Oi Nozza - Sunderland baiting inside -

[Nozza]

Stephen Elliott. Already sold to Wolves for £1.6 Million.

Shame really, Elliott could be a top class striker if he remains fit. Would much rather he gets shot of Daryl Murphy or Stern John (although, he's on his way out to Hull, or someone of similar ilk shortly).

I reckon Connolly and Chopra will do well together. Connolly does the work, Chopra being the poacher.

[Nozza]

There was is no way on this God's green earth that Gordon is better than Jussi, Okay transfer wise, he's worth more, Purely from an age and contractual basis alone. Current talent? He gets nowhere near

Please remove your blinkers before posting.

Both keepers are aged 25, which one would you take? based on current ability?

Silly Question.

We don't know how good Gordon will be when he is 25.

[Nozza]

Wigan have revealed that England Under-21 defender Leighton Baines has turned down a move to Sunderland.
The 22-year-old had been given permission to open talks with Roy Keane, but Wigan's website says he will not move to the Stadium of Light.

Everton are now being strongly linked with Merseyside-born Baines, with sources in the north-east confirming he would not be joining Sunderland.

Baines has admitted that he wants to leave the JJB Stadium.

once again.....

Yes, because no-one has ever turned down Bolton, have they?

[blurred]

Stephen Elliott. Already sold to Wolves for £1.6 Million.

Shame really, Elliott could be a top class striker if he remains fit. Would much rather he gets shot of Daryl Murphy or Stern John (although, he's on his way out to Hull, or someone of similar ilk shortly).

I reckon Connolly and Chopra will do well together. Connolly does the work, Chopra being the poacher.

So it's a Connolly/Chopra front pairing, with Murphy on the bench? Surely he can't bin off John as well, as that'd leave you with only the three forwards...?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Stephen Elliott. Already sold to Wolves for £1.6 Million.

Shame really, Elliott could be a top class striker if he remains fit. Would much rather he gets shot of Daryl Murphy or Stern John (although, he's on his way out to Hull, or someone of similar ilk shortly).

I reckon Connolly and Chopra will do well together. Connolly does the work, Chopra being the poacher.

So it's a Connolly/Chopra front pairing, with Murphy on the bench? Surely he can't bin off John as well, as that'd leave you with only the three forwards...?

Does Stern John strike you as a Premiership striker? If I were Keane I'd be looking for a bit more. Connolly doesn't strike me as the complete top-flight article either, he's never fully impressed there. I'm not having a pop Nozza, but you must know what I mean having watched Sunderland bounce around like a horny chav at 1.50am...

[Verbal]

Never mind about leighton - here's Paul McShane to save the day.

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hli ... or+McShane

cats, pounce...see what they did there?

[Batman]

Lovejoy?

[James B]

Wigan have revealed that England Under-21 defender Leighton Baines has turned down a move to Sunderland.
The 22-year-old had been given permission to open talks with Roy Keane, but Wigan's website says he will not move to the Stadium of Light.

Everton are now being strongly linked with Merseyside-born Baines, with sources in the north-east confirming he would not be joining Sunderland.

Baines has admitted that he wants to leave the JJB Stadium.

once again.....

Yes, because no-one has ever turned down Bolton, have they?

so very touchy

[Nozza]

Stephen Elliott. Already sold to Wolves for £1.6 Million.

Shame really, Elliott could be a top class striker if he remains fit. Would much rather he gets shot of Daryl Murphy or Stern John (although, he's on his way out to Hull, or someone of similar ilk shortly).

I reckon Connolly and Chopra will do well together. Connolly does the work, Chopra being the poacher.

So it's a Connolly/Chopra front pairing, with Murphy on the bench? Surely he can't bin off John as well, as that'd leave you with only the three forwards...?

Does Stern John strike you as a Premiership striker? If I were Keane I'd be looking for a bit more. Connolly doesn't strike me as the complete top-flight article either, he's never fully impressed there. I'm not having a pop Nozza, but you must know what I mean having watched Sunderland bounce around like a horny chav at 1.50am...

Blurred - Keane has played 2 of the best young strikers ever seen, ever, in pre-season and has "promoted" them to first team training. David Dowson and Josh Home-Jackson. We also have Tony Stokes and Willy Moquet (some dude Quinny bought). But yeah, we do look a little on the light side.

DSB - Connolly has played 15 games in his top flight career, with Wigan, so he hasn't really had the chance to prove himself at the top level. He also flopped (I think) in the Dutch first division. however at this moment in time, he is our best striker. Unless we sign someone like Zigic, or someone similar, to knock the ball down to Chopra and/or Connolly then they will be our two main strikers.

Keane, and Quinny, both admitted we went up a season too soon and as a result have been left lumbered with a few Coca-Cola Championship players and haven't been able to attract any real quality - see Gordon and Baines - so we have to make do with what we have. And on top of that, the one player we had (Toby Hysen from Sveden) has been sold back to Sweden as he hasn't really settled in England.

In the words of someone from Dads Army "We're dooooomed Captain Mainwaring, dooooooooooooooooomed."

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Does Stern John strike you as a Premiership striker? If I were Keane I'd be looking for a bit more. Connolly doesn't strike me as the complete top-flight article either, he's never fully impressed there. I'm not having a pop Nozza, but you must know what I mean having watched Sunderland bounce around like a horny chav at 1.50am...

DSB - Connolly has played 15 games in his top flight career, with Wigan, so he hasn't really had the chance to prove himself at the top level. He also flopped (I think) in the Dutch first division. however at this moment in time, he is our best striker. Unless we sign someone like Zigic, or someone similar, to knock the ball down to Chopra and/or Connolly then they will be our two main strikers.

Keane, and Quinny, both admitted we went up a season too soon and as a result have been left lumbered with a few Coca-Cola Championship players and haven't been able to attract any real quality - see Gordon and Baines - so we have to make do with what we have. And on top of that, the one player we had (Toby Hysen from Sveden) has been sold back to Sweden as he hasn't really settled in England.

In the words of someone from Dads Army "We're dooooomed Captain Mainwaring, dooooooooooooooooomed."

Fair point on Connolly; coulda sworn he'd played for a few failing Prem sides - Leicester, West Ham and Wolves, was it? - but that could've been when they were on a Championship upswing in the yo-yo world you're trying to escape.

Wouldn't say you're doomed, but it'll certainly be a test of Keane's management mettle, chum. And while it doesn't befit a baiting thread, best of luck to you - hope you take six points off all the European contenders except us

Wouldn't hang yer hat on Zigic, Citeh will be offering him top dollar, and just 'cos he's a big lad doesn't mean he's half a Quinny...

[Nozza]

I know we wouldn't get Zigic, but I would have sounded daft if I had said Crouch and mental if I had said Jan Koller.

To be fair, I don't think we're as doomed as some Sunderland fans are thinking. Some fans expect us to be signing the likes of Alan Smith, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Nicolas Anelka etc not Chopra. Someone on the SMB suggested we make a silly bid for Kevin Nolan but was greeted with a chorus of "He isn't good enough for Sunderland"

I have full faith in Keane. I don't care if the rest of football seems him as being a "dirty scummer" because we all know of his reputation on the pitch, but that counts for nothing in the management game.

[James B]

Someone on the SMB suggested we make a silly bid for Kevin Nolan but was greeted with a chorus of "He isn't good enough for Sunderland"

tbh, he isn't

awaits flaming

[Batman]

Zigic is a good player, with a decent pedigree.

He'll want something better than Sunderland, who seem to be building for next season's assault on the Championship.

As for Keane, he is, and will always be a prize c*nt of the highest order, and is fortunate that his name got him the Sunnerlan job (see Paul Ince) - I truly hope he is found out this year, and you lot hound him out as you hounded Reid and McCarthy out.

[Nozza]

Someone on the SMB suggested we make a silly bid for Kevin Nolan but was greeted with a chorus of "He isn't good enough for Sunderland"

tbh, he isn't

awaits flaming

Kevin Nolan would walk into our team, tbf.

Zigic is a good player, with a decent pedigree.

He'll want something better than Sunderland, who seem to be building for next season's assault on the Championship.

As for Keane, he is, and will always be a prize c*nt of the highest order, and is fortunate that his name got him the Sunnerlan job (see Paul Ince) - I truly hope he is found out this year, and you lot hound him out as you hounded Reid and McCarthy out.

I know we wouldn't stand a chance of getting Zigic, he was the first lanky striker that popped into my head, I was using him for reference purposes.

Peter Ried was hounded out by a minority of fans, he out stayed his welcome. The season before he left, we finished 17th, avoiding relegation on the last day after we drew with already relegated Ipswich and Liverpool beat Derby (5-0), or we played Derby and Liverpool played Ipswich, I can't remember. He then made some awful signings, as he had made throughout his tenure at Sunderland - Nunez, Fredgard, Nic Medina, Marco Di Guisseppe - but then, he made some wonderful signings - Quinny, Super Kev, Winterwasp, Johnston, Lee Clark, Don Hutchinson, Eric Roy, Tommy Sorensen to name but a few. Everyone in Sunderland, everyone linked with Sunderland knew that when we finished 17th that was the time for Reidy to go. However, at the time he was one of the highest paid managers (rumoured to be on 40K a week, but was later discovered he was 'only' on 25K a week.) He outstayed his welcome and was only "hounded" by a very small of number of fans.

Mick McCarthy was not hounded in the slightest. We hounded for the departure of Bob Murray, our then chairman who too had outstayed his welcome and found it more appropriate to go on holiday the same time we played them up the road, despite their chairman always being the gracious host. MMc was sacked because he was the boards scapegoat and they needed to do something to try and remind the fans that they meant business.

Both Reid and MMc gave Sunderland fans the best years in our recent past. Reid who took us to Wembley and broke the 100 point barrier in Division 1 and then took us to two 7th places in the Premiership. MMc almost took us to the FA Cup final and Europe, gave us the best season in recent memory (that Championship winning season was better than this), and both are remembered fondly on Wearside.

But don't let facts get in the way of a good bashing, eh?

[Batman]

didn't read it cock.

[Bruce Rioja]

MMc was sacked because he was the boards scapegoat and they needed to do something to try and remind the fans that they meant business.

See, I was firmly of that opinion too, that is until someone pointed out to me how much he'd spent on players. MMc is one of those guys that I'd love to see succeed simply on the grounds that he's such a sound fella. Conversely, that's why I'd like to see Roy Keane fail, but presumably that's why I'm still a mere functionary at our place and not the MD.

[Batman]

Hence his success at W*lves

[Nozza]

MMc was sacked because he was the boards scapegoat and they needed to do something to try and remind the fans that they meant business.

See, I was firmly of that opinion too, that is until someone pointed out to me how much he'd spent on players. MMc is one of those guys that I'd love to see succeed simply on the grounds that he's such a sound fella. Conversely, that's why I'd like to see Roy Keane fail, but presumably that's why I'm still a mere functionary at our place and not the MD.

There is a common misconception that MMc had "£10,000,000" to spend. He didn't. This also included wages. Which was why he was forced to bring in:

Andy Gray
Jon Stead
Kelvin Davis
Nyron Nosworthy
Tommy Miller

and a few other "cloggers" when he was promoted.

Sound bloke, no doubting it. Hope he takes Wolves up next season, bloke deserves it. Treated roughly by our old board.

[blurred]

and a few other "cloggers" when he was promoted.

I first read that as 'doggers' and was wondering when you had signed Stan Collymore...

[Nozza]

and a few other "cloggers" when he was promoted.

I first read that as 'doggers' and was wondering when you had signed Stan Collymore...

I'm just glad we don't have to play against him. Bassa always seemed to score against us.