Benwell Lad

They're just getting weirder by the day. At any other football club it's just taken for granted that when a new manager comes in he brings his own people and current coaches depart, or when a 37 year old overpaid and past it centre half's contract expires he will also depart. Not down there. This has only happened due to the revolutionary new approach being taken by the Don. It's quite amazing how much they've been taken in by this pair of non league snake oil salesmen.

So they paid a fortune for a load of dodgy merchandise which they then sold on Gumtree for a fraction of the cost and are currently congratulating themselves on a good bit of business It can only happen in the world of mackem logic

Not sure that will even cover Cattermole & Rodwell's wages It doesn't get near. They have massive overheads in every department and while the new duo talk the talk they won't ever be able to cover the operating losses a genuinely rich bloke like Short could. Interesting that their initial bravado about getting rid of Rodwell, Cattermole etc has now changed to them saying they can somehow afford to keep them. Yeah but at what cost to the rest of the club ? It's quite amazing that so many Sunderland fans are swallowing what these non league chancers are peddling them without questioning it.

Yeah it's the Old Etonian who's always disliked the Mags (honest Guv) not the one who ditched his wife and kids for a lap dancer or Samson the cat.

I see that despite 50% of their fans deserting them in a year or so and not selling out for vital away games last season, "our fans" are already patting each other on the back about imaginary attendances they're hoping for next season. They're a special bunch man

.... the three goalkeepers not on massive money but won't be peanuts either by league 1 standards. They're really going to struggle to shift any of that despite brave words from The Don and his Old Etonian sidekick.

They'll be lucky to get anything for the aforementioned players imo. They may have some values but their agents also know that Sunderland desperately need them off the wage bill. That bargaining power will mean the money will end up with the agents/players rather than the club. So nominal fees at best for a couple of them maybe. On top of that Sunderland will have to actually pay for the worst dross (Cattermole, Rodwell, O'Shea etc) to end their contracts as no one is going to match their current deals.

:mackems: Is that a recent one? As said, it could probably be any pre season for the last ten years

For years now their optimism level seems to peak,very irrationally, in June and then it tends to go downhill from there until the next managerial messiah is appointed.

Considering he desperately tried to get his non league club promoted for years and failed miserably, why do so many now assume he can do it instantly at a much higher level ?

It's probably inevitable that if a club is given away to some failure from non league football then things will become more and more amateurish .....

...... and Wearside Jack is definitely > Rafa Benitez

Seems the truth no longer matters down there. They're becoming a propaganda machine

Seems like anyone who shows any dissent to the The Don party line is getting hounded out on RTG at the moment. The Stasi were quite tame compared to Big Riv and Janey

The next season could be his big one. Hope so.

Fuckin hell how amateurish is that

The magic carpet and the Gus bus were nothing compared to the frenzy that The Don is whipping the daft fuckers into

That was so non league

Aye, I think they might struggle. People are pointing out how well the relegated clubs last season did, but they didn't need completely rebuilding like this lot. They have to find a manager, try and give away all the overpaid shite that's still on their books and somehow put together a new squad with very little money and only about 10 weeks until the season starts. Good luck with that. There's also some simple maths working very much against them despite some of the more delusional thinking that their financial woes left with Ellis Short. Let's consider just two of their many highly paid but not really fit for purpose players, Cattermole and Rodwell. Round numbers, but they earn cerca 110K per week between them. They're flogging season tickets at around 200 quid. That's 550 season ticket sales per week or 28,000 sales per year just to cover their two salaries and there are quite a few others too. No other team down there is fighting against that handicap. At least Ellis Short,for all his faults, had pockets deep enough to cover that.

See their first choice manager has turned them down an signed a new contract at Sheff Utd. However you just know that whoever takes the job is going to be so much better than Rafa

Already been announced for next season. Bungalow of Light marra.

There are only two types of mackems right now. Those who follow The Don adoringly, like devotees of some weird religious sect, and Mags.

They're now going to be the new Burnley according to many on RTG. Based on that wonderful thing mackem logic, which now decrees that poor owners are better than rich ones and any club with poor owners can finish 7th in the PL and qualify for Europe. Piece of cake really.

This, I love that song and it was played on Metro Radio in the build up to 99 FA Cup Final with commentary of goals spliced onto the song. Happy days despite the final outcome. don't suppose anyone knows where I might find this? Just came into my head now. Had a quick look around net to no avail That cup final version was brilliant. Loved it.