Good for him. He's a professional footballer and wishes to play football. Do get over the petty playground schoolboy hatred, people. We are over twelve years old here.
He's getting paid to wear that shirt and he's still struggling to keep a straight face Seriously though, good luck to him. He's good enough to still be making a living from the game. No doubt people on every side will be hoping he never needs to play a game though. What he will be very good for is on the training pitch, especially with that young keeper.
Depends, Fat Sam seems to be killing morale. What is going on with their keepers? Mannone is distant number 2, then all of a sudden both him and Pants are crap, so here comes Pickford... Ooops, he lets in 4... Erm, Mannone has always been my number 1 Steve will probably end up playing every game at this rate!
Depends if Allardyce keeps ****ing him around. What a waste of the lads time to be taken away from a loan spell where he did well, to be used as a scapegoat then left to rot on the bench
Interesting views and definitions. You're the only person making a scapegoat of him by mocking him for the 4 he let in. Who's made a scapegoat of him? He's been available for two Premier League Matches and one cup game since he returned. He's played two of the three games. I think you're suggesting problems that simply aren't there.
Did you not see the interview straight after the game? Sam said Mannone was his number 1 in a rather odd bumbling post-match natter... Guess you didn't see it.
Of course i saw it, I write for a fanzine and see the full pre and post match press conferences. It was as we all assumed. Mannone had done well since he came in and a keeper's place is always for him to lose. Common sense told us Vito was Number 1. We knew Pickford was brought back so Sam could take a look at him. Those were the two matches, I thought it would be just the cup match but turns out he got a second. Do you not think Pickford will have been informed of all this? Do you not think Pickford knew he was Number 2 but getting a couple of games so the gaffer can take a look at him? Of course he did. It's common sense. Pants went because we had three very good goalkeepers, he just happened to be on the biggest wage and have the worst distribution of the three which isn't helpfull when the gaffer is setting up a counter attacking base style. Pants was always going to the one sold and lost his place before Pickford returned. All commen sense when you follow the club with the detail of a fan. Pickford could be in for the next game as Vito was at fault for the goal yesterday but I assure you we've no issues or problems in that area. It's two good and fully informed goalkeepers competing for the number one spot. It's very healthy and an area of the squad we can actually be happy with.
Whilst the likelihood is that he won't play any games, if he does, I hope he has a stinker. Forget about the past, he's just another mackem player now and that's where his loyalties lie. Be clear, he's now employed by Sunderland Football Club, in a relegation battle with Newcastle United, and his job, if it comes to it, is to help us to be relegated. So bollocks to all the nicey nicey s****, wishing him well, I hope he remembers his time at SAFC with fond memories of being relegated. As my mate said today, he's more than a bit naïve to sign for the unwashed and not expect a backlash of some sorts.
