Following on from the N'Zogbia and Gibbson threads I am starting to get a little sick of the assumed difficulties that some players seem to have with us. I know all about holidays and negotiations and I may be assume things that are not correct, but. N'zogbia, around 18 months Gibbson,Brown,Oshea, nearly a month Ngog, nearly a month Vaughn, nearly a month Now like everyone else I have no idea how far we are with these but reading between the lines it seems that if any of these wanted to be here they would be. Do we really want players who see us as last resort. Or is it the way we do it thats wrong, we do seem to take longer than everyone else. Or is this the price we pay for being in the north east but trying to attract better players.
Syd I know how your thinking is with this one and I have some sympathy but I've given some insight into the N'Zogbia deal IMO. We are very slow on getting deals done mind and I suppose its like everything, a player is going to weigh up all the alternatives before making a decision. I can only grab some comfort in the fact that Larsson has worked with Bruce and he was the deciding factor which may well help in the signings of N'Zog and Gardiner, with his Man Utd connection having a bit of pull for Gibson, O Shea and Brown (although I have written the Brown deal off in my mind). Its the marquee forward signing that gives me most sleepless nights though. We desperately need to replace the goal scoring of Judas and I cant see any of the ones we are linked with providing that same threat.
I suppose it's a fine line between value for money and paying over the odds. That was the residual problem with Keane's rule.... When it was time to move players on they did not want to go (for less money?) ...
I still think we may be in for a surprise in August on the striker front and we still cant shift them
i think we will have a suprise in august on the striker front just a gut feeling short quinny walton are working on a deal
I know how you feel Bill but as always us Sunderland fans are playing the waiting game. I just hope its worth the wait
I think the area is the main setback. Club is ran professionally, big fan base. We are viewed as a cul-de -sac by some I fear. x
Every ****er is on holiday man, chill out. The length from Enquiry to actually signing does take time so be patient.
Maybe, and to be fair, if we are to compete in getting top players, maybe we need to hike up the salaries in order to entice them. Don't think it's what will happen (god they're paid enough as it is), but seems a lot of signings do stall, for one reason or another.. Or, like the mags are doing, get some imports, as they are not influenced by the area so much, and just want to be in the prem, and are thankfull for the chance... Sess for ex.
Sunderland isn't really the most attractive proposition for players unfortunately. You guys might disagree, but it's true. We might have been relegated recently, but as recently as 8 years ago we were one of the best sides in the country and consistently finished in the top 4, with European football to boot. Fighting Man Utd for the title numerous times. Playing in the Champions League against the likes of Barcelona in-front of millions of European viewers (including a lot of current players today who probably watched the tournament as children). People don't forget that, and European footballers (young and old) tend to know our team because of that. You guys, on the other hand, have been relegated twice during that time and reached a high of 7th place, so nothing of any note has really happened to create a reputation, has it? Correct me if I'm wrong, of course. Say what you like about it, but take away the bias and the fan passion, and there's not much which would specifically attract top players to Sunderland outside of wages and good stadium attendances compared to a lot of EPL teams. I'm not saying that Newcastle can attract amazing mega super players with ease, but you guys will always struggle to capture players who either have big aspirations, or those who have cushy contracts with some of the best teams in the league. Start consistently fighting for the top 5-7th spots though and a better reputation would probably start to build.
sadly I agree and its why we need to pay over the odds to get the players in who will take us there and build a reputation, or settle for a longer build period. I think the Gardeners, Larssens and Westwoods will make us option 2 and I ma happy with that TBH
But we are the top dogs in the NE. Fact. And any player looking at recent times would see that. Don't kid yourself, Newcastle is no more attractive to an African, S.American or Asian player, than Sunderland is. Unfortunatly, neither can compete with some of the others.
I agree somewhat with Chappaz. Take our red and white tinted spectacles off for a moment, and be realistic. Newcastle are the bigger club. They have a wider established fanbase, a stronger recent history and a more recognisable brand. This is not me being anti Sunderland, just being realistic.. It takes time, and success to build a good reputation. Staying in the top flight for a good few years now is a great start to building that. Progressing a bit higher next year would do no harm. Who knows throw in a cup run and the who knows, the odd fling in Europe in the next 5-10 years and we may see our club grow bigger, and attract better players. The key here is sustained progression and success. Look at Boro and Pompey, they had flash in the pan success, a cup win and runs in Europe. Now look where they are. I say we are in a better position personally. Everton are always the team I think we should aspire to follow by example. Perennial top halfers, getting themselves a go at Europe, attracting quality players, and doing this on a budget in comparison to those around them. Perhaps most notably of all, they are, like us, often viewed as the lesser of 2 clubs, constantly told they are, to quote what countless Mags have said to us over the years, "Forever in our shadow" although by Liverpool fans. We may not be the most attractive club in the world, from not the most attractive area. We may not have the recent success or world brand that Newcastle have. But you know what? **** it, we do bloody well to compete concerning the circumstances, and if anyone deserves a chip on their shoulder, its us!
Why do you always seem to turn a thread into a Sunderland V Newcastle comparison thread? Go back to the original op and you will see that Syd is asking why deals take so long, not are we any more attractive than Newcastle.
And I also agree with Welder, the original point of this thread has been missed, hahh... But just thought Id put out my unbiased view on the situation since it was being raised.
If I stroll in and say what I said about Sunderland on its own then I'm sure I'd get a flurry of mackems telling me why I can't talk because my team hasn't done this and hasn't done that. I'm just getting it out of the way and using it as a comparison to make my point. And Syd asked this: One point he touched on was that they take so long because players might not be interested and may see you guys as a last resort. I'm just expanding on it.
