John P

Would be quite excited by Semedo, seems to be very highly rated.

All bias aside, I really cannot see him being a good manager based on how he comes across as a pundit. He bores everyone to tears and, for the most part, talks a load of nonsense.

Looks to be a poacher, but very athletic at the same time so I'm all for it. Not many of those kind of players around and they're the perfect fit for Rafa's system.

Giggs always comes across awfully to me when he's a pundit on tv. It might be that he's a completely different character behind closed doors, but he doesn't strike me as the sort of personality who would make a good manager at all.

Are people forgetting that he massively pissed off Rafa during January and, according to Caulkin, Rafa was ready to walk at the end of the season? He hasn't changed one fucking bit since he took over the club.

Think we just have multiple targets incase they fall through tbh, you know like most professional clubs will do. Unless we sell Mbemba I don't think we'll buy two personally. I think we'll buy 2. Rafa is ruthless and must know that Lascelles isn't ready for a full season in the Premier League yet. He also doesn't seem to completely trust Mbemba either.

Why should a university student be in the family area? Because they are young adults? My main gripe is that others who are on automatically renewal don't get called out. Last season I sat next to some bloke and his son who was clearly over 18, the other side of me was two middle aged people, non of them had a kid with with them. So either they are being allowed to keep their tickets despite their age, or they have a child's season ticket and using that to get an adult in. My question is why was I allowed in there in the first place when now 6 months later I have been kicked out deposited there being no change in circumstances? In all honesty I'm not that bothered as I've been moved to a similar area of the ground with only a small increase in price and hopefully I won't be surrounded by radgies. Probably because it was a half season ticket and they just wanted to fill some available seats. Now it's a new season and they are making those seats available to family first. Also, I don't know what the exact terms of the fmaily area are, but I don't think it's unreasonable that a person 18+ who isn't sat with family is being asked to move out. 'Young adult' surely doesn't make you automatically eligible for the family area, otherwise half the crowd would be eligible.

Why should a university student be in the family area?

Hertha Berlin would be awesome. Girlfriend's Dad lives in Berlin so would be a nice little trip.

Is Reina any good now?

We did this for a season too, it's only an hour on the train from York so very doable.

Shit managers who play shit football (Pulis) who masively overreact to a missed chance and then blame that one missed chance for losing / not winning the game. Maybe if you set your team up to create more than one chance a game it wouldn't fucking matter so much. Allardyce does this too, head in hands if one of his players misses a decent opportunity. You can almost see the cogs whirring in his head - there's my excuse in the post-match interview, I did everything right and I'm a tactical genius but Benteke missed the one shooting opportunity he got from a scrambled set piece.

Anyone who watches a lot of Spanish football have an opinion on him? Village Idiot?

I wonder how many players read their own thread on this forum by the way? Say hello if you're there Isaac.

Great interview, he always seems to speak very well and seems an intelligent guy. Got really high hopes for him, think he has the potential to develop into an excellent player.

Think I'd rather just keep Murphy.

Jagielka is painfully slow now, but I guess if he was used alongside someone with pace, like Mbemba, he might be able to do a job for us still.

No, I thought Ritchie, Gayle, Diame, Hanley and Atsu were excellent signings for the Championship at the time. I also had high hopes for Gamez and Lazaar and thought that Yedlin would do a decent job after speaking to a Sunderland supporting mate. Ciaran Clark turned out to be the absolute best for me we looked a different side at the back with him in the team and he absolutely carried Lascelles all season Agreed, but those were the players at the time who I thought would turn out to be good signings. I had probably biggest doubts over Clark at the time.

No, I thought Ritchie, Gayle, Diame, Hanley and Atsu were excellent signings for the Championship at the time. I also had high hopes for Gamez and Lazaar and thought that Yedlin would do a decent job after speaking to a Sunderland supporting mate.

I don't think it is underwhelming at all. I think we will see us signing players at a decent price who can help us establish ourselves back in the PL. I think it will be next summer when we see the bigger type names/players coming in. Finding it really interesting on seeing who Rafa will bring in this season to help us establish ourselves. We won't be diving straight in with trophy signings. I trust Rafa to get it right and I'm not against signing these players if that's who he wants, but I think we also need a few proven Premier league level players rather than shopping for players who've done well in the Championship, as there's no guarantee they can make the step up next season.

The players we're being linked with (which obviously should be taken with a huge pinch of salt) are slightly underwhelming to be honest. I'm hoping Rafa has some top level players in his sights, players who have proven they can perform in the top European leagues.

Happy with this, good value deal and is already settled at the club. Let's hope he can replicate his form from the last month of the season.

Sticking with Moyes (if they do) would probably be their biggest mistake going into next season. Some clubs do well by sticking with their manager after being relegated (us obviously, Dyche at Burnley) but there are huge differences between those situations and Sunderland's. Rafa was loved by the fans and is a proven world class manager, Dyche was well liked and had a clear structure and plan at the club which didn't require a massive squad overhaul, and it served them well the next season. Sunderland have had a horrendous season, the manager appears to be hated by the majority of their fans and doesn't give the impression that he even wants to be there. He certainly doesn't appear up for the fight of promotion next season and undergoing the massive change in squad personnel that they will need. This could all change of course with a good start to the season, as this would more than likely go some way to getting the fans back onside, but if they don't get off to a good start things could really spiral downwards. Lovely, isn't it?

Can't believe it's actually going ahead. A complete and utter embarrassment. Morons.

Probably not, because Spurs are likely to sell him which means they don't have to pay us another penny.