Darren Bent was rattling in goals for us and was the top English striker behind Rooney but capello refused to give him the time of day. He moved to Villa, does nothing extra and yet suddenly capello rates him and he is a first choice and talked of in glowing terms. Now Jordan moves to an average Liverpool team and every newspaper in the land wants to talk about him. What's the betting he is in capellos next full England squad? Why this bias against SAFC? Simple. We are viewed by the national press as a feeder club not a serious player. Selling our best players when the cash is flashed is leaving up open to this image. Top players don't see us as an attractive proposition either and until we change 50 years of this small club mentality, neither will the rest of the world. I have said for some time that Gyan will be next and I see Arry is looking now again. The vultures are gathering and we have no one to blame except ourselves. Pandoras box hasbeen opened and the outcome is yet unknown but a lot of rebuilding has to done now to get us back on track and its not going to easy. It's a very worrying situation from where I sit today.
Darren Bent was rattling in goals for us and was the top English striker behind Rooney but capello refused to give him the time of day. He moved to Villa, does nothing extra and yet suddenly capello rates him and he is a first choice and talked of in glowing terms. Now Jordan moves to an average Liverpool team and every newspaper in the land wants to talk about him. What's the betting he is in capellos next full England squad? Why this bias against SAFC? Simple. We are viewed by the national press as a feeder club not a serious player. Selling our best players when the cash is flashed is leaving up open to this image. Top players don't see us as an attractive proposition either and until we change 50 years of this small club mentality, neither will the rest of the world. I have said for some time that Gyan will be next and I see Arry is looking now again. The vultures are gathering and we have no one to blame except ourselves. Pandoras box hasbeen opened and the outcome is yet unknown but a lot of rebuilding has to done now to get us back on track and its not going to easy. It's a very worrying situation from where I sit today.
Worrying? This is the PL mate what do you expect other clubs to say "Oh yes, please, go right ahead buy great players and we won't try and prize them off you for our own advantage, no please go ahead to our detriment"? It's the same for all clubs. Those above you with more money and more to play for will attract the best players from teams below them. Even United had to deal with selling Ronaldo, Arsenal have Cesc issue, Liverpool lost Torres. It's what you do with the money and who you replace them with which is the main issue, and we will be able to see the result of that come September. Only then can we judge.
For the last 50 odd years I've been dreaming of mid table mediocrity - it's not to be sniffed at. The fact remains, the better the players we attrract to the SoL the more this will happen. As you say, 'arry seems to be sniffing round Gyan and I wouldn't be surprised if this story stayed in the news - Gyan doesn't seem to be against it. A good season from Sessegnon and expect the same. It's the way things work.
and IF those clubs want our best players, as long as we keep a good scouting network we can make profit and bring in more quality players. Lots of clubs have the mentality that "play well for us and you might get a better contract elsewhere but it will do well for our club whilst you are here". It's the way things are, I don't many players at any clubs really care or are loyal.
Not just Sunderland is it though? There's a lot of other teams in the same position. Also it is more difficult for North East players to get into the England squad as Capello doesn't like watching North East teams.
Cest, while I totally agree with your description of the effect you described, I hold a different viewpoint about the cause. If you consider the phases of progression up the PL table, they have different characteristics: 1 - promotion : desperate to grab anything or anybody who can keep us up - Keane's scattergun approach in our case. Mainly castoffs or Championship level with possible potential in the PL. 100% a buying club. 2 - hang on by fingernails in PL : improve the quallity - e.g. Cisse - still 100% a buying club because no Top 6 wants our players 3 - mid table "mediocrity" - this is where it changes and this is where we are at because now we have a few decent players who have been showcased and are beginning to attract attention from Top 6. 50% enforced selling + 50% reinvestment buying 4 - restructuring for "next level" - greater investment required to attract better players, which requires changing the wage structure to attract and keep. this is what is required over the next 3 years. 25% voluntary selling + 75% quality buying #4 depends 50% on success and progression + 50% on Short having the confidence to inject £xx mill. This is the test of ES. Does he want an economical low-cost "soccer franchise" that survives mid table ad infinitum or is he prepared to gamble on greater success possibly leading eventually to a Top 6 or even CL status for his franchise? This is one reason why I believe that this summer will be very interesting. If he does not stump up say £30m on top of the Bent/Hendo funds, we will probably be seeing a pointer as to where his true intentions lie. The wage structure will not change this season or next, so we will continue to lose the good'uns. SFA that Steve Bruce can to about that IMO. The ball is firmly in Ellis Short's court.
Its a conspiracy. We scared the big boys and now they are nicking our best players so it wont happen again
Englands treatment of SKP whilst at Sunderland was disgraceful. Can't ever remember a match like that, where the rest of the team looked as if they were deliberately NOT passing to him.
It was the same for Bent when he played for England. Rooney looked like he'd rather shag his dog than pass to him. That is till he ****ed off to Villa. Suddenly he's flavour of the month...
Unless we bring in at least two top class players sharpish, i can see Gyan really pushing for move. We could see in his body language that he's very, very frustrated. There's not enough quality around him. If we don't want this to fall apart, we must get some realy quality players in. That doesn't include Crouch, Pav, Gibson, O'Shea...these players won't convince Gyan to stay.
Thats a very good shout about SKP as well by the way. The only Englishman to be awarded the European Golden Boot and yet still not played for England. Had Kevin won that in a Man Utd, Chelski or Arsenal shirt, he have had 60 or 70 caps and 30 odd goals for England in his career without a doubt. Disgraceful affair and one of the main reason I dont really give a **** about England national team anymore.
