I hope so. I was just sceptical that he'd be able to do it with a third team. There must be some question marks over him because despite scoring at our level, he's not been picked up by clubs at a higher level.
I said at the time Wigan had our eyes out with that one and I stick by it. I still think we would have been better off keeping Maja, even if we did lose him on a free in the summer. Seems a sound lad, I've no doubt he would have put his all in for us until the very end, and I'm convinced we would have finished top 2 if he had kept banging them in for fun for the rest of the season.
I think in principle the idea of getting rid of one player who doesn't want to be here and getting one in who does, while more or less breaking even on it was the right thing to do. I'm not so sure Maja would have given it everything but who knows.
My view from under the flag Highlights: https://www.safc.com/news/team-news/2019/may/portsmouth-h/highlights-v-portsmouth
My thoughts are we were better after Maja went, we stopped scoring 1 a game. The big handicap for me, given how he finished the season, was Wyke taking so long to get fit.
Absolutely - and the challenge that crocked him went completely unpunished - we didn;t even get e free kick FFS!! Awful challenge and one of the worst you'll see in the game which put him out for 3 months on on of his first games back!! Wonder if we'd have still lost that had the keeper been sent off for it!
Based on league games only, we scored more than one goal more times before Maja left than after. And, if my maths is correct, we scored 46 league goals with Maja and only 38 without him. Even now he's fit, Wyke doesn't look like the answer. He worked hard yesterday but his anticipation isn't good and he doesn't look a threat. We've not adequately replaced Maja and we've looked toothless without him.
Wyke isn't a goalscorer and never will be. Maja was a very good finisher and I do think Grigg will be a better player next season if we can actually get him fully fit! Wyke is a good target man in this division. Holds the ball up and wins things in the air - this is why Portsmouth targetted him on Saturday (and will likely do the same on Thursday).
You're right, he's not a goalscorer, but wasn't he bigged up on the basis of being top scorer for Carlisle then Bradford City for three seasons in a row? He should hold the ball up and win things in the air but he can't if he's not in the right place and often wasn't on Saturday. The fact that we're playing with a target man, rather than a player like Maja, now has changed our game and we look less threatening.
Maja was a diamond, he was unorthodox, had a good football brain and coolness in front of goal, he was good and he knew it. He would have been better off seeing the season out with us, but he took the chance to leave asp. shame for both parties imo.
Those ones often won games if I remember correctly, the bigger handicap for me has been Grigg, at the time of his arrival I thought he was the perfect replacement for Maja, but so far it has not turned out that way at all, and doubts are growing and will grow until he proves otherwise, but I would be surprised if he figures at all in the next few days, we actually look better without him tbh.
I never wanted Grigg. A blind man could see that we were paying over the odds for him. His profile has only been lifted because of that stupid song. One big signing under the new owners and JR and it's been a dud. Hopefully it's not a sign of whats to come because we've always struggled with players we've splashed out on.
We were totally desperate for a striker at the time. All clubs had us by the short and curlies. It seems Wigan had us by the shortest and curliest. At least it seems like we wont be paying the full £4 million anytime soon.
He's w*nk, no pace no presence, contributes nothing........it takes a proper clever c8nt to know why Wigan wouldn't play him in the Championship.
Different kind of player though - Grigg's game is to be on the shoulder of the last defender. Charlie's game is to be more physical. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground with Sunderland fans - players are either hero's or duds. Grigg is injured, and he's been dropped in to a team mid season. Fair do's - he hasn't contributed much this season, but don't write him off yet
For one reason or another Grigg has been an obstacle to progress this season, hence the reaction. The one point in his favour is that the rest of squad, who certainly do give their all, seem to accept him, and they will know the situation a lot better than we do. In the meantime we will just have to wait and see, hoping he can eventually become the player we thought we were getting.
Hope he comes good, it would be like a new signing. Be boring if we all agreed on everything, here's to a good result Thursday
Is this like when someone dies they become a saint. Although if the point is we have missed Maja's goals... you are dead right. Wyke does not look a natural goalscorer whereas Griggs does....?
