We only have one win in 18/21? Apart from Johnsons goal today we only have 1 goal scorer all season. Persisting with 1 striker doesn't work O'Neills past record counts for nothing This time last season we were in a better position under Bruce. O'Neill isn't the same without John Robertson (this is a massive issue in my eyes but generally gets over looked. O'Neills tactics and substitutions leave a lot to be desired. O'Neill is already showing he has his favourite players. O'Neills reluctance to shop abroad greatly concerns me. I would like us to go for an up and coming manager with experience of other leagues A modern day manager who plays modern football (possession and Quick tidy football A manager who can grab us some gems from the foreign leagues. I feel the tried and tested (Bruce and O'Neill) hasn't really moved us on since Keane and would like a fresh change.
Fair points SAFC83 and well put. I can't argue against one win in 23, but we will win and I feel we are a better side than we are portraying. only two scorers - Another way of looking at it is that the only two players that have scored for us were signed by MON. His past record shows that he does get things right and that he may need a little time. None of our past managers in my life time have come to the job with such a pedigree. I conceed he has to do it here. He is running out of time another 4 straight defeats and I may have nothing left to argue with but I think he will turn it round within 4 games. John Robertson - you could have a point. I have no idea how quickly MON hit the ground running in his other jobs? Was it instant success there? I havn't agreed with all of MONs subs etc. I would suggest every manager has his favourites. Shopping abroad I'm not so sure, hasn't had a great deal of time here to prove or disprove this. I'm not sure who this modern day manager is? Some would argue AVB may be that man, some Spurs fans would disagree. I share most of your concerns, how could I not, I do think we are in a better position than under Bruce. I just think MON will get it right and he will build us. I'm sticking my flag in the sand with MON though. i'M NOT SAYING i'M RIGHT. iN THE END YOU MAY WELL BE PROVED RIGHT AND mon could be gone in a month. I don't want us to go down and under MON I don't think we will. My faith my be misplaced but it is where it is. I much prefer that you've put your point across though and all fair points.
Tony, I've always put my point across like this until I get shot down and called an idiot (or something similar), that's when I retaliate. I think saying the only 2 players that have scored we're signed by O'Neill, is clutching at straws, IMO. With regards to his other jobs, I'm not so sure. I do know he finished 11th in his 1st season with Villa before he got them three 6th place finishes. He is well known for signing British or British based players, look at his previous record with other clubs and look at his signings so far for us. Modern day managers - I would be looking at Martinez, hes young, enthusiastic, has experience of other leagues. Martinez gets his teams playing lovely attacking football and has done a cracking job at Wigan under the circumstances. He was also responsible for turning Swansea into the Footballing team they are today. If you check the league table from 1 year back we had more points under Bruce then we have now, to me that shows no progress. After today's performance, I am a little bit more optimistic but was not going to come on here and shout that, especially after one game just to be disheartened a couple of days later because then I really would be fickle.
SAFC 83, you put forward Martinez but his project at Swansea took time infact it never happened until he had been gone a year or two so perhaps that shows you need to take a bit of time? I was all for Bruce out last year so I don't feel I have blind faith in managers? This to me feels different? I really did feel Bruce had done all he could, I don't think MON has even started yet. If we sacked MON now after sacking Bruce a year ago, where would that get us? You are arguing from a position of strength. I'm trusting a losing manager. We will know more by December I don't think Short will sack him, on a side note.
I'm not trying to defend anyone here but lets face it, none of us expected to go to Everton yesterday and come away with anything did we? they're a good team and hard to beat. I think that's 8 times this season that they've gone behind and still not lost a match, 2 wins and 6 draws. Had we gone there with a fully fit team then we'd have got something out of that game. As it is we went there with 2 key players missing, Bardsley and Cattermole, most teams would struggle and we did. If anything it firms my beleif that our midfield simply isn't good enough and needs to be strengthened in January. Colback isn't and never will be a central midfielder, he's not good enough and goes missing far too often in a match, he's not very creative either and a bit lightweight when in possession, easily knocked off the ball. McClean needs a spell in the reserves to learn his trade before giving it the 'big i am' he's not good enough either. Larsson is a good ball player and will create chances but at the minute he's playing 2 different roles and he's not performing either of them very well. MON has him in the middle which is fine if you have Cattermole in there to win the balls, he wasn't and Larsson just can't do that role, he's better going forward if a little slow. Very slow to be honest and i think he will drop down the pecking order once MON ges the type of pacey players he like in. AJ is just struggling for form but is improving game by game, that goal will have given his confidence a massive boost. Sess??? jusy's still out for me. I've never actually see him have a good game, i'm sure he might have had them but i've not seen it. We need a more supportive striker to play alongside Fletcher, Sess isn't the right man for that job but he does have skill and pace so if we get a few additions in January then he might come alive? Defensivley we're good, very good in fact and although we are losing games at the minute, we're not getting hammered. With our midfield playing the way it is, any defense would struggle to cope, get a few midfielders in to protect the defence and they'll be fine. Mig, outstanding and can't fault him at all, i just hope we can hang on to him. That's just my humble opinion of what i saw yesterday and in general this season, i just wish MON would see it. Tactically we were poor, we bossed the game in the first half then let Everton come at us in the second and it was only a matter of time before they got a breakthrough, MON should have seen this and made changes earlier. Colback was having the piss taken out of him as was Larsson, he should have put Vaughan on much earlier, not when we went behind, it was always going to be too late then. Saha for Fletcher? OK so Fletch was injured but Saha has as much pace as me, would have prefered to see Wickham given a chance and not a measerly 3 minutes. What the **** can you do in 3 minutes? At the end of the day we got what we deserved but the signs are there that improvement is being made, just not quick enough IMO and i'm ****ting myself at what might happen in December, we need to get points on the table and quick and right now, i honestly can't see where they will come from. It would be suicidal to get rid of MON now, give him till the end of the season and see where we are, we won't get relegated and we're not going to qualify for Europe either but lets see what he can do in January and the rest of the season. Like i said, just my humble opinion.
It's just how i saw it mate, imo we are 3 decent players away from a very good team, 3 pacey midfielders. We're good at the back, good at the front (when serviced) it's just the engine room that's letting us down now, get that right and we'll be OK.
Agree just about wholey with this post, but just hope people realise that we won't be making great signings in January, no one ever does. Maybe another loan signing. MON won't buy for the sake of it. quality over quantity. The lads look more committed yesterday, and in comitted I mean busting a gut to get forward.
Disagree mate, if you look at past interviews/comments made he seems to have identified the areas he needs to strengthen, i think he will bring in at least 2. Whether just loanees or permanent, he will add to the squad in January. We're ****ed if he doesn't.
Billy your one of the reasons i havn,t been on for a while. now while i agree everyone has an opinion and that everyone is different your language and slating of other people is beyond me. Sacking a manger every 12 months well done and where is that going to get us. He has bought in two class players and everyone knows sometimes players take time to settle. I just hope he puts a bid in for Danny Rose. In my opinion the only thing he is doing wrong is when both fit he plays Catts and Colbeck together we need more creativity through the middle. And to resort to your Language Billy so you can understand. Keep your ****ing comments to yourself and stop slating everyone who disagree,s with you
I'd go for Sinclair at Citeh, he hasn't had a look in this season but was quality last season with Swansea, he's just what we need, pacey, has skill and has an eye for goal.
It's a centre midfielder who is going to stamp his mark on the game, that we need mate. We have Larsson, Johnson, McFadden and McClean for the wings.
Good read mate, if I was 100% certain we would not be relegated, even if we were to finish 17th, then I would keep O'Neill, honestly I would. I just think we are in real danger at the moment. You have made some good points there and noticeably about Sess, to be fair he was pretty awesome at Man City last season in the 3-3 draw. For me though he is vastly over-rated. He doesnt get at people enough nor has any real pace and doesnt chip in with many goals, as well being unanimous in far to many games.
Haven't got the answers mate, but for whatever reason, it's just not working for Sess playing in the hole. Maybe if we had better midfielders who can link up then it might just work and he can regain some sort of form. At the minute, we haven't, the ball gets pushed up front and the midfielders sit back. Not sure if this is an MON tactic or the players just aren't good enough, either way, they're not supporting the 2 front men. I did see signs of it yesterday from AJ and Larsson but as i've already stated, Larsson just doesn't have the pace, he's got the skill and can ping balls about all day but until we get some pace in the middle then the likes of Sess will struggle.
Get Sess out on the wing in place of McClean and Sinclair in the hole, or if MON is feeling really brave have him in CM with Catts and Wickham up front with Fletcher.442.
Got to give O'Neill the full season, unless were in the bottom 3 with only a hand full of games to go. Look at Everton for argument sake, other than this season they normally start off crap. If the board there had sacked Moyes for that reason in previous seasons they wouldn't be where they are today. Aye, we are a big club but i think some people believe we are a bit bigger than we actually are in reality & the frustration sets in if things don't go great from the offset. Just got to get behind the manager & the lads because after all we've got a billionaire in charge of Sunderland & he wouldn't be where he is today if he was as thick as pig ****, hence the man will be bright enough to know when & if things need changing.
for Leicester in the pl 10 games 11 points in his 2nd season. AV 15 points from first 10 games. but his first 10 games for us were prob better than both of those if you count last year.
Im on the fence as regards MON. Wasn't overly chuffed when he was appointed, not because he wont make us successful but i don't enjoy his brand of football. Said it then and i will say it again. This year is a write off, avoid relegation and bring in a few more in the summer, that can play MON football. His footballing style requires a very specific player, for his teams to be effective. Changing him now would be a disaster. A new manager would have the most unbalance squad in the PL, hodge podged together from 2 different managers. The special one would have a time winning owt, with the current lot. Only survivors i see for next year would be. mig rb?----o'shea---cuella---lb? (hopefully its rose) johnson-----catts---cm?---- LM? Fletch------- cf? bardo 50/50 ( his choice) larson colback 50/50 ( i thought he has been awesome this year BTW) Wickham gardner 50/50 ( if i wants to stay mon will keep him due to his flexability, the new ricco?) ? ? Yup around 6-7 players in the next 2 windows.
