because you dont know them doesnt mean they are not very good or wont do the business for us (they might not but then Bent the 2nd time around might not)
Never rated Bendtner and looks like I wasn't too far wrong, O'Shea is a strange one though not sure if he needs time to settle or just doesn't fancy having to fight every game to get something, unlike his time at Man Utd when they just had to turn up most times. Still think we need a striker, LB, CB and CM but, can't see us getting many more of those than 1 so will go with the striker. We need goals and we need to start getting them fast and put games like yesterdays out of sight after going ahead.
I agree totally, Steve. It was bollocks - and I'm glad. When I was a kid, I read an interview with a Newcastle coach. He said, technically, Jackie Milburn was sh*te - Jackie always toe-ended it. But then he said something I've never forgotten - 'But how do I tell Jackie Milburn how to shoot? Have you seen his goal-scoring average?' You can't teach an instinctive player like Milburn or Bent how to become "a better player". It just complicates things, and might easily foul up what he has already. All I would want from Bent is to be Bent. Just go out there and do what you do. A better player, my arse, Capello. Leave him alone. That's the only way to handle a player of that sort.
