The general consensus among the fans (and the pundits) seems to have been that we turned the corner in January. The big difference being that Big Sam made us hard to beat and added some quality to the squad. I'm a bit of stat geek, so apologies in advance... I decided to have look at the stats proved and did some quick calculations. The results were more convincing than I imagined.... Aug to Dec Played 19 Pts 12 (avg 0.63 / game) Loss % 68% Goals Scored 19 Goals Against 38 Goal Diff -19 Jan to May Played 18 Pts 26 (avg 1.44 / game) Loss % 22% Goals Scored 27 Goals Against 22 Goal Diff + 5 If our first half season could have matched our second half (even if we get beat on Sunday), we would have potentially finished 8th!!
Fife Mackem What were you up to in December when Sunderland had just lost 5 games back to back? Safety assured and all of a sudden an influx of posters, only last week there were threads popping around the board about how it's on it's arse and Comm mentioned it's taking it's final few breaths, now fairweather fans are crawling out of the woodwork to post. Not meaning to throw you under the bus FM, just wondering why folk didn't bother posting when the team was doing ****... it's ok, the regulars will keep your library ticking over for you to come and go as you please.
It's not just him though mate, there's been a buzz around the board... people 'returning'. Fife Mackem has demonstrated clearly he's got something to offer the board, with interesting (to you lot) threads like this. Why not post more? Just wondering.
and you wonder why with a welcome like that great stuff Fife, thanks for sharing - hopefully we carry on with something approaching that form next season and we can be the ones being criticised if we seem to be on the beach by mid-March for a change.
lol - Was asked to post more last week, this week being asked why am now posting. Truthfully, I'm much more of a silent observer , but I'll try and make more of an effort.
It's not really a welcome is it, he's been registered on the site for years. I've explained that it's not a personal attack on him, I'm curious as to why it's taken survival to pipe up with anything. What he's come up with is interesting and I've stated that also. I'm gonna assume he's not a soppy floss like you're making him out to be and he's got a genuine reason.
That's a perfect answer, it was only me being nosey mate, not directed at just you specifically. The board is better with more posters posting, this thread goes to show that maybe some folk are reading and not contributing because they think they've nothing to offer, but you've proved that you do. The board needs a new stat man now the old one has left
Semantics aside about the 'welcome', and take your point about balancing your point on the OP v attendance, I'm not not making the poster out to be anything ( may not be male so won't make that assumption ) - sure Fife can stand up for themselves. For myself, I post when I can but often by the time I get to most threads anything I would have added already has been and I can't usually be bothered to get involved when we get in to the cycles of 'off topics' and posters having a pop at each other as though their lives depend on how they are treated on here.
Fair enough, although the last bit seems a bit of a contradiction... Anyway, for the OP, I took the liberty of doing some similar analysis around March time comparing the 3 relegation candidates. I'd dig it up if the search function worked but to the best of my knowledge, I had Sunderland surviving based on the points amassed since the January window, it goes without saying that the lads brought in during that window made all the difference.
Perfectly reasonable question to ask and Fife took it in good faith. We need all those other regular readers and rare posters to join in as well. Fife actually posted on the New Posters thread a few weeks ago and hasn't disappeared back into the ether. I unstickied that thread a few weeks ago, but it looks like it hooked one good'un anyway.
People post less in bad times as they try and think about it less, nature of the beast. I've barely been posting, but still reading, and that's the reason. I never stopped going to games and supporting and loving the club because I posted less on a forum!
Didn't you get Norton from there as well, he seems like a top poster... I like reading his balanced views, he's not one for beating about the bush.
That's what I'd expect, to be honest. People don't stop going to games but they show less interest in the board because maybe they can't be arsed with the negativity. I don't really care too much for the football topics about formations and tactics etc, but I quite like all the transfer stuff, even if it's not my club, it's the Champ Manager in me trying to get out from 1997. Most people seem to despise transfer window season. There's a core of posters who drive this place through the slow, ****ty months, maybe next season there'll be less of that and people can enjoy posting more and so on.
I thought Norton was on here before that, but happy to take the credit Yep, another great poster as well (just between you and me, I have to say that, he's just about 20 minutes away in a fast angry car!). Comm needs to stop worrying, there's always new blood coming through. This place isn't fading anytime soon.
I love transfer rumours season me mate as you know, would have less so if we were recruiting for the old Sky Bet of course! I think if I say Kerim Frei 3 times a day we will sign him. Straight swap for Lens!
Lens is probably better suited to the Turkish league anyhow. Just start tweeting Frei loads of pictures of all the charcoal pits in Sunderland, if you catch him when he's hungry you never know
Im not worried, im glad more are posting. But lets see what happens once the euphoria of scrapping to stay up once again dies down.
