The Way Forward

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Steven Royston O'Neill

Steven Royston O'Neill

Well-Known Member
Jan 25, 2011
19,511
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UK
These boards are struggling to find topics and understandably so, apart from the future of our manager the season is petering out.

We have debated injuries until we have nothing left and team selection is easy, we just pick 11 who can walk.

Our loan signing’s are one by one sorting themselves out, Muntari going, Elmo staying, Mensah hobbling, Ned and Welbeck?

Under it all I think we do have the basis for a good team, easy to forget the promise shown until January and the slump of slumps and I’m sure Bruce will be looking long and hard at each player, the promise they showed first half and the character shown second, or lack of it.

Cest wrote an article yesterday about the benefits of buying British and we have to ask, does he have a point. In December we looked like a top 7 certainty, we then got excited about 2 big signings, a step up, who can believe we at Sunderland are getting this quality and posts like that. They came, they joined and our good run started and our slide begun. Now we cant blame Sess and Muntari for it all but you do wonder why our supposed step up in class brought a step down in results.

We started the season in Sunderland style, big defenders who hoofed the ball up for a quick goal poacher to score we then got clever. Gyan and Welbeck, better football, pass and move, no more hoofball, how happy were we. Then the slump began.

I said a number of times last week how pleased I was with the Sess/Steed strike force, we would have to play football, pass and move, high balls out, not sure it worked.

The season may well be petering out but the next three games and summer ahead are becoming increasingly important, its not the quality of player we buy that I will be looking at but the style of play those players bring.

Maybe the Pullis way is our way afterall.
 
Stoke's way, no way! I agree we have to use what is affordable and available but I had high hopes we were moving onward and could aspire to better football. I've written before about the importance of character, battling on to the end and giving everything you've got- That's what we need in every player we sign; over the years I haven't seen many Manure players throwing in the towel. Keane then Bruce must have learnt that from Sir Alec so surely we must check players for "Character" as well as skill. I'm afraid that if we don't then we will remain an irrelevance in the game.
Sorry to be so bitter.
 
Dont be sorry pont and you dont sound bitter. I dont want to be Stoke 2 either just want to enjoy again, it seems the more we try to go down the football route the worse we are.
 
cyprussydsafc said:
Dont be sorry pont and you dont sound bitter. I dont want to be Stoke 2 either just want to enjoy again, it seems the more we try to go down the football route the worse we are.
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Syd, could it be because we don't have the necessary skills for that route?

If that's the way forward - and I'm sure most fans want it - then perhaps we need a complete rethink on the type of players we recruit.
 
I don't believe its the quality of the players. On their day they can put in decent performances. Something has to be done about training methods. The amount of breakdowns we suffer is not normal. I've never seen anything like it in 50 odd years of supporting this lot. They suffer more breakdowns than a Lada and there has to be a reason for it. I reckon a team of 11 nuns would last longer than what we're putting out at the minute.
 
cyprussydsafc said:
I just have a fancy for swapping Gyan for Defoe and Crouch and goinf back to the SKP/Quinn style
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Even if a deal was cut by the respective clubs, in view of the well documented problems we have in attracting players (or should I say their wives) to move from the comfort zone of London, do you really think these lads would consider such a move, even if it did guarantee them regular games?
 
Argus said:
Even if a deal was cut by the respective clubs, in view of the well documented problems we have in attracting players (or should I say their wives) to move from the comfort zone of London, do you really think these lads would consider such a move, even if it did guarantee them regular games?
Click to expand...

stop spoiling my dream
 
'several' years ago Ryan Giggs suffered regularly from hamstring problems, and Man U had an investigationas to "Why?"

I kid you not; they came to the conclusion that he was 'straining' getting out of his very low sportscar!
That was rectified obviously.

Makes you wonder about all these hamstrings eh? !
:)
 
Abby for me i could then be like Man City fans turn my back and just watch Abby for 90mins lol.

On a serious note i look at games lost against poor sides at the time 2-1 up at Wolves and blew it 2-1 up at Stoke our keeper that day and the defence could not cope with stokes tactics of playing volleyball. Oh for a keeper like Schmeichael who wiped out everyone out in his box even his own. We lost 6 points against West Brom 3 at home to Blackpool 4 to Newcastle 4 points won against 3 sides coming up.
Quinn Short and Bruce have some serious questions to ask about our injuries and the buying of foreign players they do not seem to have the balls for a fight.
Also no more loan players we are building a team around players who are not ours.
Yes we have been unlucky with injuries but Quinn has already said Stoke have 6 strikers.
We need an investment of at least £50million and i hope Bruce has learnt his lesson and buys players with either Premier League experience or players with the right mental attitude to mix it in a scrap, Riveros although i have no doubt is a good player but its the easy short pass he likes to play and can't hack the brutality of the premier league.
I am not anti bruce but im afraid this is his last chance to get it right.
I know we have a young side and Colbeck looks a good prospect for the future.
If Quinn has any doubts about Bruce he needs to go now if not then give him the money to prove himself.
I travel home and away and i am not expecting anything else this season but the results every where else will keep us up.
 
I'll say this re the ''Pulis way' comment.

I'd snap your bastard hand off to see us play ugly, be top 10, guaranteed a euro place (due to City's league position) and an FA Cup final, with a chance of winning.

In fact, i'd snap my own bastard hand off.

Nothing beats the feeling of winning, i'd rather we played nice stuff , sure, but it's sport, and anyone who puts anything other than winning as numero uno, doesn't ****ing get it.
 
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