Safe at last!

Well saftey has been achieved but I can't help feel disappointed with our season . At Christmas we were riding high and after the Blackpool reversal in January the dreaded E word was bandied around then the season imploded! Firstly a run of injuries that I honestly can't see any thing like it in all my years as a supporter , then Mr Bent went to a "bigger club with better prospects"(shakes head) and results started to falter nah they just plainly stopped occurring, the cohesion of the team went to pot!
The limitations of the squad were exposed as not adequate at all . Granted injuries to Campbell,Turner,Gordon, Wellbeck,Myeler and the rest to numerous to mention put pressure on a side that was held together by elastoplast so an injury to Gyan was well inevitable having to run the line himself,something that really needs to be addressed in the close season. So who is to blame , Bruce ? nah though at times his tactics are somewhat strange but lets face it who else is out there that could do the Job ? O'Neil is always bandied around but his commitment to the game isn't what it used to be due to his wifes illness and fair comment to him for that So i'll stick with who we've got and people should be grateful for some stability in that respect.
It's nice to see young uns coming on but Jordans loss of form coincided with his selection for the England team and hasn't looked half the player until the last couple of matches and I think his head was turned when big money was allegedly offered .
If we do finish in the top ten good it's progress but we don't have the squad capeable of the euro league yet not so much the quality of the opposition it's the potential extra 15 games a season that would be our problem
So the aim is to strengthen all positions bring on the young uns cos there about 4-5 in the wings One last thing , lets stuff the mags next year they claim to be top dogs and the abuse although unfounded and we didn't win for an eternity but they were so busy laughing at us they didn't produce either and as for the £35 m they gonna spend in the summer we shall see about that !

 

it's a strange one with these injuries, as we lost all the supposed called first team, then anton and mensah produced a performance like that.

iv'e long been a mensah out merchant, and still don't want him to stay, but those two put on a show at bolton, that was as good as we've seen for a long while.

hope they can repeat it again for the final two games, but have my doubt. but they deserve credit for yesterday.

 

Your title says safe at last, but in what has been the strangest of seasons ( in terms of lesser teams getting points from top teams ) it took untill 2 games of the season to go for every team OUTSIDE THE TOP 9 in the premiership to be mathematically safe. No team fell away which is the norm and the competition for points was the hardest I have ever seen. I accept some of the arguments about our recent run but not all of them. I have said this before but the worst thing that happened to us was spanking Chelsea 3-0 at the bridge because all our expectations went higher than the squad was ever going to deliver. I am in the Bruce must stay camp , and believe we will be stronger and better again next season, and I am still confident that we will hit 50 points this season and in my eyes that is progress.

 

I must say if we got to 50 pts / top 10 finish then I would be very pleased with the season, especially with the injuries. I quite like Brucie's signings, I just wish he was more tactical and had a plan B when things go wrong in a game.

Can we really see us winning our last 2 games?

 

Aye really has been a season of two halves. Still dont think Bruce is the man to take us to the next level but equally I think stability is absolutely vital to us cementing our place as a year in year out Premier League club so I hope we finish the season well, get hopefully 4points and everyone gets behind him for next year. Tactically inept at times but his hand has been forced due to some massively unlucky (but at times self inflicted due to forcing players to play when unfit) injuries.

For me theres still too many middle of the road "squad players" kickin around and I reckon theres guna be quite a few moves in the summer. Mensah, Muntari and Welbeck wont return so hopefully they are replaced with players of a similar calibre and we can get everyone fit for pre season.

1st time post so be gentle!

 

Quite agree.

 

Mensah is reportedly ours for £1m. And there's also a deal in place to sign Muntari, I just hope Mensah can keep himself fit for next season, if he can £1m will be the steal of the century.
I also reckon Muntari will come good next season if he stays.

 

Where did you get that from Bizarre?

 

Lets face it our performance this season has not been good at all, securing safety with two games to spare set to a backdrop of a very flat EPL this year.
Something like 10 teams with between 34 and 44 points,
It’s likely that Man U will add another title to the collection but they have never really been convincing all season.
Liverpool sucked to the bottom of the league before Christmas

I could go on and on.

As a Sunderland fan I’m disappointed, if we’d put in steady performances week in week out (nowt special just steady) we really could have made Europe…. not because we have a team ready or who warrant a European spot but because of the **** that has been served up by most clubs.

I’m also disappointed as a fan of football, on what’s been on offer this season I cannot see many new supporters willing to part with their hard earned beer tokens next year…………..

 

£1m?! To be fair hes been poor compare to his first season with us but at that price he'd be hard to pass on. However makes you wonder what kind of wages he's on if Lyon are willing to offload a player they paid 8.4million euros for at such a cheap price. Plus apparently we had a similar deal lined up for last season where we could make his move permanent but that was for a reported 7million euros.

Muntari for me hasnt done enough to warrant a permanent move, depending on the fee/wages tho I guess. Visibly a quality player but doesnt seem interested enough for me. Plus its not like hes a veteran winding down his career, hes only 26 and you'd think he'd be busting a gut to either secure a permanent move to us or showcase himself for another team.

Welbeck and Onuoha yes, Mensah and Muntari no for me.

 

Isn't Bramble the bigger steal also at £1m 'cos he plays more games? Take your point though. That would be a great bit of business. I also agree about Muntari, but he's not worth £8m on this season's showing. I reckon he'd be good value at anything less than £5m though.

 

Today's news of the world, I know it can't be taken as a cert coming from notw but Bruce has quoted himself a deal is in place for Muntari.

 

Well, well, well! Not sure what to make of this, if true. The guy obviously has talent, it's just that he has chosen not to show it to us since his arrival. I'm split down the middle on whether he is worth a punt or not, because he arrived here, obviously not match fit and overweight to boot!

I can't help thinking what he would be like after a full pre season with us, getting his fitness levels up and loosing some of the weight. Then again, do we want another pie muncher like Andy Reid, who was constantly fighting the flab?

I'm not sure that he is worth the gamble.......

 

FFs, come on bruce iv'e supported you all along, thought we were gonna learn from this season...

 

There is more to come from this clown Commachio...............just keep the faith in him..................he will deliver………………….sadly only more and more heart ache