Think to yourselves - there is a positive from every situation

You sound like Pardew mate Everyone knows that when we were promised that the full 35 million would be sent on players, that didn't include signing on and agent fees. They just twisted it round afterwards. Not that I'm disappointed, who wants a 20 million pound player in the squad? Probability is he would be a prima donna, and ruin squad morale. No, I'm pleased with what we have, but they did lie to us and you sound just like them mate.

 

Who the hell said that? If you just assumed that then that's your problem I'm afraid. Getting players requires up-front costs, and to not include those up-front costs because, well, for no reason really, is just absurd.

Signing Demba Ba probably cost at least £2million in agent and signing on fees, and probably more. That's cash they have to immediately pay to the agent and the player to join up. Where does the money come from? Some magic bank in fantasy land?

Cabaye = £4.5mill
Obertan = £3mill
Santon = £3mill
Ben Arfa = £5mill
Ba = AT LEAST £2mill
Marveaux = AT LEAST £2mill

Voila. £19.5mill

Of course they lied. I'm not defending Pardew or Ashley though. I'm just going against the people who for some reason think we've spent "nothing" and act like we've just brought in a couple of frees. People really underestimate that we've in reality spent almost £20mill on SIX new players who have all, so far, been much better than they're worth.

And people are baffled as to why we've started the season so well? I'm baffled as to why they're so baffled to be honest. Ben Arfa, Cabaye and Tiote could quite easily be £15million+ players in time. Ba was on the verge of signing for Stoke for £6million, and that was BEFORE he even showed that he could net 7 in 12 in a poor West Ham side. If Santon finds his earlier form he could be worth a ****ing fortune too.

It's very clever spending which has let us buy players worth far more than we paid. The results we've had so far this season frankly don't surprise me.

 

I agree Chappaz, we have not spent nothing, and of course there are costs involved in signing free players. MY point is that we have not spent near to the 35 million we were promised. If you include the cost of kits, the cost of hot water for the showers, the cost of post match meals then yes, we probably have. But I believe that when we were promised a spend of 35 million, that was on transfer fees, not every other expense under the sun. Don't get me wrong though, I'm delighted that we have used our transfer policy rather than Sunderland who, for example, spent 13 million on Gyan (although they may manage to recoup that).

 

Wow

First of all, nobody is massively underachieving in this league apart from Arsenal by their own standards. Sunderland by no means are underachieving. By selling 30 goals a season they are achieving what I would say is a very decent return.

Let's not forget last season Sunderland were in the bottom 4 teams for goals scored, then they shipped out their top two strikers.

Bruce spent a vast sum in the summer on players to bulk up his squad, but made no direct replacement for Darren Bent which had to be the priority, then AFTER the window had shut, Quinn let Gyan join some Arab team ON LOAN!!!

To look at a starting 11 and say you're underachieving because you have a decent midfield and defence is ludicrous, because the most important people on the pitch to win matches are the goal scorers and you don't have anything anywhere near prolific in your ranks.

Now to Newcastle. Yes they're overachieving by the expectations people had of them, me included. Newcastle again, didn't sign a number 9 in the summer but what they did do is get a guy who scored 7 in 11 or something for a struggling team and he is earning them points.

I guarantee one of the first things any opposition manager thinks about when playing Newcastle is how to stop Cheik Tiote controlling the game. The guy is a powerhouse, a dictator and a complete animal, and very few players get a good run out in CM when playing against him. Then with Cabaye who has the vision of a hawk, coupled with a bit of pace and flare on the wings, they're always going to create chances. NUFC have a very good shot stopper on their ranks behind two very much in-form centre backs. Their weakness is both fullbacks, in my opinion. Two playes who can and will be exploited by any decent attackers this season. With Ben Arfa to come back I can see Newcastle getting harder to beat.

Let's not forget that Newcastle beat Sunderland away, with a squad which was without their two top scorers playing on the pitch. That is not over achieving.

Whilst I've shown a lot of support for Newcastle and very little for Sunderland here, I do however think you'll finish a lot closer to each other than the table suggests now, but judging by Bruce's record, he will inevitably waste more money in January on turd so I'm going to say Newcastle will finish above Sunderland*

*In the event that Bruce is sacked and is replaced with any good manager, I reserve my right to retract this prediction.

 

Let's just hold out for some optimism that some money is being stashed away to fortify our squad in January. It would be the sensible thing to do, but will Mike do the sensible thing? Let's wait and see.

 

I personally think if NUFC are in the top 12 come January he'll put his hand in his pocket.

With SAFC and our 'doom and gloom' in my 20 years of supporting the club I haven't known anything else really. lol I just look back at our 15 point season and think how bad it could be. We are so lucky to have a person like SNQ, where would we be now if he didn't save us?

This, to me is the most frustrating time to be a Sunderland fan. We've got everything in place at the minute to really kick on, but we've got a poor manager and a manager who is embarrassingly unambitious at our club. Finishing above NUFC is nice, but surely he should stop talknig about it now and it shouldn't be our main objective.

 

Interesting thread, and some interesting thoughts, didnt realise Carroll had applied for a transfer, thought it just happened, same as Hendo via a Liverpool approach, and not a requested one, Tapping up springs to mind, by the way for underachieving, please read,,,,, playing ****e.

 

Aye. We rejected the 35mill offer apparently but then Carroll asked for higher wages, and when we refused, he put in a transfer request.

That's just the reported story though. Who knew what happened with the cockney mafia behind closed doors.