Wallsendmag

Ashley isn't really losing out on the deal here considering he's put standard season tickets up by 25% over the last 2 seasons.

About 37k in reality. Good win, only 18 points from safety with 22 games to go but it's purgatory to watch. When you look at what they charge for tickets these days for the fare they serve up on the pitch it's an absolute rip off. We might need more than 40 points to stay up this season. Possibly but I'd be surprised if any of the current bottom 3 get to 40 points. Small chance for Sounthampton but no chance Watford or Norwich.

About 37k in reality. Good win, only 18 points from safety with 22 games to go but it's purgatory to watch. When you look at what they charge for tickets these days for the fare they serve up on the pitch it's an absolute rip off.

He’s doing well but it’s questionable how much he’s at fault for Sunderland’s predicament and the standard of league he’s in is way worse. If he bought that team then it’s on him, but it’s seriously one of the slowest, most unbalanced sides I’ve ever seen. The simplest thing to do in that league is build a side that is aggressive, fast and hungry and they’ve got none of that You reckon the SPL is worse than League One? Based on what I watched yesterday I'd have to disagree with that.

I was at the Hibs v Aberdeen match yesterday and their old manager, Jack Ross, has Hibs playing some lovely football.

Aye we're winning 1-0 so great but this is bloody awful to watch. Since the goal we've just parked ourselves on the edge of our box and waited for Sheff Utd to score, which, make no mistake, they will eventually. 25% possession in the 1st half against Sheffield Utd. Really? Honestly these people saying we're playing far better football than last season just haven't got a clue.

Imagine if this lot got relegated to Division 4

He's finished as a Premier League footballer.

Thats if we did pay £40m, all seems very strange to me Always felt there was something not quite right about this deal. Ashley pays £40m for nobody, especially not some unproven player with a very patchy goalscoring record prior to coming here.

I thought his hold up play was poor, as was the rest of his game. Carroll is finished, that's why he was free.

I can see why literally nobody was excited when we paid £40m to bring him here. He offers virtually nothing.

We really weren’t “so good” 1st half we were.

Same here. 2nd time I've watched us this season and it's dreadful. No shape, no tactics, no attacking threat, can't defend, and all this against a team that came up via the Championship play offs last season.

"Difficult" fixture at the weekend against their old foes from Chinventry. Crowd could turn if they get beat IMO. Think they're just planning on opening up the one stand again, like they've done for their past 2 home fixtures, to reduce the impact of negative crowd reaction.

Great appointment for Spurs. Wins trophies wherever he goes, and as nice football as they've played this past few years that's always been the thing that's been levelled against them. Obviously there's an underlying issue amongst some of their players which he needs to address urgently.

329 Sunderland fans at Gillingham tonight. You'd have thought with all these "branches" they have, they would have a few in the South East mind.

Well Middlesbrough have produced uh.... oh aye, that nonce. Can't recall anyone else really. Stewart Downing, Adam Johnson, Stuart Parnaby, David Wheater, James Morrison, Lee Cattermole, Danny Graham, Jason Steele, Ben Gibson, Adam Reach and George Friend have all gone on to play a fair few games in the PL/Football League. What've we got? Marcus Maddison, Sammy Ameobi, Fraser Forster and Adam Armstrong? We've had players feature for our first team - Adam Campbell, Michael Richardson and Callum Roberts - who have dropped off the radar completely. We've literally got Dummet, 2 Longstaffs and Carroll in our first team at present!

Tbf to NUFC, this season we've had Dummet, S.Longstaff, M.Longstaff and Carroll all in our first team, in the Premier League this season. If the bairns are good enough they'll make it anyway. Certainly at anything under 16 age they are more concerned about playing football and enjoying it more than anything else. Anyway, Gillingham away in an FA Cup first round replay, playing for the privilege of a home tie with AFC Wimbledon in the next round, where if they get through they'll probably only bother opening up one stand again. That is where they are at.

Standard of coaching/facilities won’t have changed much at that level surely? I’m in no doubt it has higher up the ages though. Either way, we are treating it just as an extra bit of training. He started Futsal 2 weeks back and was quickly moved up to an older age/advanced level group and the standard of coaching, sessions and talent among the kids is some of the best I’ve seen/experienced so it will be good to gauge what the pro level standard is like against that for example which is essentially a franchise ran by two young lads with a mix of kids girls and boys varying in ages and ability but all equally skilful. Future of our game in England may just be getting even more healthier. There’s a quote from Methven about the loan they’ve just taken “The money will be used largely to improve various things around the club. Some of it might sound very uninteresting, but we believe they're important. Fixing the speakers at the Stadium of Light, for example, or the lift at the Academy of Light is broken and needs fixing. These are quite significant payments to make, and this new investment will help that" They’re scrimping and saving all over the place and are clearly struggling with running costs. Nufc need heavy investment in their youth set up to be where it really should be but it should stable. It’s a difficult choice. If Sunderland don’t get promoted the consequences will be felt at all levels. Doesn’t read well does it, as ever when owners fuck up, it’s the genuine people who suffer like staff, coaches and kids. That’s what I hate the most about NUFC because when it comes to NUFC vs SAFC and my boy and other Geordie kids, there should never be a choice between the two. Sadly it seems even if the people behind the scenes do care so much, the club itself doesn’t give a fuck one way or another which is seen at every level of the club, none morse so than senior/first team level. Rafa could have relegated us last year and I’ll always respect and be grateful to the man for fighting for the good cause of all those people at the academy and training ground to make things bigger and better for them all, unlike the fucking owner. A club like NUFC should never ever fail off the field, but it has and will continue to do as long as Ashley is around while our local rivals prosper and our local talent go elsewhere or end up not getting the best standard of coaching, training, facilities to train and learn. That will be the biggest lasting damage not a relegation or the sale of some land or getting knocked out of a cup. Seriously, if NUFC come in for my kid, I’d tell them where to go. Not because of the coaches or poor facilities, but because the club does not give a fuck about any of that where as the likes of sunderland clearly do. I don’t want that kind of environment for my son as much as I don’t want to go and pay to watch the team under Steve Bruce surrounded by SD signs all-around while the owner and his cronies sit in their ivory towers grinning away laughing at all these mugs which is what we are or would be if we did go, if we sent our kids there or if we continued supporting this joke of a club who doesn’t even support the very people who keep it ducking going. From Rafa to joe bloggs in the canteen using a kettle to boil the players’ baths. I would say Newcastle have had much more higher quality youngsters come through so your point being it large ‘ doesn’t really make sense when talking about Sunderland Pickford and Henderson vs who at NUFC exactly? It’s not about players coming through always as well, it’s about the standard of coaching, education, training, facilities etc. kids receive and at NUFC its way lower than at SAFC and has been for some time and will continue to be until more of a fuck is given towards it. My mates nephew (Kel Watts) has been at NUFC for over a Decade now and loves it. Think he's out on loan at Stevenage at the moment. My nephew is currently at Sunderland and is thinking about wrapping in (if he gets kept on) after Xmas as they are becoming far too demanding for a boy of his age (8). Expecting him to go to school Monday-Friday then go down to the bottom end of the country on a Saturday for a tournament, then play in a game at the AOL on a sunday, thus preventing him from playing for his Sunday team with his mates. The team they discovered him at.

Could we not just have bought a big centre back to do that? Nah I think we're more than covered for centre halves! He is a good option to come off the bench for the last 20 minutes and we are either needing to defend a one goal lead or chasing a goal. His best work this season has come in our own penalty box and not the opposition's so far, it has to be said.

Coloccini in that 11/12 season when we finished 5th was simply outstanding and was hitting levels week in week out that I've never seen yet from Lejeune. Made it into the PL team of the year that season iirc.

Their demise over the past 3 years has been incredible. A friend of mine had to ring their ticket office this morning regarding his season ticket payment failing. After ringing the number about a dozen times without any joy he dialled the main reception at the SoL and was told that the lady who works in the ticket office isn't available to take calls on a Monday morning as she's busy washing the strips from the weekend.

He's looked really good these past 2 games. Almiron and ASM look far better with Shelvey in there behind them as well. 2 wins out of 2 since his return.

Considering we've never played outside of the top 2 divisions in our 127 year history i don't think we'll have ever played in the 1st Round?