To be honest mate, we've had a problem involving the academy and integrating young players into the first team for probably 10 years or so. The last manager that regularly looked at the youth team to bring players in was Bruce, since then we've either had the likes of O'Neil who wasn't interested, or other managers who wouldn't risk putting young players into a relegation battle and weren't there long enough to try and change it later. Chopping and changing managers hasn't helped with that planning and each one has had different ideas of what they wanted and hasn't given any long term stability. Things have really come to a head in the last couple of years as we're at a level where we're vulnerable to having our better youth players targeted by other clubs and not having the money to resist it, so have let them go. It'll take a while to undo that damage and getting out of this league is going to be a major step in doing it
I hadn't heard that,but I'm not surprised. Donald doesn't have the resources and gambled on us coming straight back up in his first season....he was after a quick money spinning turnround......and it very nearly came off for him. He had stuck his neck out with Grigg to try to ensure it would happen...which unfortunately didn't work out......but if the play-off final had turned out differently,he'd have succeeded. He was that close. We should have been 3 goals up at half time in that game,but we couldn't get it done. Very unlucky for him. So he had to give it another try with very little spare cash,heart in mouth time,so he agreed a loan cushion,even if there were strings attached. From there he hit more bad luck......an indifferent start had him sacking Ross for PP....after the turn of the year things started looking better...a little dip in form saw us just outside the playoff places,but all to play for....then Covid! He must be cursing his luck!
Good post, I think a lot of us are in the thinking tho that our resistance to let them go hasnt been strong enough and quite happy to cash in on them for a pittance to run the club with their short sighted business plan
Agree with that however without integrating them into the 1st team they themselves see no clear passage which makes the approaches from the Liverpools and Arsenals of this world even more appealing
Yep 100%, been a Sunderland manager you are under pressure to either fight relegation or gain promotion where its hard to integrate the young'ns
I take the Barnes info as little snippets from the club to keep everyone at ease that there is a takeover and it's going ok. If a rumour was to suddenly start that it's all off, when it wasn't, I bet you that Barnes would suddenly get more info from his source.
Well before compensation they need to put rules in place that stop the likes of Chelsea hoovering up all the promising kids in Europe to chuck them out on loan as a business model. The big clubs don't care if the kids never play for them as they are likely to sell them for a decent fee based on the fact they are from 'their' youth system. As we all know players who were good enough to be at Chelsea (even if they only played a few first team minutes) must be good enough for us and worth at least £8 million, if you don't believe me ask David Moyes!
And that is what type of a business man Donald actually is.... Not one ounce of strategy, placed it all on number 22
Aye, because you are the epitome of consistency and have never strung anyone along ever. What a ****ing hypocrite.
Lets be honset here...safc havent had a long-term plan for decades. In the PL it was survival at all costs. The team, year after year was ripped apart.
That moment I think was when Big Sam ended the season with us. Great things were expected for the forthcoming season!! All hindsight, I know but had he not have gone we'd be in a different place today!
I'm not holding out much expectation on this being concluded, I mean if I don't have an expectation, then I can't be upset if it falls through & if it happens then I can be happier than I already am with the situation.
