.......... I don't think Kevin Ball should be at the club. Yes I know I'll take a battering over this but it's what I feel. There's some kind of 'Brit' culture at the club that seems to persist and the good foreign players like Gyan, Sess & Mignolet want away ........ why? And if the likes of Henderson & Colback can't see any ambition within the club then there's something intrinsically wrong at Sunderland. How is it possible that a club with the location, history & support of Swansea, no offence, be doing so much better? They bring in a foreign manager, backroom staff and a 8 Spaniards and everyone gets on with the job. At Sunderland the British influence, in my opinion, is dominating and holding back the club. At Swansea the 'Brits' accept the foreign influence but at Sunderland it's treat like dogshit on their boots. Perhaps I'm over reacting but the thought keeps coming back into my mind no matter what I do to dispell it.
So Kevin Ball is to blame now for our position and PDC is hard done too? Hope this is just your opinion and not a statement of fact mind. Priceless.
I didn't say he's to blame for everything ......... that's just you making things up as is your habit. If you weren't so desperate to have a go at me for my response, on another thread, you'd have seen the part in the OP where I said, "At Sunderland the British influence, in my opinion, is dominating and holding back the club." You're just blinded by your own rage and agenda whereby no one else can voice their opinion. You've come stampeding on here, without actually reading the post, because you're an angry little man. He's part of a 'Brit culture' at the club which is holding us back.
Smug, your entitled to your opinion but my opinion is this time your wrong. No blame attached to Bally as far as I am concerned.
There is definitely some factor which is making SAFC inferior to the rest of the prem. Not the facilities - check Not the ground - check Not the money - check Strong, big fanbase - check Not sure if Bally is the problem, mind, but as good old Sherlock Holmes says; eliminate the possible - however improbable - and you have your answer. (Or something like that) x
Can't see how its Ball's fault. its poor player recruitment over the past 6 years and poor management.
Where have I said you said everything? Who is making **** up? Hypocrite. You deserve all the criticism that will be coming for such a ridiculous statement and not just from me. I fail to see anything a youth team coach can be held responsible for what Quinn, Short, Bruce, MoN, PDC has done in the last 4 years, or Poyet does in his time. I'd laugh but I really think you mean it.
I may well be wrong mate, I'm just finding myself looking at Ball sideways more than I'd like. Don't get me wrong, I think the bloke is a hero at Sunderland and I saw more than 80% of his games for us. I just wonder what kind of influence he is to the Brit-clique and wonder if they go to him rather than the gaffer. How does he feel about Di Canio, and now Poyet, being preferred over him for the manager's job?
Step forward club legend kevin ball you sir are our new scapegoat despite sterling service to our club for your entire adult life almost thats pathetic man KB has had our reserves and under 18s playing good football for years so why would he stand in the way of the 1at team doing it
My computer must have one of those modern word filters on it as I still cant see the word 'everything' in my response. Does your computer have a filter that invents stuff only you can see? Personally I think the lass who sells the pies and pop at half time at the Len Ashurst kiosk has to share some of the blame for us not being a good football team. Her insistence that we sell only British pies and pop has led us to lose some of the top international talent that once graced our field of dreams. Damn her and her British fayre.
He's not my scapegoat mate, that's not what I'm saying. However he's a little more than the 'kids manager' to be honest, he's managed the club twice and always puts himself up for the job when it's vacant. Is he totally happy that he's rejected every time, for unproven foreign managers .............. I wouldn't be. The fact is that, when the post was available last time, O'Shea and his clique were virtually begging for 'Bally' to be given the job and 'demanding' a British manager. How do they now feel that their wishes were ignored? That worries me. If it doesn't concern you then that's fine.
You're coming across as a bit hysterical so I'll take the advice, from people on this board, and ignore you for a while.
It's a good point tbh and something I'd never really considered. I see what you're saying, he's not intentionally holding us back but this "Brit clique" (which we ALL agree on is poison in our club) seem to love him and it honestly wouldn't surprise me if they did go behind the manager's back to him, hence the begging for him to get the job. As much as it surely isn't Bally's fault, and as much as I love the guy, you could be onto something... However, we will never know for sure, and to get rid of him would be PR suicide, so for now it just goes on the "what if..." pile.
It's all the ****e Brucie and Keane bought before him that are holding us back Oh and a DoF who has no experience of that role doesn't help
Thanks for giving me the time of day .... I didn't expect that when I posted the thread, Ball is 'untouchable' as far as most of us are concerned. The problem with wondering about Bally is that he's one of the few heroes we have. He's the kind of bloke we'd all be happy to go for a pint with but I think that's part of the problem. We just don't feel like a modern clinical football club ........ we feel like a club where we like our heroes to be 'one of the lads'. Was Ronaldo one of the lads at Man Utd or Drogba one of the lads at Chelsea? No, they were desperately hungry professionals who wanted success above anything. We're stuck in the past at Sunderland and the likes of Di Canio will always be viewed with suspicion. That's irrelevant if it's just the supporters but I suspect it's ingrained into the club.
Don't think it's a Bally issue mate. Now I'm the one who's about to get it in the Neck. Wasn't it Quinny who dished out the contracts to 90% of the old guard when Short bought the club and Quinn was Chairman? Between Bruce and Quinn they panicked and brought in a lot of players to fill out the squad on wages that have stopped us moving them on. The problem for me was created in the past and is effecting us today. Like I said when Paolo was sacked. Most of these players are in their last year then good riddance, but they've still got a whole season to relegate us before they walk away from the club for free and probably into a newly promoted premiership side.
I don't excuse Quinn and agree with much of what you say. However there is a Brit-clique and Ball must be involved otherwise why the stream of players saying Bally should get the job? Is he happy to have been overlooked in favour of 2 unproven foreigners who 'don't know the club or players' ..... are the players happy to have had their wishes ignored? I doubt it.
Think he definitely the Youth coach who acts like he's the senior players best friend like. Probably one of the reasons Paolo put restrictions on who the 1st team squad can mix with. If that is the case, A word in his ear about a less casual approach should do the trick. Bally takes me as the type who can take executive advice on board.
