It appears that the crowd and the SOL is giving these players confidence

[Braven]

The crowd were very quick to get on players back under the old regime which due to short and his team was understandable.

The new lads have caught us all during the dawn of a new era under Donald and the early pen proved that but if we'd lost two it'd be different

 

[officerbill]

Decent read in Saturdays match programme about O'Nien….."privileged" to be here..and a great opportunity".....similar to comments from the other new arrivals....I know actions speak louder than words, but just got a hunch that we'll all enioy this season....

Aye couldn't agree more, was conscious of the fact that Power and O'Nien were the last two Sunderland players off the pitch on Saturday. O'Nien (bless him) couldn't stop looking around the stadium, the lad looked star struck. Think the lad will push on and do well, the ten mins he had on the pitch he never stopped running and closing down.

 

[riffraff]

I think that even before Fergie left mate, the wheels were coming off and he realised it.

David Gill brought forward his leaving to coincide with fergies. Running a football clubs a lot easier when it’s basically running itself due to someone else getting the managers job right decades ago. He’s no mug.

 

[gipetto]

Best fans in England.

 

[Perryqhill]

You're right mate....getting the ethos of the club to where it should be is most important, and that stems from the top....something Short never realised. When it's right,everyone buys into it...the players,fans,coaches,the staff...everyone. It also makes it a lot easier to attract players to the club.
It's also why we've previously entered into some ridiculously expensive contracts for players.....it was the only way we could get them to come,even if they didn't want to. Word goes round this industry quickly,players talk to each other all the time and the message would have gone out what a hugely troubled and shite mess we were. It's early days,but the word will be going round now that things have changed and that will be reflected in our player dealings in the future,I'm sure.

Some truth in that. But lets say we enter the PL in three years time. anyone thinking it'll be radically different in terms of difficulty attracting players and having to pay them more than they're worth to come here (whilst having to convince them) and that we'll only sign players who want to come will quickly realise it's not possible if you want to play at the top level. Sure more effort and leadership will be crucial from those running the club and better judgement, but unfortunately some of those things are simply part and parcel of top level football regardless of who you are.

The positivity at the moment is a welcome break from some of the last 5/6 years or so, but the players who have come have done so because of wages and stature of the club at the level we're at, something which will change the higher up we get.

Playing a game for a fantastic wage isn't working imo it's a privilege bestowed on very few lucky people.

Of course it's working. whether people think it or not the players who reach decent levels have worked hard at it and have to sacrifice things most of us don't to be in that position. Sure there's many earning a good living and living a fantastic life because of that, but there's pressures that come with it too, a short career and the game you speak of can make or break them. I dare bet the last two seasons at SAFC was more akin to working than a 'game'.

 

[Zidane]

I think it's just part of the new PR machine myself and the fact we are winning games as we are the equivalent to Man U in this league.

It's amazing what winning a few games can do. Shame we had to go down to league 1 to actually start winning a few games though.

 

[thamesvalleyman]

Think it was 3 Home wins in each of the last two seasons. We’ve almost equalled that in our first 3 consecutive games. To do that we need to beat the team bottom of the league with a -9 GD to our +4. Surely even Sunderland cannot mess that up playing like this

Cue lumping loads on a defeat then !