Reality check

Reality! Reality? Don’t talk to me about reality, I’m a Sunderland supporter and Deportivo La Coruna, St Etienne, Torino and Duisburg enthusiast.*



*with apologies to billy connolly*
 


Not sure that post helps. Having read Bristol city and Barnsley fans opinions of him I feel more deflated now than I did a few hours ago. We may as well have just went for a Kevin Phillips style appointment.
 
Abu Dhabi Red and White said:
Do you think that just begun after KS was appointed?
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None of us know for sure, other than the what is clear now listening to Speakman on the club website/toal sport earlier, that he was interviewed for his role and given the remit and autonomy to find a Head Coach which is part of a much bigger strategy for the club.

Now, being as sceptical as I can because of what Donald & Methven have done to this club, I don't actually think this is down to them.

We know they are part of the "ownership group" because of the reports they are keeping shares, but I don't believe Speakman is Donald's appointment, and this may well explain the delay in getting a new "manager" in because the "ownership group" to quote Speakman are getting their new structure in place, the Head Coach being one of a number of changes. Along with Speakman filling the Sporting Director role and us looking for a head of player recruitment also.

This might explain why Johnson fits the remit, someone like Coley or Poyet (if close) might not be comfortable working in this way.
 
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1879 said:
None of know, other than the club what is clear now listening to that is Speakman was interviewed for his role and given the remit and autonomy to find a Head Coach which is part of a much bigger strategy for the club.

Now, being as sceptical as I can because of what Donald & Methven have done to this club, I don't actually think this is down to them.

We know they are part of the "ownership group" because of the reports they are keeping shares, but I don't believe Speakman is Donald's appointment, and this may well explain the delay in getting a new "manager" one because the "ownership group" to quote Speakman are getting their new structure in place, they Head Coach being one of a number of changes.
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Speakman’s made a massive mistake already in his appointment of Lee Johnson.
 
0321safc said:
Not sure that post helps. Having read Bristol city and Barnsley fans opinions of him I feel more deflated now than I did a few hours ago. We may as well have just went for a Kevin Phillips style appointment.
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Did our fans give a shit about Tesco staff commenting on Kevin Phillip's shelf stacking skills a few years earlier when we signed him?
0321safc said:
Speakman’s made a massive mistake already in his appointment of Lee Johnson.
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Take us through this Mystic Meg...
 
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El Gen said:
I wonder how many Southampton fans had heard of Ralph Hasenhüttl when he was appointed.
Probably none.

Problem with most football fans is they want something they know.
Something safe.

which is why things go stale on the whole


you got this 👌
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Ralph Hasenhuttl was on an upward trajectory with Leipzig, finishing 2nd in the bundesliga in their debut season at that level
 
El Gen said:
One of the things living abroad the last 5 years has given me is the opportunity to look at this objectively and be outside of the 'North East bubble'

We have this idea that we have some divine right as a 'football hotspot' to attract the best.

The reality - to top players, managers, investors etc - is that we are geographically a backwater that hasn't produced a trophy winner for quite some time and a league winner for almost a century.

Big stadiums with lots of fans means fuck all.

The best players and managers and investors are winners.

The region stinks of under achievement.
It under achieves because of the fear of embracing change.

The only reasonable success in recent memory is Nissan.
And that was because the workers there embraced change and a new culture of work.

With every change comes opportunity.
But for that opportunity to have a chance, people need to buy into it.

I know so many financially successful people who had to leave the North East to achieve that success and one of the things they always bring up is the small minded mentality we have as a region and the lack of positivity.

I'm very proud of where i'm from, but i find it hard to disagree with them on that.

Might piss a few people off, but so be it.
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Although I agree with a lot you have written there, some of what you said can only be directed at them up the road. Very few Sunderland fans that I know believe we have a Devine right to attract the best and we accept our place in the footballing world . What we do expect however, is for Sunderland football club to appoint the best talent that is actually and realistically available. Almost to a man, the supporters knew that Phil Parkinson was not the best available man for the job and the club seemed to have repeated this mistake by appointing Johnson.
 
Not so easy to stay positive when there is many accumulating laws and regulations, (being put into place just as we find ourselves where we are) making the steep climb back from the bottom so much harder than it previously would be. I’m personally not confident on automatic promotion which is an absolutely essential goal THIS season. Big, big worry for me, although I’d love to be proven wrong.
 
El Gen said:
Did our fans give a shit about Tesco staff commenting on Kevin Phillip's shelf stacking skills a few years earlier when we signed him?
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People who’ve watched Bristol city home wand away, or certainly who seem to have the knowledge of the club to imply they do, are pretty damning of him. With some it’s not far off Moyes level of dislike.

- ‘tombola’ team selections
- has bizarre rants when they lose
- takes all the credit when they win
- goes on crazy losing runs, worst in Barnsley’s history, at Bristol city also went on second worst in their history
- stumbles upon formations and selections when got a high injury list, soon reverts back to type
- his football was very dull with the exception of 4 season in 2017/2018 season
- Barnsley fans scathing of him, he only remained in his job thanks to chairman taking pity, then went on winning streak after record losing one

Reading the opinions of fans has made the appointment seem a lot worse than I envisaged, and I thought it was a utterly horrendous decision when it became clear earlier today it was going to happen.
 
0321safc said:
Speakman’s made a massive mistake already in his appointment of Lee Johnson.
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Well results and getting us out of this league will determine that.

Out of those who threw they name in to the hat, he might be the only one willing to work with a Head of Player Recruitment & Sporting Director.

This new set up might not work either, but at least we appear to have a medium to long term plan for a change, something we all have been crying out for.

Perhaps, we've all been putting to much focus on the traditional manager, without actually fixing things behind the scenes. Which is why whoever we've appointed (and we've tried every type of manager in my 37 years) things quickly turn back to shit for us.
 
1879 said:
Well results and getting us out of this league will determine that.

Out of those who threw they name in to the hat, he might be the only one willing to work with a Head of Player Recruitment & Sporting Director.

This new set up might not work either, but at least we appear to have a medium to long term plan for a change, something we all have been crying out for.

Perhaps, we've all been putting to much focus on the traditional manager, without actually fixing things behind the scenes. Which is why whoever we've appointed (and we've tried every type of manager in my 37 years) things quickly turn back to shit for us.
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I’m absolutely gutted about this appointment. It was a chance for a fresh start. I welcome backroom changes and the need to fundamentally change the makeup of the club, but they’ve already got off on the wrong foot. Fans tend to nearly always be right about a manager. Every warning we got from other fans about appointments we make always hold true.
 
El Gen said:
we are a 3rd division club
we are a team that isn't even in the play off positions of the 3rd division

We are a big club in terms of support and infrastructure, but we are still a 3rd division club

that is our reality and our starting point.

If you went to any team in a similar position to ours right now, and said there's a new long term football infrastructure being put in place, a new manager and new (rather rich) investors coming in, as a fan of that club you would be very positive.

The sooner people grasp the situation the better.
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I’m all for reality and fully aware of where we are.

Appointing Lee Johnson is just more acceptance of where we are when we should be striving to get out at the first available opportunity.
 
0321safc said:
People who’ve watched Bristol city home wand away, or certainly who seem to have the knowledge of the club to imply they do, are pretty damning of him. With some it’s not far off Moyes level of dislike.

- ‘tombola’ team selections
- has bizarre rants when they lose
- takes all the credit when they win
- goes on crazy losing runs, worst in Barnsley’s history, at Bristol city also went on second worst in their history
- stumbles upon formations and selections when got a high injury list, soon reverts back to type
- his football was very dull with the exception of 4 season in 2017/2018 season
- Barnsley fans scathing of him, he only remained in his job thanks to chairman taking pity, then went on winning streak after record losing one

Reading the opinions of fans has made the appointment seem a lot worse than I envisaged, and I thought it was a utterly horrendous decision when it became clear earlier today it was going to happen.
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4 months not season.
 
riffraff said:
Reality! Reality? Don’t talk to me about reality, I’m a Sunderland supporter and Deportivo La Coruna, St Etienne, Torino and Duisburg enthusiast.*



*with apologies to billy connolly*
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thank god my second team is Atalanta
Have we appointed Johnson yet? 😂
 
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0321safc said:
I’m absolutely gutted about this appointment. It was a chance for a fresh start. I welcome backroom changes and the need to fundamentally change the makeup of the club, but they’ve already got off on the wrong foot. Fans tend to nearly always be right about a manager. Every warning we got from other fans about appointments we make always hold true.
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Difference is rightly or wrongly (time will tell) we're not appointing a Manager.

We're looking for a Head Coach who will have far less of remit on identifying and bringing in players. This is what may have spooked Poyet having worked with Congleton & cleaning up Di Fanti's (spelling) mess on bringing in a load of shit when Di Canio was Head Coach.
 
El Gen said:
we are a 3rd division club
we are a team that isn't even in the play off positions of the 3rd division

We are a big club in terms of support and infrastructure, but we are still a 3rd division club

that is our reality and our starting point.

If you went to any team in a similar position to ours right now, and said there's a new long term football infrastructure being put in place, a new manager and new (rather rich) investors coming in, as a fan of that club you would be very positive.

The sooner people grasp the situation the better.
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The reality is we have shite owners and team full of crap players and have appointed a little short arse to be coach a new dawn awaits us thats if you are on drugs
 
FFS
14 likes for that heap of shite
embarrassing
No - one needs a reality check soft lad
The only issue is we don’t want some other muppet like fuckin Parky
Quite a big decision in the club moving forward
 
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