Tonights games

Hey .... has LTF mentioned a Reading come back

 

Exactly, they basically had a bye to the quarter final and still failed to go through. More worryingly for them a lot of them seem to have nothing but blind faith in O'Neill. His counter attacking style is massively outdated as the league isn't as gung-ho as it used to be.

They also had a pretty much full strength team minus the keeper and Gardener.

 

5-7



.... I'm exhausted

 

They've just launched the MOB (Martin out brigade)!!! Didn't take long eh, don't know what else they expected when they got him, done the same at every club he's managed! Arise agent O'neill!!!

 

It's gone all weird at Reading.

 

Reading v Arsenal was just .. wow.

 

Wigan beaten by Bradford 2-4 Penalties

 

Feel for the Mackems tonight. Boro are a very solid team indeed, and if they maintain any sort of form they'll be in with a very good chance of promotion. The only shame in losing to that particular championship side is the local rivalry (and the fact they seem to be supported almost entirely by the elements which make up air, or else ghosts), yet they've gotten themselves into such a tizzy about their league start that it'll be practically the end of the world.

What's wrong with Sunderland? Well, they're average to the core. Stevie Bruce's parting gift to every team he hops sideways from, grafters with not particular talent beyond relegation scrapping. And what does Martin get? A combined what, 20 million to turn the team around? Considering he had precisely 1 striker on his books that's not as generous as it would seem. When Sunderland was a side comprising K.Jones, Bent et al, that might have been seen as a significant push for Europe, but instead he's going to be booted up the rectum continously every-time he fails to beat the usual mid-table candidates with ailing Man Utd misfits, some championship pretenders, and youngsters that aren't as promising as they first appeared... And that's classic Bruce. Slowly and surely build a decent side with a bit of investment, then when the taps are unleashed, bring in dross to the point of financial crippling and have to sell of the better ones again... That caught up with him at Sunderland... And now it appears the same is true of Martin's very steady and controlled tactical style, yet haven't even had a third of the games.

So why do I feel for him? Well he's seemingly a perfect fit for them, and is just being hammered for a plain and simple bad start, a bit like us with Sir Bob. Imagine how many seasons Moyes could have been sacked for a similar for the temerity of not picking up points more consistently, than in particular bunches. Just seems sad that fans can't respect a genuinely good manager longer than a few games when they haven't had as many 3pt victories as they want.

 

Agree with a lot of what you say, but 1 league win out of the last 17 games isn't just a poor start, it's a poor half season.

 

This, also it's not just the results but the performances. Least shots on target of any team in the top 5 divisions, next worse has almost double. Just abysmal. And I also disagree that they are average. Fletcher, Johnson, McClean, Sessegnon, Gardener, O'Shea, Rose, Mignolet all range from good to fantastic. Outside the first XI they are gash though.

 

Ask any villa fan what they think of O'Neill and it is that he was overly negative and terrified of change. He never brought through young players and had no concept of value from signings, occasionally his wasteful spending paid off, but in general it failed, and he left them utterly in the mire with huge debts, an ageing squad and inexperienced youth players.

This is exactly what the Sunderland fans on here and RTG are discovering now.

 

Hey guys

 

Hello Gayboy.

 

I see what you're saying lads, but in all honesty looking at the situation I don't see what he's supposed to do with what he has, or what anyone else would do that would dramatically improve their situation. This is only heuristic speculation, but I believe stating "1 win 17" sheds a light that is unfair, given the background. Last season, O'Neill's team was as I recall pretty much decimated with a mixture of fatigue and injury brought about by a poor squad with little depth. I personally don't think there's much more realistically he could have achieved with what he was left with.
Moving on to this season, I think it's only fair to inspect the first few games as distinct from last season instead of lumping 17 winless games together, purely as outgoing personnel and struggles to fill the quota again have left the squad in a state of transition, irrespective of how much he has spent (and when a club knows you have X much and are desperate for a striker, they're going to have you over a barrel with your longjohns decorating the floor). This is not his finished article, nor anywhere near close to the type of squads he generally assembles. What has Martin done in this state of transition? Made them hard to beat. Impregnable at the back and nick one up top used to be the forte of the club who knew their limits, and it's sound logic to me that Martin has done this. Hughton, Pardew etc have been trying the same with us for a few seasons now (seriously, the first half of the championship was utter guff to watch, but we were picking up points). You can't just become relentless world beaters in a split second, yet that seems to be what everyone in Sunderland colours is demanding.

Realistically, what are there options if Martin goes? Not too many credible managers with years of premiership experience, that's for certain... And that's what they'd be giving up. That's just my thoughts lads, hope you enjoy destroying them!