Under Wilko & McCartney no money, no direction, we accepted it because we knew there was no way out of it, it wasn't ok, but it was the only way it could be in the moment. Now we have a billionaire owner and a squad full of quality, ****ing right we should expect results, especially at home, and ****ing right when we don't get them we should vent, we should walk out down and thinking what the ****. Shall we continue to trot out the 'best finish since under Reid' ****e, or shall we think as one of the biggest spenders in the last 5 seasons we should have seen this as the bare minimum requirement? Should a club, backed by a billionaire, with a glorious history and an average gate in excess of 40k accept mediocrity? Should we, the fans, think that staying in the big league for 5 years is a magnificent achievement? Should we ****. 'Aye, but Everton have a much stronger side'. A very popular train of thought when we look at the elusive top 7. If they do, it comes down to mismanagement in the transfer market by a succession of average managers, we should have that gap closed by now, we should have had that gap closed 2 years ago, they spend nowt, we spend millions, they don't often buy established stars, indeed, when did they last sign a 'big name'? **** excuses, we need reasons. The reason we are happy with a top 10 finish is because we know that despite millions spent that is the pinnacle of what the club was capable last season. With millions spent, this is surely inadequate, remind me, back to Everton, the outlay for Baines, Cahill, Arteta and Jagielka? The reason we are failing this season so far is that despite Bruce signing several good players, at least half of these players were not needed, indeed they have not played. The positions Bruce was on record as saying needed filling remain unfilled, we have an overload of midfielders, 8 of which were used tonight against lower league opposition, only one is left footed, and he is a central midfielder. So, as money was available to Bruce, and he spent it, where do we turn to point the fingers, where are the goals? Where is the service? Who's responsibility was it to rectify this? Mr Steve Bruce, Manager, Sunderland Association Football Club.
Since Moyes took over at Everton, in 2002, his net spend is - 80 million, its only the last 3 years including this one, where he has turned any kind of profit, and thats only 9 million/4 miilion/2 million. Remember most of our spend was Keane getting us out of the Championship and keeping us in the PL, and we have got good money back for those players in the meantime, and arguably bought better. Eveton as well built a squad over 9 years with the same manager, so he has went into debt, but not by much each year, but the players he bought, they come good, Bruce is doing the same IMHO, his net spend over 6 transfer windows, including this one is - 17 million, thats not a lot if you consider stoke have a net spend of over -80 million as an example. There are not many teams with a 20 goal a season striker, or a goal poacher that will get them a few goals, what we needed when we had bent was goals from midfield, we hopefully have that now with Sess/Gardner/Vaughan/Larsson, atm we just dont have a striker that can score the goals Bent did, we have gone from one extreme to the other, Ji/Wickham could still go either way for me, either be outstanding, or complete flops (hope its the former) but if he never starts them, we will never know.
Your not wrong mate, I'm hoping by some miracle we will start September with a top striker and some sort of left side. Bruce is really gonna have to pull a rabbit out of his arse soon.
Steve, Your key line is that Moyes spent 'nothing over last 3 years'. So you seriously think in 3 years and 6 windows the gap shouldn't have been closed? I'm not having that mate, sorry. Players have passed us by, in all of the positions we require, for fees we could easily afford, indeed fees we have spent on other players. We have not replaced Bent, indeed we have not replaced Kenwyne. 6 windows and no left back or left midfielder, leaving the team lop sided and easy to defend against. Expecting Larsson to deliver every ****ing bullet. 6 windows and he hasn't seen what every single one of us has seen for years, and he's not responsible? I'm not having that mate, not having it for a nano second.
Five stars are clearly not enough for this post, if ten had been available it would have had them from me. I was starting to doubt my own sanity after being slated for complaining about dire performances last season and had what I call that old chestnut "The Chelsea Game" thrown at me ad-infinitum. "The Chelsea Game" was the highlight of the season and SAFC deserved all the plaudits for it we got, sadly it was only one game and it doesn't erase the rest of the dire performances, which also deserved the derision they deserved. The money spent by our great club should have rated a hell of a lot more than one "Chelsea like game"
Yep, i recall reading someone post 'Bruce gave me one of my greatest memories as a fan seeing us win 3-0 at Chelsea'. I sat, till the death, in a wide open balcony seat at SJP and had my heart and sould ripped out, fell into my own little world with the collage of black and white pointing and bouncing at me in the Leazes corner, and living in Newcastle at the time, had to walk through the streets, every step another kick in the mouth. Bruce gave me that ****ing memory as well, the worst day i will EVER suffer as a Sunderland fan. I will never forget that, i have never been so destroyed, the only things in my entire life that have hurt more than that have been deaths and funerals.
But he had spent 94 million in the previous 6 years, and probably sold some players for profit to boot, Lescot 25 million, Andy Johnson 11 million, Rooney 32.5 million. 2 of their best players, Cahill 2 million, Arteta 2.5 million, Jagielka cost 5.2 million, Fellaini cost 19 million, Baines cost 6 million, Yakubu 14.5 million. My point is, Moyes spent the money, he made his squad, and now and for the past 3 years, as they are his and what he wanted, he doesnt have to buy any, they are still the same players, they are just a few years older than when he bought them, but they are also used to playing together as a Unit, and why they piss us off so much. And if the cash isnt there, what can Bruce do, if the players are not out there, or they are and its our wage structure/geography that is stopping them, whats he supposed to do, I would love for Bruce to say to Short, I need 30 million and our wage structure to be smashed for 3 players, Striker that will get us 20 goals a season, LW, LB, but it will cost you upwards of £30 million, and probably £80,000PW wages for all 3 each. and Short going OK then, here you go. But its not going to happen.
But Steve, you've said Bruce has spent £17 million, Moyes £94million. YOu have deducted the 'players out' from Bruce, but neglected to do so from Moyes. Of Moyes £94 million, Johnson, Lescott & Rooney alone bring back £68.5million, leaving a net spend of £25.5million. £8.5 million more than our Mr Bruce, yet they have Jagieka, Baines, Fellaini, Cahill & Arteta, to name just a few, in their side. The cash has been there for Bruce, and he hasn't fixed the left sided issue, despite 6 windows to do so. Go figure mate.
not wumming, but that theory is flawed when you look at a lot of the **** that has been bought. clearly the money is/was there, and has just been spent on the wrong players
Sadly that's the sort of passion that is missing from far to many of our supporters. In all my time as a Sunderland supporter my biggest "The Chelsea Game" moment was the 73 cup final. How sad that "The Chelsea Game" is the highlight for many of our younger supporters. You get some of the older supporters saying it's the best we have ever had, as if we should be grateful for small mercies. Should we **** accept mediocrity, and I don't think Quinn and Short will either. Well I'm sorry I have done my time in the trenches of the old 3rd division and scraping 10th on the back of some dreadful games isn't good enough. Wasn't Quinn expecting us to be a comfortable top ten team now? (Not getting their by a gnats gonad on goal difference!)
Actually i didnt, if he hadnt sold those players he would have had a net spend of -172.5 million, but he did sell them so he has a net spend of -94 million. Not sure how he has bought the wrong players, we needed midfielders that could score, we needed defenders, we needed strikers, so he has put the money towards what we needed, it just maybe the wrong players at the wrong time for some (Wickham and Ji i am talking about). Bruce isnt blameless by any means, but I just dont think he should take ALL the flak.
I'd like to see a list of the £172 million, and the list of outs as well. Even if it is the case, Bruce has not fixed the right side, despite overloading the midfield, Bruce has not bought a striker who he feels is worthy of a place, and Bruce played a team tonight without a striker. That IS Bruce's fault, all of it, and that cannot be argued. 6 windows Steve, 6! Who else gets the flak? The players played hopelessly out of position? Ellis for night writning unlimited cheques? The fans for expecting a balanced side? I ain't slating the players at the club, we have a good squad, but i will slate the balance and team selection, as it's been woeful, continually. 5 wins in 31 is it?
http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/everton-fc/transfers-alle/verein_29.html there you go, it may not be perfect to the £ but i bet its pretty close. I agree the balance is ****, but just think back to the England squad a few years back (and even now without Adam Johnson) we have no left sided midfielder, Gerrard cant play there, but thats all we had, LB how many good ones are in the PL, 3 maybe 5 tops, Strikers that can score 20 goals a season, 2 last season Tevez and Berbatov who scored 13 in 4 games which helped, Season before 5 i think, season before that 0 Anelka was top scorer with 19. The positions we need, they dont grow on trees. PS: its late so I hold my hands up here, I may have miscalculated, I think i took the 25 million profit when they sold Rooney as a loss, but i cant be arsed to calculate it all again. but its still 55 million+ deficit.
But they are out there mate. Honda, Warnock, Riise, N'Zog, Cissokho, all players who could have been available this summer. I always enjoy having a bit craic with you, as you always have reasoned and thought out responses, that's what we come to the forum for. Facts are, the damning proof is in the pudding. No left back, no left winger, no natural goalscorer, and seldom few wins for a staggering 8 months. Millions spent but still no balance. And the final insult, for me, £10million worth of new strikers overlooked for a stack of midfielders. Bruce has made his own noose here, and surely he is looking over his shoulder waiting for someone to boot the chair.
Fair enough, I dont play FM though so dont know any, and dont watch a lot of other countries tbh, I would like that cisse (but Spurs want him as well) and we are supposedly interested, but again its a question of will they come, its fine saying yeah i want him, if they say no (like nugent did, which was probably a blessing in disguise) what is Bruce supposed to do.
Got a bit of a dodgy nose too, maybe if I put on four or five stone, get a bad hair cut and say 'we' instead of 'our' I'll be dent-a-nose's successor.
