47er

The "for the future" bit is what we should focus on. There's an outside chance that we could snatch a play-off place but you could say that for three quarters of the teams in the Championship! Our mission this season is surely to stay up comfortably and not be involved in relegation? Then build from there and go again. Its a miracle looking at where we were.

Just a matter of time before you run out of posters to put on that enormous list of your's Chaddy! Obviously you won't be reading this!

In the English game the values are inverted. Strength, speed and stamina rate above skill and vision and technique. If you are of the latter type it will be coached out of you or muscled out of you. Duggie wouldn't have stood a chance if he'd been 25 today---too slow, too greedy, too light-weight and no-one to latch on to those mesmerising through passes anyway which would have simply gone through to the keeper. Sad but true!!

No need to feel bad about it Jim. We all underestimated him. The most common positive comment was "at least he isn't Coyle"!! Goes to show we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously, we're not the football geniuses we think we are!

Just read the first page of this thread when TM's appointment was announced! NOBODY thought this was anything to be happy about but some were more cautious than others!!! And the second page is worse!!

No but we shouldn't disparage him because he can't step up from Div 1 to the Championship. He always does his best but sadly that isn't enough now. I've criticised TM for not playing Rothwell and I think he's taken loyalty too far but I have no criticism of Smallwood. From 'King of Ewood " to not good enough must be a bitter pill for him to swallow. TM has to take the tough decision now, indeed its overdue.

Pleased you agree with me!

Why did we sign all these mid-fielders if we don't play them? I assume we signed them because they are better than we had. This hardly surprising because we were a Div 1 team! The problem is that TM is loyal to those who brought us back up. Good in theory but won't achieve the results. Team must be chosen purely on merit.

I agree with much of this but let's not forget his outstanding role in getting us promoted. Even if we were to transfer him in January we would make a huge profit on the fee we paid. So, this has been an outstanding acquisition in football terms. However there are now problems with him of a different kind and the club has to work out its approach. I'd put him on a very tight leash and give him one last chance. However I suspect he will blow it at some point and we will (should?) have funds to make up the loss.

I was thinking of Toddy being Dack's personal"mentor"! Oh,and by the way,. please don't rely on the Daily Mail's hatchet job

Since he's ignored his commitment twice, how thick is he? Does he think he can ignore it and it will go away? If someone puts in a big offer at the end of the season or even in January, I don't think I'll be too disappointed now. What sort of an influence will he be on all those young lads we've just signed? His shelf-life is obviously going to be quite short. He's not going to be playing at a high level into his thirties is he? (Pity Todd's not in the dressing room.) A continuous run of top performances needed to even begin getting us back onside.

Not looking good is it? A right nutter this one. Wouldn't have thought he was the type TM wanted in the dressing room. Very disappointed.

Sadly, my daughter was born in Burnley. on a Saturday afternoon! And the ward was full of guys in claret and blue moaning that they were going to miss the game!

Getting a habit this.

Family Club and all that...

Much stronger bench than we're used to! Personally I would have picked Rothwell. Hope Brereton comes on.

YEAH BUT THAT'S NOT FAIR---you didn't put an exclamation mark after it and you've made me look a divi!

Eh? He needed a liver transplant, kept drinking and died young!

Ditto!

Our views on Danny Murphy came from what we saw with our own eyes. What Fulham fans saw at their club doesn't affect that. We have no direct. personal experience of Rodwell. We only have what Sunderland fans have to say, from their personal experience, including on here, and it seems damning to me! However we'll wait and see but if this is the centre-back option we so sorely need......

No Sunderland fan will agree with you!

I guess psychologically speaking, the window is over so any anxiety has disappeared. Whatever we think of the window we can't change it now so, in true British style, there's nothing left to do but make the best of it and carry on.

If "The Plan" is to get us back in the Premiership and then sell the club, then selling him at this point,whatever the fee, would be counter-intuitive. I'm optimistic!

Way better than I expected. Sad we missed out on Chapman, we will need something different at times from what we have. Vulnerable to injury/suspension at centre-back. Hope Raya can play every game. So some reservations but squad now good enough to finish top half and chance of play-offs. Dramatic turn-around since Mowbray arrived.

We have been burned by signing foreign players under Venkys,(stating the obvious) but I suspect like you that the emphasis on young, British talent is clear and deliberate. The auditors probably produced figures to show the rate of return on local players is much higher and that there is an optimum age to sign them. I'm happy with that. At least we have a plan these days.