Absolutely this. Some tough games coming up but if we can avoid being cut adrift over next 4-6 games or so, we can hopefully start to climb as they gel as a team.
Shows how important it is to get your pre-season right. These trips half way across the world to play a couple of games are no good from a football point of view. **** the commercial aspect if this is the damage it can do. Try going to countries that don't require visas either.
If we set up in one location for most of the preseason that's fine but we flew to California where numerous players couldn't get a Visa, then to Toronto, then back to Britain and then a Germany round trip. It's too much traveling. I'd go to Portugal every year. It's perfect, hot weather, no time difference, short flights. It would be Portugal all the way for me.
Regarding next season, providing we stay up we will only need a couple of players instead of eight or so that we usually end up with. These should be two next level players and we will not have big changes to contend with. The side is full of good players now, the midfield is good, strikers ok and the defence could be ok (Kaboul was good yesterday) although the wing backs are a bit iffy. Once fit and gelled I reckon we should end up about 14th or 15th this season and as another poster said we should be comfortable next season. Mind you, we are Sunderland.
Sundland and comfortable in the same sentance. Very much doubt it tbh. To be properly comfortable and not involved in a relegation battle we would need to be top 10 and i cant see that in the next few years. Even if we do stay up i reckon that we will always be on the fringes at best of a relegation battle.
We could have three or four youngster ready to add squad depth. Watmore should be playing a larger role and Beadling, Gooch, Honeyman, Agnew and Tom Robson should all be getting time training with the seniors if they're not out on loan. That would be perfect for concentrating our budget on those few next level signings not having to find squad fillers.
I disagree MT. With DA at the helm for this and probably at least next season now I feel ES will see the progress and keep on backing financially. It would seem according to respected Dutch media and ex footballers there is a long term plan at SAFC now with Coco waiting in the wings to take over. My optimistic head says 12-14th this season, 9-12th next.
I think pre-season was a write off, I really do, from the first minute against Leicester we looked off the pace, and in every game to date we have fallen off badly, we need to look at the conditioning side as something has gone very wrong there. Facts are we are improving visibly, some of the passing from Lens & M'Vila is exceptional, and despite his inconsistency, AJ is another with that eye for a pass due to return, however fleeting that may be. Borini & Defoe are going to make good runs and for the first time in a long time we have players who will anticipate that and find them, I'm really positive about where we are despite us being bottom. Bournemouth ship goals and if Kaboul can keep that form up we have a great chance of a win down there, I do worry they will ambush us down both flanks so I'd keep Gomez in, as I think we are way stronger centrally, and set the team up to protect the full backs. We need 3 points on the board just to keep in touch, and as the fitness grows so will the side, the confidence will grow, the players will grow by seeing better quality around them, we are in decent shape I think. I'd hope, should we be 12th or so come January, Ellis may go a step further with the backing, he will surely have noted that the big signings, Lens, M'Vila and Ola, have all looked every bit next level players, and none of them had a proper pre-season. We are gonna be half decent, sensed the whole stadium could see that Sunday and hence the backing was far greater.
Monty is to Not606 what Michael Gove is to politics. Make of that what you will. Still early doors and room for improvement. I am not despondent, but we don't half need that first win. What nags away in the back of my mind is that I've seen us play OK and STILL go down. I'm not talking about the 15-point or 11-point seasons, but they weren't that long ago...
Only watched the first half but you looked by far and away the better team. You were never in danger of being relegated (you have had far worse teams than this and survived). The fitness thing is a bit of a worry but that should sort itself out in time. My lads (Toivonen and M'Vila) look next level.
