JJ7

Fully expect him to leave in the summer for a Champions League club. He would deserve it too given his level of performance. Like someone said, enjoy him while he’s here.

Huge potential long term ramifications from this injury crisis given what a midtable finish and no Europe could mean in the summer. So frustrating.

I’m a bit surprised we aren’t getting some lower value signings from abroad in tbh. Just seen Villa are spending £9m on a player from Red Star. I kinda thought we’d have been doing more of these kind of deals than we have.

Does anyone know what they’ll actually do? You have things like tenants groups for housing associations who go through politics and procedures and scrutinise things. They aren’t exactly representative of tenants. Maybe this is the same.

He’s on the train quite regularly from Morpeth for home games and I’ve seen him a couple of times when I bought tickets in the Platinum Club. Saw him at Leeds too when Shelvey scored. Suspect he’ll have the loyalty points anyway.

Anyone know the viewing figures for our game?

Well part of being a great manager is being able to turn round bad form and find solutions. If we were to sink to 17th (there’s almost no chance of that), then questions would clearly have to be asked. Don’t think it’s a controversial point.

He was unbelievable at the start of the season, but over the last month or so he’s been really poor. His discipline is appalling. How is he being allowed to just sprint off forward on seemingly every occasion. Don’t get me wrong, for a CB he’s generally good at it, but maybe once or twice a game if needed, not at every opportunity. Said to my mate before their second, wtf is he doing out at left back and it came back to bite us. Can’t always be expecting the team to rearrange itself to account for his runs forward or even just out of position when it’s happening so often. We’re on shit form, just get the basics right first.

The group of lads in front of me leave for pints on 35-40min and return on about 50min. There’s huge gaps well before half time, and it’s not the ‘day trippers’. Tbh, beyond the big games or when something exceptional is happening on the pitch, I don’t think it’s ever been as good as some seem to think it was. The whole top tier is family, the East Stand has never been loud and the design of the stadium hardly helps the atmosphere in the Leazes.

I’d like to think we’ll still go for Phillips regardless of Miley. The season totally collapses if Bruno gets injured.

I thought it was pretty shit last night in all honesty. Seen quite a bit of poor us, but if you play like that and allow more and more pressure, you’re inviting a mistake. I think you have to make at least some attempt to retain the ball. Game management was poor and is too often away from home. How many leads have we thrown away now, even before the injury crisis? Don't want to be too critical given all of our problems, and generally I still think we’re over performing, but it’s so frustrating to see us throw games away after such good work.

Someone else though I suspect there’d be similar complaints. This one even said they’d have preferred a smaller allocation. They’d all be better coming up with some better ideas to improve things as opposed to ‘go back to the way it was’ which is never happening.

I do have to laugh and one of the biggest toys out the pram superfans on Twitter saying he won’t be going to Sunderland because of the buses. Every moan and excuse under the sun regarding the away ticket situation this season. I remember this guy at a European away game years ago stopping fans selling tickets to a couple of my mates because he’d had some pathetic fall out with people in our group. They had to watch in the square. I’m a bit sympathetic to the arguments of some, like the buses etc, but not the entitlement of this guy who used to control so many tickets. Little empire of being the ‘go to guy’ shattered.

Did the bus a couple of times when I was young. Painful. Took a couple hours each way from what I remember.

Agree with this. It’s been a great two years of what feels like a constant upwards trajectory, but as a club we need to keep pushing for better. I’ve seen quite a lot of “we’ll be back”. But we’ll only be back if we continue to move forward on, and especially off the park. It won’t get any easier with still a huge income gap to the ‘big 6’, and Villa also looking like they’re going to be in the mix for a few years. Can’t stand still.

At fault, no, but again we hardly helped. Some gave up because of Ashley after years of home and away. Others got a season ticket a few years ago because they were cheap. I don’t think it’s a loyalty test or ‘those who stayed when we were shit’ (I don’t accept the premise) are generally any more loyal than those who didn’t.

I’d say most stopped going because of Ashley. I went, but as I said on another thread almost felt guilty for it. We hardly helped get rid of him. Going or not during the Ashley era is hardly a good ‘loyalty’ test. Little to do with being shit.

Na, just no better than anyone else.

I think that’s it. There were loads of different reasons to continue going or not. I’m not sure loyalty or lack of has much to do with it though I agree that many would stop and start going due to success on the pitch. The sub-40k crowds in the first Ashley Championship season soon jumped again when we continued to win. There are also a few who are seen as loyal of the loyal and who have hundreds of loyalty points but barely know what’s going on in a game because they’re so wasted and it’s more of a big piss up around the country with mates. Getting a little bit away from the main point though. Returners, new and future fans have to be considered. The ‘only consider the people who went when we were shit’ crew are being pretty selfish imo.

Na totally disagree with that. It’s not easy to stop going if you’ve always been and their reason was totally understandable. In my opinion, by continuing to go, we allowed him to continue doing what he did for longer than he probably would have had the majority of us stayed away. I had an element of guilt for still going. Regardless of that argument anyway, I still think we need to consider them, more recent, and future supporters.

Nobody should be blamed for not going under Ashley. I went and had a ST until Bruce arrived, but if anything I have more respect for those who stayed away. They’re not any less ‘loyal’ than those who went. We hardly helped by continuing to feed him.

I’m sure the Mackems preferred Roker Park, but it would be ludicrous to still be playing in that dump. I prefer standing on a terrace, but it’s 2023.

Let’s be honest, the Saudis are going to want to show of something that they’ve done too. I love SJP too, but it’s difficult to compare it to something that doesn’t exist yet. My seats pretty good in the Gallowgate and I can stand all game, but tbh I can’t imagine it being up to much half way up Leazes. I don’t get the ‘I don’t want sushi’ bizarre argument too. Don’t buy it if you don’t want it. Demanding less options because you, personally, just want to have a cheap pint and then watch the game is a bit strange imo.

Don’t think it’s unreasonable to argue for inflation only increases in STs and other general tickets, while accepting an increase in corporate options. Assuming it’s a new stadium. Certainly more likely than arguing that nothing should change.

I’ve seen someone saying we should walk before we can run. They’ve been here two years and it would probably be another 5+ before any redevelopment or new stadium is complete. It’s hardly a big rush.