TRon

not aimed at you in particular mate but since you mentioned it. why is it that all of a sudden its deemed a good idea to sell your players when they're out of form? are we so ridiculously impatient these days that we cant wait for a player to get back in form again? i agree that 24m is a bit over the top, but i keep reading people saying stuff like this, dont get it. Spot on. Sunderland just lost their top scorer, record signing and probably best player. They didn't want him to leave. Yep, that's great for them that. All depends on how they use the money. If they manage to find a goalscoring striker who can link up well with Gyan/Welbeck and add quality in another 1/2 areas, it'll have been a good deal for the mackems Welbeck isn't their player and appears to be crocked. But regardless of that, what if the next expensive signing (and everyone is going to rip them off now btw) decides he's had enough in only 18 months? What if he doesn't score for a few weeks, should they sell him too? Only Rooney and Drogba have scored more Premier League goals than Darren Bent in the last few seasons. Will £18m get a striker of that calibre or other players to fill the void? Will they even be able to attract players of such calibre? It's an awful set of circumstances for Sunderland. Even at £18M there is nothing positive for them about this. Fans will get over it, but the impact it will have on their reputation amongst professionals in the game will set them back years, with Bent unable to settle and bailing out at the first opportunity. Excellent point. Bent was an international and as such a magnet for other decent players. Well as much as anyone can be a magnet for a dump like Sunderland.

Ouch! such sensitive souls

not aimed at you in particular mate but since you mentioned it. why is it that all of a sudden its deemed a good idea to sell your players when they're out of form? are we so ridiculously impatient these days that we cant wait for a player to get back in form again? i agree that 24m is a bit over the top, but i keep reading people saying stuff like this, dont get it. Spot on. Sunderland just lost their top scorer, record signing and probably best player. They didn't want him to leave. Yep, that's great for them that. Exactly. Not a great deal for them at all. Just like selling Carroll wouldn't be a good deal for us. Bent wanted to leave since the summer. He's been playing half-arsed for the last few games. If he was going to go at least they've got top dollar for him. It's the best of a bad job at the end of the day, if it was me I'd rather have the money than a player who wasn't happy.

No. Hopefully it means at least a replacement coming in. This. Obviously if no one comes in then it's a crap move.

Can't think we'll find a better player willing to come and be Barton's boot cleaner tbh To me it's daft that Barton or Gosling should be ahead of Routledge in the first place. They are after all central midfielders and neither has got the pace most managers would like out wide. The fact that Routledge couldn't make the right wing spot his own with no genuine competition says a lot about him IMO. A real let down. beckham was neither fast nor a winger, one of the best wide players this countries produced for a long time. maybe gillespie type wingers have had their day and managers want a bit more ? I agree with that. There was a time I used to argue pace was vital out wide but without intelligence and end product it's worthless. But most managers would still like a wide player with pace given the option so the fact Routledge has it but can't get in the team tells it's own story. all it says is that for ther talents he has got, we have at least one player for that position who has more. still, hope it means we have a new face coming in. I see it as he couldn't do the job he was supposed to so we had to play a central midfielder instead - who showed him how it should be done. i just think that type of winger is too limiting in todays game. Unless they can offer genuine end product like Giggs or Malouda (did).

Can't think we'll find a better player willing to come and be Barton's boot cleaner tbh To me it's daft that Barton or Gosling should be ahead of Routledge in the first place. They are after all central midfielders and neither has got the pace most managers would like out wide. The fact that Routledge couldn't make the right wing spot his own with no genuine competition says a lot about him IMO. A real let down. beckham was neither fast nor a winger, one of the best wide players this countries produced for a long time. maybe gillespie type wingers have had their day and managers want a bit more ? I agree with that. There was a time I used to argue pace was vital out wide but without intelligence and end product it's worthless. But most managers would still like a wide player with pace given the option so the fact Routledge has it but can't get in the team tells it's own story. all it says is that for ther talents he has got, we have at least one player for that position who has more. still, hope it means we have a new face coming in. I see it as he couldn't do the job he was supposed to so we had to play a central midfielder instead - who showed him how it should be done.

Can't think we'll find a better player willing to come and be Barton's boot cleaner tbh To me it's daft that Barton or Gosling should be ahead of Routledge in the first place. They are after all central midfielders and neither has got the pace most managers would like out wide. The fact that Routledge couldn't make the right wing spot his own with no genuine competition says a lot about him IMO. A real let down. beckham was neither fast nor a winger, one of the best wide players this countries produced for a long time. maybe gillespie type wingers have had their day and managers want a bit more ? I agree with that. There was a time I used to argue pace was vital out wide but without intelligence and end product it's worthless. But most managers would still like a wide player with pace given the option so the fact Routledge has it but can't get in the team tells it's own story.

Good news that Bruce isn't thinking of walking. They'll have to pay him off if they want to bring in O'Neill.

Can't think we'll find a better player willing to come and be Barton's boot cleaner tbh To me it's daft that Barton or Gosling should be ahead of Routledge in the first place. They are after all central midfielders and neither has got the pace most managers would like out wide. The fact that Routledge couldn't make the right wing spot his own with no genuine competition says a lot about him IMO. A real let down.

Let's wait and see if anyone comes in first. The window's not closed yet.

Hmmmm...just had a thought. Hope this isn't going to be used to justify signing HBA on a permanent.

I think we'll get someone in tbh.

He really isn't much of a loss. If we are talking about Barton and Gosling being ahead of him despite being central midfielders that tells you how well he did this season.

He should stay put and drag his heels. Why leave the way clear for MON to get the job? Make the mackems pay up his contract first.

Shut the fuck up man. Steve Bruce will be reading this and on the phone to his agent quicker than Bent can quit Sunderland.

Well he's not going to read RTG is he? Being a closet mag 'n all.

If the rumour about Bothroyd is true, let's hope N-O members know their players better than Pardew. No surprise that Bruce is still going after players we are looking at though.

Bruce is another one who doesn't really want to be at that shithole of a club. He was virtually begging to be considered for the England job this season.

I know that's not directed at me but the argument is a bit weak. Obviously if you spend an endless pot of money on better and better signings you will end up doing quite well. Does that mean Avram Grant is a better manager than MON because he finished higher in the league when he was manager at Chelsea?

Sums him up for me. Like Guthrie has the ability to be twice the player he's shown so far but just not got the desire or hunger to make it happen.

There's been a suspicion of that from his Tottenham days. he always looked rank when picked for England. I think Sunderland have got a good deal to be doubling their money. Hopefully they'll waste it on Robbie Keane or Michael Owen.

That's not true. Lerner told MON to do something about the wage bill, not that he couldn't spend, as we had big earners, quite literally never getting used, not even making the bench. Sidwell and Davies goign will cover Bent's wages, I imagine, more than, in fact. I know for a fact that if MON had been given 18m to spend, he'd have spent it on Robbie Keane or Kevin Doyle, plus McGeady to add to our wingers collection. Yes but your logic defeats itself frankly - do you honestly think that players who cost a big fee are going to accept lower wages than they could get at another club ? You are virtually saying that Lerner is trying to be like Ashley over wages , yet still pay big fees for top players...just won't happen until all clubs do it. No, that's not what I am saying. I am saying that Lerner pointed out the players on big contracts and big money who weren't getting used - that's the key part, not getting used. Lerner's argument was that he doesn't mind paying out the money, but ideally we'd make sure the big money went to the right players - this is almost word for word what his right hand man said on our forums. Last season we had Shorey, Sidwell, Davies, Beye, NRC not even getting onto the bench most weeks. I'm guessing their combined wage bill per week was 200k. Lerner's approach was that he'd pay the big wages to the big name, but it is hard to make any remotely convincing business case for not moving on any of the above. Lerner was being hailed by most of the people on this site as a dream owner. He backed O'Neill to the hilt, I thought MON was way out of order flouncing off because there wasn't enough money to spend. Not surprised he's pulled out of the West Ham move either. He seems like a right precious twat.

Fair play to Ashley and Llambias for not holding his negative comments against him.

He never really wanted to go to Sunderland in the first place. If you look at it that way they've done well out of it. Got a year of goals and doubled their money if you believe the fee is £24million.