We so obviously have a tremendous team spirit going at the moment that its really difficult to decide what to do this window. The wrong player might disrupt that fragile spirit but there is now no doubt we are still very short in key areas. We got torn apart down the left today imo and Richardson simply can't defend. His positioning is embarrassing, he can't head the ball and he just can't tackle to save his life. Also, We need a striker who can find the net. We've needed one for a year and even with Mon coming in, we still need one. However, there aren't many available and certainly not at reasonable money. Forget Defoe, he won't leave London at his age. Forget Zamora, he isn't prolific enough. It may just be fan speculation at the moment but if the Djib is available and would come, he would be perfect, or someone like that anyway. A left back is equally difficult. Maybe less of them than strikers but we have to find one for sure. One side issue. If Brown is out long term and Bramble and maybe Killgallon now out long term as well, we may need defensive cover now too. Hard decisions to be made in the next 17 days. Thank God we have the right man to make them then. Great performance today and I'm proud of them. Norwich and Swansea at home to come now and a cup game in between. 3 huge home fixtures and a chance to push on again.
If MoN does sign any players i would love to see us sign Collins Onouha Djib Cisse with our current injuries our starting 11 could be ----------------------mig----------------------- Onouha------O`Shea----Collins---------Bardo Larrson------Catts-------Vaughan-----McClean ---------------Sess------------------------------ ---------------------------Cisse----------------- Which would do for me And if MoN doesnt sign anyone i would still be happy just knowing the right man is in charge i have full confidence in him.
1 player in and 1 player out..... Confidence (and a little of the MON magic) is all we needed to kick start our season. Another admirable performance at Chelsea. Not for the first time I expected at least a 3 goal beating but hey not to be. Were a strong outfit. 1 in ......Nothing a goal mouching greedy bastard of a striker (not fooking Bent) wouldn't put right. Who? well I don't know, but thats what we need in my opinion. 1 out...Richardson, just ****ing crap. (Arsenal)
I think I am in the Billy camp with oh my.I am won over by MON and think tht without doubt we have the right man, however. Duing the days of Bruce I read post after post telling me how the fat clown should go, we dont have a striker, we have needed one since Bent left, why cant the daft geordie see it, or words to that affect, whats changed? Yes we have a fantastic team spirit now and yes our midfield are scoring goal, our team is transformed, but we still need a striker. Under Bruce we reeled of name after name of who we, or the fat geodie, should be going for, now we know there are not many around. In the Bruce days I was told to take of my rose tinted glasses and face facts, well I have, maybe its time to take of the MON tinted glasses and face facts, we still need a striker. Campbell could solve the problem but its a risk, get one on loan or pay over the odds but get one. LB.CB may all be needed but a striker is a must, thankfully I thing MON saw that for himself yesterday, a very good day would have been a fantastic day if we had one.
I couldn't agree more with this. I never quite swallowed the 'O'Neill the Messiah' crap. But I must admit when we all take off our various rose-tinted specs, we'll be happier with what we see today than what was on show two months ago. I think he's a vast, vast improvement. I suspect the striker problem might be complicated by wages - what do you all think?
TBH I dont know, I do know that good premier strikers are thin on the ground, I know it will cost us more in January, however. Under Bruce we would have been in a healthy position if we had a striker, under O'Neill we would probably be unbeaten and we will have a good season, and he has just started. We wont get a Bent, Defoe wont come and Zamora is not the answer but out there is someone who will improve us. Maybe a SKP lower league player or maybe a Welbeck loan, I dont know. With the system we have, the people we have and the contacts we have there must be an answer, IMO. All that said I do have total faith in O'Neill and cant believe he does not know this and have the answer.
Cisse isn't the answer, he's to old and too slow for the EPL now. He'd be like Bendtner, another liability to carry. I'd still like to see Whickham given a run if we can keep him fit and maybe Noble should be given a chance, just look at what's happened with McClean!!!!
I like Richardson and would like to keep him, but Wayne Bridge is available and I think he would be perfect for us. I've also read this morning that wellbeck is in contract negotiation problems, get in there quick Mon.
After yesterday performance which was good against a very good side I think it must be obvious except to the very blinkered we need an 'out and out' or 'fox in the box' striker. TBH I reckon SB not getting a striker to replace Bent, Welbeck and Gyan was what did for him as managers have to win games and we were not scoring enbough. Now if MoN does not bring a striker in during the next few weeks, I suspect Mr Short is holding his purse strings too tightly. Short, Quinn ad Milliband were all at the game yesterday and must have seen several chances going begging for lack of a natural striker being in the right place. If MoN does not bring a striker in, perhaps SB took the fall for Short being tight rather than SB being hopeless?
I don't think Brucie would take the fall tbph you saw what he was like at the end, excuses galore. If he could've blamed something it will have been blamed.
agree 100% and I'm not having a go at O'Neill, I love whats happening but we simply need a finisher and my point is simply that a change in manager does not change that. Everything about yesterday was good but, and not for the first time, all was lost because of the inability to take chances. I dont even blame the players because if finishing was that easy strikers would not cost what they do.
I agree we need a striker, a loan if possible, I like the idea of Cisse, I know he is old but he knows where the goal is. I think Wickham is our best option at the moment and I think he a and Campbell could be the answer next season but now we need someone. We need a Lb or right back, Onouha would be great as he can cover CB. Richardson looked great further forward under MON and that's where he should play, McClean is great but he is also young and inexperienced and we need decent cover for him and for sess if he gets injured and Ricco is perfect for that.
Spot on Lost. The whole post is a 100% correct. So why can't SAFC realise we know what were talking about and offer some sort of freelance consultancy posts.
Ricco isn't a left back - agreed, he can cope against the lesser clubs. However I feel Bardsley's form this season has been patchy at best. He's in and out and playing either left back or right back which doesn't help. So I would say full backs are a priority. Hopefully we can get by for a short while until centre halfs return (maybe a loan deal at best) Samba if available we should be jumping at but apparently he's on a fortune and I think the top four are sniffing and may take the bait. That leaves a striker. I agree a striker is needed but not a fox in the box. A centre forward who can get 10 goals plus but who is a focus for our attack, I would say we need a bigger forward who can hold the ball up. we have goals coming from all over the park. I would have Bent back or Zamora as I think both would do a great job in our current line up. Look at the crosses we can provide from Mcclean and Larrson! If Bendtner could chip in with more goals I'd be a lot happier, I have a feeling that when Connor gets a run in the team he could well be the answer.
I don't think it's a matter of Ellis being too tight. The situation is complicated by the fact that we're facing wage negotiations with Gyan later this year. (There's no question that Sunderland want him back. If Short, Quinn and Milliband are trying to sell Sunderland sponsorship abroad, they don't get asked for interviews with Lee Cattermole or Phil Bardsley. The world press wants to know if it's possible to get an interview with the Black Star who does his magic dance. He's television gold-dust anywhere in the world, and the board-room will bend over backwards to keep him. Given that MON would have recalled him this month if possible, it's a dead cert that Gyan is coming back if his wages can be sorted). I think a loan is probably the best bet to see us from January till we can clarify that situation in summer. Somebody on another thread mentioned Davies. He's coming to the end of his career and not getting games at Bolton. He might fit the bill nicely for our situation. Cisse's another. They're both slowing down a bit, but neither would have missed the sitters we missed yesterday.
