Good, the Bad and the I hate their faces - Sunderland managers


The squad was shit to be honest. We raked in some decent fees and in theory had parachute payments still, yet only signed onien, Wyke and Baldwin for a fee in the first window. We had no scouts for over a year bar cotton who was ill and at home. We were lucky maja was such a suprise. There was a lot of upheaval and two muppets above him mouthing off all the time, doing podcasts or talksport interviews disclosing stuff that should never come out. Our signings were generally awful.
He had McLaughlin, Oviedo, Cattermole, Honeyman, Maja, McGeady, Wyke, Grigg, Power, Leadbitter and Maguire. Relatively speaking that is a very strong L1 squad.

I agree the club off the field was a mess but we never looked like one of the best teams in the league, except for the odd game like Barnsley at home.
 
He had McLaughlin, Oviedo, Cattermole, Honeyman, Maja, McGeady, Wyke, Grigg, Power, Leadbitter and Maguire. Relatively speaking that is a very strong L1 squad.

I agree the club off the field was a mess but we never looked like one of the best teams in the league, except for the odd game like Barnsley at home.
Mclaughlin was a solid signing, oviedo was part of a side that had just suffered back to back relegations and didn't really want to be there, honeyman was average and struggled being made captain, maja we had for half season and had no pedigree before ross had him as an only option, mcgeady I believe was injured in the run in(?) Where our season really faulted, Wyke arrived injured and never got up to speed like grigg, power was a decent signing for that level, leadbitters legs, had gone (and actually feel this signing was a big issue in our approach to games second half of the season), maguire ended up being a canny signing.

Not saying he did well but the season wasn't as simple as it should have been for him, especially when the top 4 or 5 rarely seemed to drop points and getting introduced to a new "owner" (campbell) before the season even ended. He hasn't gone on to do anything since so he will have part of the issue, but just feel more was stacked against him than just it being a certainty we should have walked the league etc.
 
Mclaughlin was a solid signing, oviedo was part of a side that had just suffered back to back relegations and didn't really want to be there, honeyman was average and struggled being made captain, maja we had for half season and had no pedigree before ross had him as an only option, mcgeady I believe was injured in the run in(?) Where our season really faulted, Wyke arrived injured and never got up to speed like grigg, power was a decent signing for that level, leadbitters legs, had gone (and actually feel this signing was a big issue in our approach to games second half of the season), maguire ended up being a canny signing.

Not saying he did well but the season wasn't as simple as it should have been for him, especially when the top 4 or 5 rarely seemed to drop points and getting introduced to a new "owner" (campbell) before the season even ended. He hasn't gone on to do anything since so he will have part of the issue, but just feel more was stacked against him than just it being a certainty we should have walked the league etc.
I'm not saying we should have walked the league because Barnsley, Luton and Charlton genuinely were decent, but we rarely dominated games. I remember early that season fans were talking about how results were good but we weren't playing well yet, by the end of the season performances were even worse.

Even the 8 week spell of good form we had under Parky was better than anything under Ross imo, although admittedly the bad times were more horrendous!

Think people find Ross more likeable than Lee Johnson or Parky so he gets less stick. Chris Coleman was similar.
 
I'm not saying we should have walked the league because Barnsley, Luton and Charlton genuinely were decent, but we rarely dominated games. I remember early that season fans were talking about how results were good but we weren't playing well yet, by the end of the season performances were even worse.

Even the 8 week spell of good form we had under Parky was better than anything under Ross imo, although admittedly the bad times were more horrendous!

Think people find Ross more likeable than Lee Johnson or Parky so he gets less stick. Chris Coleman was similar.
What I found weird with ross was in his first 2 month we were scoring freely in high scoring games, but couldn't keep clean sheets and people were complaining about it. Then he went the complete opposite way and seemed to scared to concede, which was still inevitable witht the defence we had
 
Literally can’t stand Bruce. Have a dislike for Fat Sam but I utterly despise David Moyes. As damaged as the club was behind the scenes Fat Sam had us 2nd in the form table and handed over a team in better shape than any other manager had in that era. Moyes is actually a canny manager but his whole entry sapping demeanour crushed any feel good factor within 2 games. He simply gave in the utter ****
 
What a crazy appointment Phil Parkinson was

I'd say not since most of the crowd were calling him a fat Geordie bastard during his last game :lol:
TBF to Bruce, since Reid he is the high water mark- flukey 10th or we've never really ever come anywhere close since.
 
Quite fond memories of Dick Advocaat. He helped us get out of the shit, temporarily.
A lucky manager,
Or shite is another way to put it.
Never forget Everton away they had something like 45 corners and 20 + shots we had 2 shots which one hit Danny Graham in the arse and went in we won, unbelievable.
 
Like
Reid. McCarthy, O'Neill (wrong time and owner but still like him and his sacking an utter shock), Mowbray, quite liked Ross though he has let himself down badly now with the Saudis. Keane did canny for most of his tenure and represented the club well, unimpressed by his departure. Quinn obviously but not a manager. Poyet canny but turned to utter tedium

The horrors

Wilkinson and Moyes and Bruce goes in there because of his revisionism

WTF

Di Canio

Pathetic

Grayson and Parkinson lead the pack. Johnson because I just couldn't listen to him

If he had an ounce of grace and self awareness he could have avoided The horrors

Bruce

Allardyce gets his own category. Did well, left for understandable reasons but something not quite right about him.

The rest were ok or just there to fill a gap
 
Got time for Reidy, Mick Mac, Keane, O’Neill (even though he wasn’t great long-term here), Poyet, Advocaat, Big Sam, Neil and Mogga.

Indifferent to Wilkinson, Grayson (he was rubbish), Coleman and Johnson.

Can’t stand Bruce or Parkinson, pair of frauds. Moyes was terrible too but I think what he’s done with West Ham shows as bad as he was with us he’s a good manager. That’s why he was so disappointing.
 
David Moyes he was as much use as a lump of kryptonite to Superman when he was in charge of the team.
 
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Fond of Reidy, Big Sam, Tony, MicMac and Gus
Not arsed about the majority
Can't stand Parkinson, Moyes or Bruce
 
Most of the crowd weren’t at all.

Perhaps your memory is better than mine, I recall his last game being toxic
TBF to Bruce, since Reid he is the high water mark- flukey 10th or we've never really ever come anywhere close since.
I was more recalling mood of the crowd than appraising the job he did.

Having said that I think the fact we began to decline after he left, doesn't necessarily mean he was worth sticking with.
 
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