Hmmm if we got rid of catts and brought in Nzonzi for a similar price I think it could be a decent move.
If MoN sells Catts, you can be sure a CM of better quality will be replacing him (at least in the eyes of MoN, and they're the only ones that count). I watch from afar, but I do watch every game, and a little more quality in central midfield seems essential if Sunderland are going to be a perennial top 10 team. And that is exactly what Short claims he wants. Next year Catts will be in the last year of his contract and it becomes sign him or sell him. Some leverage lost. I trust management knows what it's doing here. Agree with Poolie and Parker on this one.
Yeah let's bash the Catt..... I don't expect him to be going anywhere....there will be a new contract signed soon....good.
The problem with Cattermole is he's a 10 decent game a season player. He can be superb in some of those ten games and fool people into thinking he's got something. He lacks consistency not just due to his discipline record and injuries but also his general demeanour on the pitch. If someone gets under his skin you know fine well he'll have a bad game and more than likely be sent off. Everton has shown what we need from a midfield to push on. Fellaini single handedly destroyed Catts, Vaughan, Gardner and Colback whenever he played them. They are all way too small (and before you throw Barca my way do they have the skills?..nope!), lack creativity, lack guile and lack strength. No wonder Newcastle have done so much better with a midfield of Cabaye and Tiote!
I like catts. I couldnt are less if he isn't going forward because I don't want him to tbh. 3 CDM of catts colback and N'zonzi would do me fine personally. The only cm er have that gets forward is gardner, we need someone to give him some competition. 5mil is a woeful amount and Oneill or ready said he wants catts at the club
Didn't Catts sign a contract in January? MoN came out and said he was pivotal in his plans for the future? Or was I imagining that?
I am sorry young Poolie,Whilst your not a clown by any stretch of the imagination..your deffo on another planet when it comes to your observations regarding Catts, yes he can be a tad inconsistant, but he gives 100% every game and on his day can be briliant. Not every player with a foreign name is better mate and as for Mr Aquilani ..trust me Ive seen the majority of the few games he actually played for Liverpool and he is no where near as good or have the equivelent style and skill to ever replace Catts..the lad is incredibly light weight and will always struggle in this country IMO.
There's only 1 reason i'd consider letting catts go, and that's his fitness record. Forgetting about that, he's more than good enough. When at the top of his game, Cattermole is a very good player. Don't doubt it.
Catts is not our problem. The lack of a goalscorer is our biggest problem. Defensively we conceded fewer than most. Competitively, we battled with the best. Work rate was as good as anyone. A lot of the above was attributable to the skipper imo. He is a very good player who has benefited under Mon (craa game excepted) and has grown under his leadership. If we had a couple of strikers we would have won 5 or 6 of those tight games which we only drew or narrowly lost etc. We could easily have another 10 to 12 points just from having a decent striker, so no, don't sell Catts, build around him.
My only problem with Catts is his temperament. He invariably gets himself booked far too early in games and then in never as effective as he could be as he is always walking that tightrope (and too often falls off it). That being said I have a lot a faith in MON - if he can get him to stand up more in games and stop getting so many bookings he has it in him to put together a brilliant season and be a true leader. He needs help along side him though to take on some of that burden and for me N'Zonzi is the man. That would give us the steel in CM to allow the creative lads to stay out wide and create the chances for the striker we still need to buy!
Should have said centre midfielder. Sessegnon is better than Catts but Larsson and McClean, debatable.
I rate Catts quite a bit more than Colback. Colback is another Henderson to me, as in, homegrown, local boy so gets built up to be a bit better then he actually is imo.
Aquilani was ****e for Liverpool. Catts, IMO, is, on his day, one of the best defensive english cm's in the league. 23 or 24 as well. Give him a new contract. We certainly can't replace him for 5 or 6 million. I hope he signs a new contract that as been recently mooted, if he does, I wonder what the people on here who can't wait to get rid of him will think of Martin oneill if he asks him to sign a long term deal? Me, I'd be very happy, others? Not so sure Also.. Average in central midfield was mentioned - how "average" was Cattermole against Man City? Everyone in the game raved about him - he's as good as(better than?) Scott Parker on his day. Definitely hope he stays
