chappaz - I dont intend to get into another slanging match about this but I have to pull you to task a bit. Continually 'bigging up' your summer signings does not make them 'big' players chum. None of your acquisitions have made the EPL sit up and take notice. They are all virtual unknowns and I simply don't believe you if you say you knew all about Cabaye, Marveaux or Santon before you checked out you tube after they signed. Only Ba was known because of his West Ham dozen games or so. They may well turn out to be decent but to call them Champions League stars or that they turned down Champs football to play for noocarsel is ridiculous .They left their last clubs for 2 reasons only 1) to earn more money in a money rich league and 2) to put themselves in the English shop window for an even bigger money move either in the EPL or back to Europe next season. If you think Santons life long ambition was to become a toon player you're more deluded than even I gave you credit for. He would only have been about 13 or 14 when you were last in Europe and he would have been more interested in the hairs on his balls than to watch the toon on his telly. It was reported last week and totally taken in by your lot as fact, that he said that "there were no mackems in Milan" when he signed. Really, you think he did? Do you think he knew about that local taunt and the fact we were called mackems. Don't keep conning yourselves. None of the players you have signed were taken by the top clubs so they then look down a the next level of which your club and ours sit currently. Bendtner has more game time and Champs League play than any of your signings and has proven goals at the EPL level yet most of your fellow fans (you included) come on here and play his importance down, yet at the same time big up your unproven and unheard of signings? Blinkered doesnt come into it. Bendtner has come to Sunderland to get a move away from Arsenal and if he rattles in 15 goals this season, I am under no illusions he will be off to a big European club or one in the European cup competitions next summer. These sorts of players want European games and in a short career wont sacrifice their time if it looks unlikely they will get it. Neither your club or mine look likely to break into that with the squads as they are this season so expect that if Cabaye, Ba and Marveaux do well, they will be off as soon as you can whistle the Blaydon Races. Santon will be no different. As for Arfa, all I keep hearing is how this lad will transform your team. Remind me how many games he has played for you so far in his time at Noocarsel and how much EPL experience he brings when he is eventually fit? Also, remind me again, what has he actually achieved apart from 2 seasons in the French league. We paid 3m for a lad called Lillian Laslandes who had played for Bordeaux and Auxerre and scored goals in Europe for them but was absolutely ****e when it came to the rigours of the English game. We also had a lad called David Bellion that was faster then a moving train and looked like he was the next Pele in the glimpses we got but turned out to be about as much used as a chocolate fireguard when he got a full run in the team. Arfa could be either of the above or a superstar and I'm not saying which as I just dont know. Neither do you about ANY of your signings and thats my point.
I'm intrigued by Santon. He came through, got Italy caps and a few games, looked good, wasn't firsy choice, but no shame, first choice was Maicon, who is just phenomenal. Went out on loan to Cesena last season, they perofrmed miracles to stay up, but he didn't play, then to sell for £5million just seems bizarre. Could rediscover the class off his use, or could be Pistone the second, he will be average at the very least though, and i'd imagine his pace alone will drag him above that. May well be a cracking signing, he's impressed me when i've seen him, just baffling that they have sold him so cheaply and easily, and that no Italian club took a sniff.
What about the thousands of people on Twitter who were saying Santon was a massive coup for us? What about all of the French and European footie fans who were impressed with the signing of Cabaye What about Ben Arfa being seen as one of the best young talents in Europe and a French international? Recognition like that isn't just about what us English think. I really couldn't care less about that and I don't expect others to apart from those who pay attention to other leagues in Europe. All I know is that with the recognition those players have, we relied somewhat on our reputation as a 'big club' to attract them. Not entirely, but it very much helped. I knew about Santon, I didn't know about Cabaye or Marveaux, but after some digging it turns out that Cabaye at least is a very well known French player and has numerous caps for France. Well, they did turn it down. If they stayed put they would have had CL football. One of the biggest ambitions of many players is to be in a CL team and play in a CL team. If some players are giving that up to come to us, they're obviously excited about the prospect. Anyway, I'd love to tackle your other points, but I'm being nagged like **** by the other half to come to bed as we're up at 3:30am tomorrow for our holiday. Time for your forum to be chappaz-free for a week. Adios
Pavel Srnicek John Anderson Robbie Elliott Steve Howey Ray Ranson Steve Watson Roy Aitken Lee Clark Kevin Dillon Lee Makel Liam O'Brien Gavin Peacock Alan Thompson Tommy Gaynor Andrew Hunt Bjørn Kristensen David Mitchell Then you got a load of cash from John Hall and bought a new team. Am I missing something here or what. **** all to do with you being the famous, "massive club" Newcastle Utd and all to do with cash and wages I am afraid.
It's not a recent thing. Charlie Hurley's wife didn't want to live in "a place like Sanderland" fifty years ago. His transfer from Millwall was delayed for several weeks because of it. South Americans and Africans aren't put off by the north-east's public image because many of them have grown up knowing far worse. But Europeans are put off by the fact that Sunderland was named as the second ugliest city in Europe in the 1990s. We still suffer from a cloth-cap image to some extent. Footballers today are millionaires and they want a bit more style than that. It would be different if SAFC were a top club with a future. But we're not seen that way. It's been nearly sixty years since we were a top club, and only for a couple of years under Reidy did we even look like we might be. The only top English and Europeans who want to come here are those needing a lifeline - Bent needed to get out of 'Spurs, as did Sess from PSG. We're just not an attractive proposition, either as a city or as a club. Newcastle benefited from the fact that Time/Life magazine named it as one of the top ten 'party towns' in the world. But it's still seen as a cloth cap area by many.
I have to pick you up on this even though you wont ever see it, he has only had 5 caps. Santon, also had a serious leg injury whilst away on international duty, he came back because of injuries, and done it again straight away. (not saying it will re-occur but maybe why Inter let him go for cheap)
Simple really.........Money. 40-50k a week is just not enough for these prima donnas. shocking that it has got to this stage. As for Chappz, think he may be over-estimating the mags standing in world football a tad.
I think what you have to consider with what Chappaz is saying is that NUFC have signed some good young players based on their reputation that they gained not so long ago. However, on the other hand, one of the stars of the world cup 2010 signed for Sunderland and some unknown Turk that can't get in the PSG team continually rebuffed NUFC throughout the summer, as did Gameiro, as did Gervinho and probably a host more. I won't buy into it that NUFC are failing to attract this calibre of players because they are a small club though, it is for one simple reason, Mr Ashley. Most players can see through his "5 year plan", and realise that he is just a greedy sod. The reasons SAFC cannot attract the likes of Europe's elite are probably because of the manager, Niall Quinn who is a complete and utter train wreck and most importantly - because of the location. Roy Keane said it, quite a few times.
To answer the basic question, the answer is NO. My question is will or does Bruce actually go for the supposed top players, and as in Bent and Possibly Gyan, Henderson aside, why cant we keep them? if you have not read any of my threads, I am a fully paid up member of the BOBs, nice man he may be, tactics none, he cant sell Sunderland, clueless most of the time, roll on xmas, gut feeling , he will be gone.
Not the dosh then? money overcomes grief, some sort of mathamatical formula, I believe. Not many footballers think about a testamonial these days. For you younger folk, a testamonial [ big bucks ] is/was awarded to players who loyaly served their clubs, say 10 or 12 years, but that was a long long time ago, still on offer though, bet Giggsy will get one.
Is that the common sense reasons that are the owner and chairman? There is no common sense saying "becuase we were great 15 years ago people know who we are" when it's utter ****e - Santon was deemed surplus to requirements at Inter - Cabaye and Marveaux haven't exactly set the world alight. Gyan was one of the hottest properties when he signed for us and Sessegnon turned down more money and Champions League football to play for Sunderland - where was this "Common sense" you talk of there?
