Viana

Bruce is the person you want in your life at age 5. Howe is the person you appreciate in your life at age 25.

You and Owen Coyle of the same mind on this one.

Social media has convinced a generation that this is how you watch football. I'm not against analyzing the game in a more complex way than 'that was shite, that was good' but this constant need to invent terms for very simple actions is a bit nauseating. 'Torso deception' is a great example. He's just dropped the shoulder. The thing these wannabe savants never realize is that the skill of a truly insightful person is being able to relate their information in a clearly understandable way to a mass audience. Appealing to your mates in an echo chamber won't teach you anything.

Yeah, on reflection thin is the wrong word in this context. It's more, I don't know if I see quality past the starting XI. Losing Amad was huge and I'm not sure if that quality has returned via other players.

You’re right in terms of CB and CM but you’re light in terms of strikers if nothing else.

They did, he had quite a decent pedigree as a French youth international and former Marseille product. The fact he's only played 79 minutes since joining doesn't suggest he's impressed much. I can't imagine the offer is substantial (1.5-2m perhaps) and there may be something due to Lille as a sell-on clause. This is kind of their model now, albeit on a smaller scale, but looking at their squad they look a bit thin heading into the season and with no replacement for Amad Diallo.

I should clarify my point was more relevant to price of seat over choosing where you can sit.

https://twitter.com/SunderlandAFC/status/1686449454272962560

That element of things is a surprise, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't seen similar practices elsewhere. For example, when buying tickets to a game in the U.S they have stipulations on how you pick your seats. If there's five in a row available I can't pick four and leave one behind. I have to take all five or I can only pick three.

He'd have to be part of a front two.

I appreciate why people are upset with this price increase, but I'm not surprised it's happening. The club is moving at warp speed. Seven of our ten most expensive transfers have occurred under this ownership (source) and we've also invested heavily in the academy, the training ground, and a women's team. We're acting like an elite football club, and one of the things that come with that is expensive tickets. Some of it is supply and demand, but we're also in the premier European competition and we've just spent close to £100m on two players. It's not hard to get people through the door and so the price is going to increase. There will be a lot of positives coming down the road in terms of sponsorships and big name players, but to have that without a price increase is bordering on impossible and not something I'd expect. Ticket sales don't move the needle much in the grand scheme of things, but they do still move the needle.

The Greenwood situation is incredibly sad, and that was before it came out they'd had a child together. At the same time, I feel situations like this present me with quandary about how we rehabilitate individuals and return them to society. The reason I think this situation is particularly problematic is because it doesn't feel like Greenwood served any kind of punishment. If I park that belief for a second, the case was dropped against him, so how do we then go about reintegrating him to society and at what level? He's a unique case because he was a nationally recognized athlete, so the idea of a normal life away from his chosen career seems unattainable. At the same time, do we simple let the market dictate and whoever wants to sign him and face that backlash do so? A lot of pieces I've seen written on this have attacked it purely from a salacious perspective of 'where will he go' 'what will Man Utd do', but in reality there's three people in this equation that need to be considered - Mason, his girlfriend, and their baby. I'd rather have a discussion about the rehabilitation of alleged offenders. In his case, even if you believe he didn't do anything criminal, he was verbally and physically abusive to someone he claims to love. That alone is an avenue for growth and an area to fix, so how do we do that? It's all very messy, and I don't have the answers, but it is something I think about.

It does feel soulless and that's where you need to create an actual football culture. MLS isn't perfect, but it's a good yard stick to measure against. You need supporter groups and people committed to attending rain or shine. Superstar players will get casuals through the door and the odd tourist, but that won't generate an atmosphere either. I'm curious if they plan to try and poach executives from European leagues next to try and build things out.

I do feel sorry for Maitland-Niles. I don't think he's ever really picked right when it comes to loan clubs, and by all accounts his mum is a bit of a nightmare. They're estranged and it looks like he looks after his brother too. It's a lot to try and shoulder on top of making a successful football career at the top level.

It depends if they're marching in. @Stifler Can you explain why Steve's career ended any chance of his brother being a pro?

I think most fans would prefer to see an academy player excel over someone brought in. I just wonder if with FFP whether these kids at City are sign as golden eggs that facilitate most instant gratification.

That's kind of my point though. Right now they're still paying all seven players. Sure, Thiago goes next year, Fofana may be a crock, but that won't get you exemption from their salaries. You've also got players behind Colwill like Alfie Gilchrist and Bashir Humphreys that are going to struggle to get in because they've got a group of big money defenders on long term deals.

I think LFEE is saying that while Woodgate had tremendous ability (like ASM) he was rarely available for selection. Contrast that with Dabizas who wasn't as flash (like Barnes) but was almost always fit and available (bar his knee injury in 2000). I don't disagree to be honest. Woodgate was very good, as was ASM, and both could have a very exciting highlight reel in black and white, but there was a dependability about Dabizas that deserves recognition.

I'm genuinely excited to see Ashby play regularly. He definitely looks like a modern fullback in terms of his willingness to get forward and use his technical quality as a creative outlet.

I may be alone, but I find Ramsdale a bit suspect. He lets in the odd soft one, and I don't think he inspires confidence.

The squad planning at Chelsea is bizarre. I thought they might slow down after January, or at least prioritize departures before signing more players. Assuming this goes through that's seven senior central defenders in their first team squad (Trevor Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, Welsey Fofana, Malang Sarr and now Axel Disasi). Sarr will likely go on loan to Strasbourg. From there it's going to be very hard to share those minutes out, particularly if a certain pair develop momentum. I'm sure Brighton are pleased as they sniff a chance to pick up Colwill. I'd love us to bid for him but it sounds like we're going to try for Lewis Hall instead. Either way, it's kind of funny that we were pitched as being a problem for the transfer market when Chelsea are the ones spending vast sums.

These Saudi clubs need a sub editor for their videos. I've seen a few typos creep in.

Nine goals in Serie A last year. If Onana comes with a pedigree (Inter, Ajax, Barca, Champions League etc) you can't say the same of this lad. They've basically banked on him becoming elite, which feels super risky.

I cheered Anderson like he was my own son last night, but a loan is the right option. He needs that momentum of regular games at the highest level we can find for him.