I think the difference is that Sunderland like Villa have had a habit / culture of buying 'names' rather than looking at what they need. One thing in common with both is Martin O Neill but I think it goes further back than that. Both sides by stars not wanted by the big boys and both sides have slipped closer to relegation. I suppose both teams have in a way tried to change that culture by bringing in 'up and coming' managers and move away from the 'establishment' managers that move from job to job. Wes Brown, Adam Johnson, John O Shea etc. They weren't good enough as anything but backup for the big teams. They aren't good enough as first choice for any team unless they are only hoping for survival year on year. Saints don't buy names. The scouting department just have banks of numbers and if they fit into 'the southampton way' then we try and get them. Most are 'leftfield'. Not many are well known. Same with the managers. Pochettino would have been scouted way before we moved for him. Koeman the same. The couting department would have had a list of managers that could work with 'The Southampton Way' so they would be able to draw up a shortlist very quickly should they need to approach a manager. I honestly think that Sunderland have the potential to be top half easily just as Newcastle do but you need a manager that works well with the club and players that are there for what they bring to the squad and not who they are. Whilst I understand many of you like Poyet and thats fine I don't think he can push you up the league at all. HE is very similar to Pardew in that he blames everyone else if things go wrong. If yesterday's match had finished 4-0 he would have been harping on about the referee for his after match rant. The fact is was 8-0 meant (and obviously he can think on his feet) that he couldn't really go on about the referee. All in all you can't really complain about 'championship players' aren't good enough. Morgan Schneiderlin, Jose Fonte, Ricky Lambert, Adam Lallana. These were L1 players not long ago. They were Championship players less than 3 years ago. The first 2 are in the top tier of stats in the PL and Europe without playing for a 'big side'!!!! You need a good manager that isn't one of the merry go round of dinosaur managers and then a philosophy of buying players that fit your style moving on anyone who 'performs on his day'. Good Luck on that because the majority in football are very slow to change things which is why the Redknapps, Warnocks, O Neills, Allardyces are seen as supreme managers within the game, lauded and loved by the media even though they have never been succesful in England (apart from the FA Cup that 'Arry bought with imaginary money'.)
This is the second time I have seen Saints score 8 goals in a game. We hammered Coventry 8-2 in the season when we finished second to Liverpool in 1984. Danny Wallace and Steve Moran both scored hat-tricks as I recall.
