I'm completely calm mate, I just find it fascinating how you seem to dissolve the history of your club in your ideal for the sake of some mercenaries. Your other logic referring to pre-season is warped and bears no relevance to the subject we're discussing. The club would lose it's identity, you'd essentially be an eggshell of what Sunderland is now, and dare I say it, these players you speak of would STILL probably choose other London clubs over SAFC so they don't have to fly back and forth to Sunderland on match days, if they're that shallow to begin with.
Why would the staff of existing infrastructure need to move. We are debating a training camp in Or around London for the first team squad. nothing more, nothing less.
What part of your 'argument' would you deem as sensible? If a United fan walked into a local boozer pre-kick off and started suggesting to move our Carrington base to London so we could buy players like Torres and Arshavin, it'd be seconds before his full head was shoved inside his arse.
Do you know how many people are employed at the AOL? Lot's, lot's of Sunderland folk. There's not just footballers involved in the training ground.
Far too sensitive and over the top to say that we'd lose identity etc. If that we're the case Manchester United would have no identity at all considering that their support is made up from all over UK and beyond. Many supporters travel from outside Sunderland to games because they no longer or have never lived in the area. They work in London or elsewhere but that does not make them any less of a supporter. Players working and living down south during the week would be no different.
Not my idea. See first post on this thread. please note I shall not respond to future postings if you are unable to be civil or respond with some basic intelligence.
Our identity is as an international brand though, we're not a team who operates within the boundaries of our city. We have the largest fanbase in all of sports, there are five times as many united fans in the world than there are people living in the UK, of course we aren't going to have a 'local identity'. We're not comparable in that respect, I know fine well what our identity is. Nobody mentioned the supporters living away from the city that their team plays it's football in, what are you talking about? State your reasons for, by all means, but don't make stuff up to suit your argument. There's absolutely no justification whatsoever for having your training facility at the opposite end of the country!
Exactly, heritage, history, identity, fabric, call it what you want, take it away and your club has no soul.
BBC sorry mate encouraged your debate and then got busy, I'm a financial adviser and wading in reams of paperwork for my new company. For goodness sake bods, it's a debate no more no less, I and sure BBC in his heart knows it is probably un feasible, however we do lose a lot of players to the south. Those who have started throwing names about, bit old school ain't it though, cole, juninho, ravinelli, asprilla, etc the point is as far as boro, yeh they had a chairman who threw his all at making it work for his club. Think the most warranted point against is what the club brings to the community regards jobs etc. Whether it's a crap idea or not, it's thinking outside the box and that's what's needed, I personally think we've had a stinker in the markets, so why, huge club, fanbase, passion, must pay reasonable wages, so what is it ????
I take it that you got the idea of rtg, as they had this thread this morning...? Just out of curiousity, just where would you suggest that this new training facility be, London is a big place, but all the big clubs are on the North of the river.
