look out piano
Striker
Seriously ? 
-
The forum upgrades are now largely complete.
Please read this thread for more details.
New user registrations are currently disabled.
- Status
R
Reiver
Guest
When did he ever actually pay to go to Sunderland games?
Was he ever seen on the terraces at Roker Park?
Does he come to the SOL now?
I could ask 100 questions and the answer would always be 'no'.
MON is no more a Sunderland supporter than Keegan is a Mag ............ I'd bet he's never actually paid to watch the Lads.
Hurley left Millwall while MON was 5 years old .......... nice try old boy.
Last edited by a moderator:
S
safcrhys.
Guest
The first couple of months with MoN were a whirlwind. I'll never forget the come from behind win over Blackburn in his first game and of course the 1-0 win over City on New Years Day 2012 (was that really three and a half years ago?) but after we lost to Everton in the FA Cup quarter final it was kind of all downhill.
We had a bit of a good run over Xmas 2012 and it looked like we were on course for a safe mid-table finish at the end of January but all of a sudden for one reason or another things turned sour. I think some of the players have to take responsibility though, many of them are still here and are now on their fourth or fifth manager at SAFC.
That performance against Norwich when we could only draw 1-1 against ten men at the SoL was one of the worst I've ever seen from a Sunderland side, absolutely abysmal, there was no coming back from that and he should have went then.
We had a bit of a good run over Xmas 2012 and it looked like we were on course for a safe mid-table finish at the end of January but all of a sudden for one reason or another things turned sour. I think some of the players have to take responsibility though, many of them are still here and are now on their fourth or fifth manager at SAFC.
That performance against Norwich when we could only draw 1-1 against ten men at the SoL was one of the worst I've ever seen from a Sunderland side, absolutely abysmal, there was no coming back from that and he should have went then.
hank williams
Striker
What about the 10th Finish place under Bruce
Maravilla
Striker
What about the 10th Finish place under Bruce
Even then we only guaranteed our safety with 2 games left.
You have actually posted perfect sense!
Whatever next!
R
Reiver
Guest
Don't attempt to be patronising, you don't have the necessary intellect.
woodlebert
Striker
That logic doesn't accommodate for form or accumulating points at the start of the season and them running dry though.
R
Reiver
Guest
"The points he accumulated over the course of the season, prior to being peddled. If he had carried on, nothing to suggest he wouldn't, we would have stayed up."
I'm quite sure there was something.
Definitely Maybe
Striker
In his first 5 months we played very counter attacking. It wasn't pretty on the eye but it was excitingand we scored a lot of screamers. He introduced James McClean who was very raw but very direct running at defenders and got the best out of Sessegnon who had pace and trickery and carried the ball up the pitch - something we've lacked before and since.
People always point to the Everton quarter final as the start of the decline but I'm not sure it was, we played brilliantly against Man City in the next game and were 3-1 up with 8 minutes to go (drew 3-3, the only team to take a point off them at the Etihad that season). Iirc we drew against Spurs at home the following week and went on a run of 0-0s where the players looked on their holidays but there wasn't too much concern - we were well safe with nothing to play for and looked good for a top 8 finish ahead of Liverpool but faded away.
Something happened around that time and he seemed to lose all motivation. There were rumours his wife was ill but nothing really to support that, some people thought he realised how bad the squad really was and that the owner reigned in spending, or probably a combination of a few things. Our summer transfers were weird and very similar to what we did last pre season. We had no strikers and chased one player (Fletcher) all summer, scrimped about with a couple of older squad players on frees then spent big on Fletcher and Johnson at the end of the window.
Fletcher hit the ground running then tailed off and has been awful since. Johnson has been very good for us overall but didn't fit MON's system at all. In his second season we were camped in our own half every week. Teams sussed McClean and he brought in Steve Guppy to coach him but he was completely ineffective. We set up to defend every game and either scrape 0-0 or would start playing at 2-0 down and lose 2-1. He became very petty and named 6 subs to prove a point to the owner rather than name a young player on the bench because 'they'd think they'd made it.' He got a bit of stick off Shearer on MOTD around Christmas and came out fighting back. Coincidentally our form improved and we won a couple of games but didn't win again from January onwards. He looked a beaten man every time he spoke.
The last straw for most was his penultimate game against Norwich who were also struggling. We went behind but their keeper was sent off in the first half. We equalised with a penalty but were awful and kept everyone behind the ball against 10 men. There was a point where they had a free kick late on inside our half. He pushed everyone back and went ballistic at McClean for staying forwards occupying their only defender. Summed up the season.
Didn't want him to go personally but in hindsight it was the right decision (followed by lots of wrong decisions by the owner). I don't think it's 100% nailed on that he would have taken us down, I still like and respect him but he's yesterday's man and doesn't seem to have the stomach for club management anymore
GK
Striker
The nail in the coffin was imminent relegation
toomdog
Midfield
As much as I wanted him to be a sucess here, his football was some of the worst I've ever seen. I know he had success at Leicester years ago but based on his time here I would not touch him with a 10ft barge pole!
Mowgli
Striker
I don't get this reigned in spending crap, he spent £25m on two players. Then had another £10m 5 months later. I wish we had done that since he left.
GK
Striker
Paid to watch matches? He was a child living in ireland. Supporting sunderland.
S
Sunderlandanth
Guest
I hope you have a really shit day
Definitely Maybe
Striker
Definitely been a change in policy though.
Quinn stood down as chairman a few months before but had been saying for months that we'd have to reign in spending because the crowds had gone down. Every summer before that we'd spent at the beginning of the summer (Gyan being the exception). That summer we sold Gyan early on, released Gordon, replaced Turner with Cuellar on a free and lower wages and Richardson for Rose on loan and lower wages. We started the season with only Campbell and free transfer Saha as our only strikers. Fletcher and Johnson came in at the end of window (for £22m), but we'd brought in £13m for Gyan, £1m or so for Turner, £2m for Richardson and lowered the wage bill so £25m was actually more like £8m ish.
In January we recouped £2.5m for Meyler and Campbell then bought N'Diaye for £3m and Graham for £5m, so not £10m there either
Then in 2013 we sold Mignolet at the start of the window and McClean and Sess towards the end and bought 14 players for what we'd recouped on 3, and in 2014 chased Borini all summer signing squad players on frees then spunked £10m at the end on Rodwell. Totally different to what we did with Keane and Bruce
Definitely Maybe
Striker
No he signed for Nottingham Forest and played professionally every week
T_Bone
Striker
Just read this thread and realised MON has never commented on his time here, if he had it would answer a lot of the above.
Good Post.
- Status
