Gallowgate Toon

I think he's fine for what we need now but he's no long term solution. He can be a decent player when he has set instructions to work with. Don't get the Obertan comparisons at all. If anything, this lad's far too direct for his own ability

Even if Townsend comes in, we should keep him here. He's looked brighter in his cameos and we need the depth.

Cabella had a few good games for us. Spurs away, Chelsea, Hull, good cameo against Liverpool, played well against Arsenal at home, off the top of my head - I'm sure he played well at West Brom too. Even in one of his poorer games away to Villa he still created a good chance. Should've been given some more time here, just like Thauvin should be given until the Summer.

Have all of Sunderland's wins this season come against 10 men? I can't remember the last time we had an opposition player sent off

Showed some tactical flexibility with our general approach to the game, tbh, they've obviously been working on the possession side of it again and it's useful to have in your arsenal. I would've made a change or two much earlier, though. The bench wasn't great but we just needed some legs to push our momentum from the equaliser through.

He looked a bit out of place when we were trying to be more patient in possession along with a few others, tbf. Such a beast in the second half, though.

He was pretty good but this is the exact sort of game he's usually decent in. I'd keep him until the Summer, tbh, he's a useful player to have around while others bed in.

Played to his build up strengths for the team pretty well tonight and that's the part he's usually pretty decent at. If we could sort out our crossing game/sign a player that likes to cross earlier and with pace, and have a deeper midfielder that can play quicker passes through the middle to him, we might be on to a winner in the coming years. His pace will be an issue in him becoming a great striker but he can still be a very good one.

Went to this with work - I thought we were really good and deserved the win, tbh. I think the plan was just to keep a foothold of the game in the first quarter and we were a bit cautious in our play but once we started mixing up the length of the passing that really opened them up. They were happy to shut up and let us play about at the back but once we started aiming things at Mitro's chest, they weren't sure what to do and then Sissoko started finding space more. Gini was mint, he's just a class, class footballer. Created chances and played good football against a side that, in my opinion, sat back a fair bit and that's where we usually struggle most. Hopefully the new signings (with the more we need) should see us get a bit of momentum going.

Absolutely brilliant. Keep him at no. 10. He was a bit lost there at the beginning of the season but he's really found his feet now and I'm sure will flourish if played there for good. Think he could be our best player in his position for nigh on 10 years, tbh.

Spoke to a Swansea lad I know and he said he's rubbish as a holding midfielder or deep midfielder but has potential as a box-to-boxer. He reckons as long as he's not got the most defensive responsibility of the CMs, he'll be OK. Can be very, very erratic in his performances, though.

I don't think either are CMs in this league, tbh. Gini for no. 10 for the rest of the season is a must.

I hope the thinking isn't to have one exclusive position for one and one for the other, something more even. Saivet seems decent defensively but obviously has some attacking edge to his game too.

Sounds like we'd be looking to use him as the more attacking CM, he's well suited to that, IMO. Saivet appears to be a solid athlete with good technique and the appetite for a tackle, could be a nice partnership with a simple remit. Get a LW and a good striker and I'll feel more confident about the attacking half of the pitch. Let's keep Gini as 10, with Perez and Mitro for competition.

Was this lad ever a striker? I thought he was a winger turned box-to-box mid?

Stats really aren't a true barometer for anything but his tackling and stuff seems pretty decent, like. Certainly doesn't seem to be a classic 10, in that regard.

That's a worry. We need an anchor man and it looks like Shelvey is some way from the perfect fit. My fear is that he would improve our midfield but not by as much as is needed. We dont need an Anchor Man at all. we need less defensive midfielders not more. We need midfielders that can do both. Our defence is minging and does need a lot of protection, just as much as the attackers need better service.

I get the argument that he'd be an underwhelming signing, but you have to take the position we're in into context. Our central midfield is just about the worst part of what isn't a very good side - we need some immediate improvement on the worst players in their position in the league in Colback and Anita (IMO). He doesn't strike me as a very Swansea player, tbh, they're a pretty beige club and I've never found their football particularly exciting, bar the odd spell. Shelvey seems like someone who's more suited to a place like here (or at least what we used to be): impatient, someone looking to get to goal the quickest way possible etc.

If we can just get centre mids that are mobile and can contribute something at both ends of the pitch, just a bit, that would be a massive improvement. Shelvey is a flawed player, but, when I saw him in form, he didn't shirk challenges, could dribble past a player and was always looking to get things moving forward quickly. Lightyears ahead of Anita and Colback.

I reckon we'll sign 4 this window, tbh. We'll move super slow but I think we'll bring them in. The quality, I'm not so sure about though

Knowing nothing about Saivet other than some basic journo tweets, the partnership would be infinitely better than Anita-Colback, I'm sure. I'm pretty happy to keep Sissoko as a wider player, I think he's more useful there tbh, but want a winger and to move Gini into 10 permanently.

Shelvey and Saivet as our new central partnership? The latter certainly sounds like he has an athletic, defensive edge.

Genuine question - isn't that what Sissoko is supposed to bring? I haven't watched enough of you this year to say. Not really a subtle enough player to be so consistent in the middle, tbh. Doesn't really like the dirty work side of the game, either.

Perez isn't a natural fit for the left but he's more natural out wide than Wijnaldum. He's a much more aggressive dribbler, is probably better picking it up in less congested areas (he's been caught overdoing it in central areas, recently, IMO) and has a decent cross on him - his left isn't bad either. It'd be great to see Thauvin get a run there with the remit of getting early balls into Mitrovic, though.

That's our best chance, IMO - it can't happen with Anita. If one of, if not both, Sissoko or Wijnaldum plays as a CM, they need a proper defensively-minded player with them.