TRon

It's pretty desperate levels of cope mechanism if they are trying to pretend Newcastle Airport should somehow be associated with sunderland. If you are reduced to this sort of mental gymnastics, suicide might not be the worst option. Won't ever have to suffer such painful thoughts again.

Lest we forget....

Also, performing in the U-21s is a long way from the elite levels required at PL level where you are facing the world's best defenders. In some ways that's even true at senior international level where you can come up against Lithuanias or Latvias to pad your stats out.

If we are at that point we are posting tweets from someone called Wiil that Guehi reps are flying in for talks, then it's probably a sign that should get back to some work. Clearly nothing much in the pipeline today.

PIF's world doesn't revolve around us much though we'd like that. I'm sure they bought us with the intention of making us a vanity project as that actually suits their purposes for putting SA on the map as well. But if the EPL is rigged, it's not that surprising that they don't bother jumping through hoops when it's a closed shop, and just make their own tournaments instead.

The EPL is a closed shop in reality. Unless we want to bring the lawyers in we have to just swallow the bullshit, and PIF will just keep spending their money on ventures like the FCWC.

Hard to say if anyone else is interested. Cartel clubs tend to stay in the background and let us do the negotiating before making a move. It is quite telling that Burnley won't budge from their valuation though, even though the player wants the move. They must really rate him.

The age thing more or less rules it out, pure clickbait if you ask me. Why would we spend big money on players 28 or 29? Yeah maybe if there was no such thing as PSR but.....

Think he's just pulling those names out of his arse tbh.

I think we'd happily take £20m tbf.

I don't know where I heard it but supposedly he turned down Man U.

Feels dirty even looking in this thread tbh.

He'd be useful in a low block team. I don't know that he will suit Leeds particularly though. I hope he doesn't end up getting stick there, the Elland Road crowd might not be the most forgiving.

Leeds will be perfect for him. Just a 90 min drive, he could commute if he really wanted to.

They've got a thread for Longstaff's sale to Leeds? Fuck me they are pathetic.

It's not. Howe was a big admirer going back a couple of years, this was mentioned yesterday as well.

Reminds me of the Alan Oliver glory days when he would have the ears of all our local lads like Lee Clark and get those juicy exclusives.

Agree with this. At their best, Man City were very hard to defend against even with a low block because they just kept possession relentlessly. But they also had the best technical players in the world, so they had the skills to work openings even in the tightest of spaces as a team, not necessarily relying on an idividual bit of magic either. Liverpool under Klopp were very hard to defend against as well, they would just overwhem teams with pace and skill. But again, you do need a few of the world's best players to be a Liverpool or a Man City. You aren't getting these players for £40-50m.

They can surely find some other striker to fail with?

Would really hate to see Callum end up at Man U, not gonna lie. Would sour my memories of him here.

To a point it is justified. But the type of players who can genuinely unlock a low block cost a fortune, and all the biggest clubs are after them. You are talking about a Salah or a Yamal really. I did wonder about Grealish for this, but even he's already on sky high wages so we can't afford it even if we wanted him.

It's a badge of honour, never mind a compliment.

If we were offering him another contract he'd sign it like a shot.

If he's still got that turn of pace, could be a real asset if he stays injury free. He;s not just a tall guy good in the air, he can pull wide as well.

That first line is how I'd like to remember him. I'm a sucker for an inventive finish, and Wilson always found a way. I think if he'd stayed injury free he would have gone down as not only a great PL striker, but possibly an England one as well.