That the club screwed up by letting Fraizer Campbell leave? He did go a bit cheap mind. SUNDERLAND made a transfer blunder in allowing Fraizer Campbell to leave the Stadium of Light, believes former team-mate Adam Johnson. Crystal Palace frontman Campbell will line up against his old employers in tonightâs clash at Selhurst Park after netting three goals in his last five games for the Eagles, following his summer move from Cardiff. Ex-Sunderland boss Martin OâNeill sanctioned Campbellâs £650,000 departure from Wearside in January 2013 - when there were only six months remaining on his contract - after he had struggled for goals following an initial spectacular return from 18 months on the treatment table. But since leaving Sunderland, Campbell has helped Cardiff to promotion, netted nine times for the relegated Bluebirds last season and has quickly found the net in a Palace shirt. Johnson told the Echo: âNo, I didnât think he needed to (leave). âI know he was never prolific here, but I think he gives you so much. âHe works hard and heâs got pace up front. Heâs difficult to play against, whether heâs scoring goals or not. âThe way the Premier League is going now, everyone is lacking pace. He had that in abundance. âI rated him highly.â
Selling Campbell for £650,000 (a player we had paid £3.5m for) and replacing with Graham for £5m has got to be one of the worst blunders in all transfer history. Not surprisingly, O'Neill was sacked soon after.
Martin the "SAFC Fan" O'Neill ****ed us over with this one. Campbell was injury prone but appeared to have put that behind him. Letting him leave for 650k was sheer idiocy and the worst bit of management this club (IMO) has ever seen. Particularly when you replace him with Danny Graham! Absolutely agree 100% with AJ on this one.
This I remember when Campbell was caught watching our game with the fans when he wasnt in the squad. Fantastic attitude and professional
One time I was in Belfast, as a tourist, not a squaddie & was playing pool with some lads in this bar. One of them was called Pat O'Thicke, he's got to be a relative of Martin.
No, Frazer has been gone ages, the blunder is bringing in nobody with pace since. Frazer is quick and a hard worker, hardly world class criteria. But even then it's hardly the blunder of not replacing bent or Gyan adequately.
That's it mate, players come and go, good and bad, fact of life. It's how you replace them that counts, niether Bent, Gyan or Frazer were adequately replaced. Some may say Fletch was a good replacement for one of them but when you factor that MoN didn't have a clue how he wanted us to play, it most certainly wasn't adequate.
Yep. He was flagging at the time but that was in the main due to the long term injuries, after a pre-season he was always going to be sharp. Loved the club and played for the badge as well, it was a shocking decision to let him go for that. Wouldn't want him back now mind, well right now maybe, but not in January.
Was class that, down at Blackpool I think. He'd bought a ticket and travelled as well, no poncing about in the boxes. Gards did it as well but Fraziers was first.
Gards was under PDC's instruction wasn't it? After a silly sending off ruled him out of the mag game?
When you think, only a few years ago we had Bent, Gyan, Welbeck and Campbell for our 4 forwards compared to our current 4 of Fletcher, Altidore, Wickham and Graham.
Always maintained this about fraizer ,its as if you almost know whats going to happen tonight when you mention past players,as we know how quick or central defence is.
Replacing Campbell with Graham for £5m was the worst bit of business im my time supporting us. Always gives 100% chips in with goals and can play in all 3 forward positions. He'd be a dream for Poyet to have in the squad I imagine.
