PIF and RB Sports & Media

[The Prophet]

18 minutes ago, Turnbull2000 said:

 

I had us down for around 8th this season, but even that is starting to look slightly generous. The only team with worse away form than us is Wolves, is it not? We'll end up around 9-11th unless Howe turns things around. It will be a monumental set back unless we win a cup.

 

Why?

[Colos Short and Curlies]

Just now, The Prophet said:

 

Why?

 

No Europe (so no cup and 9th) just opens up the door for Tonali, Hall, Tino, Thiaw to look for a move. The only saving grace is this summer being a world cup year so less pressure to be playing at the highest level next season.

 

On the other hand, a WC summer is not ideal if you are looking for a bit of a rebuild, especially for a coach like Howe who needs training pitch minutes

[Jagten]

Just now, Colos Short and Curlies said:

 

No Europe (so no cup and 9th) just opens up the door for Tonali, Hall, Tino, Thiaw to look for a move. The only saving grace is this summer being a world cup year so less pressure to be playing at the highest level next season.

 

On the other hand, a WC summer is not ideal if you are looking for a bit of a rebuild, especially for a coach like Howe who needs training pitch minutes

Hall and Livramento are the real risks. Bruno, who is clearly our most important player given the profile we have converged on, is too old for the money we’d want. Tonali would be too expensive for most given what you’re getting. 

[The College Dropout]

30 minutes ago, Turnbull2000 said:

 

I had us down for around 8th this season, but even that is starting to look slightly generous. The only team with worse away form than us is Wolves, is it not? We'll end up around 9-11th unless Howe turns things around. It will be a monumental set back unless we win a cup.

I think we’ll uptick at some point. But I’m also now thinking 8th/9th

[stozo]

5 minutes ago, Colos Short and Curlies said:

 

No Europe (so no cup and 9th) just opens up the door for Tonali, Hall, Tino, Thiaw to look for a move. The only saving grace is this summer being a world cup year so less pressure to be playing at the highest level next season.

 

On the other hand, a WC summer is not ideal if you are looking for a bit of a rebuild, especially for a coach like Howe who needs training pitch minutes

I think we are a long way off talking about no Europe yet - four points off seventh, six off fifth and in the League Cup, FA Cup and Champions League, which all theoretically (and I emphasise theoretically in the case of the last of those) offer a route to Europe.

 

I also think this is partly where the penny needs to drop with fans after last summer's events - some of those players will need to be sold regardless. Tino I highly suspect will go - City want him, will offer massive wages which we can't match and we'll cash in if we can get £50m+. Tonali it's all about how aggy he gets for a new deal - it's clear from various briefings out there that his agent is on manoeuvres so will presumably depend on (a) interest in him and (b) if we can agree financials on a new deal. But regardless, the model moving forward probably needs to be one big sale per summer, re-invest and keep building the squad. 

[The College Dropout]

The momentum was lost in the summer. That was the monumental setback.  Spent a lot of money on players that aren’t as good as we needed.  
 

We are also going to suffer from not adding top quality for 2 years.  We need a pipeline of players to develop and sell and that pretty much stopped in 2023 with the TinoHall summer. 

[Sibierski]

Thy have helped us improve by doing what a club of our size should be doing as a minimum, and haven’t interfered by letting the manager do his thing (which has helped us win our first cup), but it does feel like Stavaley was the driver for PIF vested interest. 

 

We’re now at a level where we should’ve been years back, but how far will we move from here I’m not sure about. 

[The Prophet]

9 minutes ago, Colos Short and Curlies said:

 

No Europe (so no cup and 9th) just opens up the door for Tonali, Hall, Tino, Thiaw to look for a move. The only saving grace is this summer being a world cup year so less pressure to be playing at the highest level next season.

 

On the other hand, a WC summer is not ideal if you are looking for a bit of a rebuild, especially for a coach like Howe who needs training pitch minutes

 

We're vulnerable to Tino leaving to City and Tonali to one of the big boys regardless. I agree, no Europe increases the chances.

 

This idea there would be a mass exodus of players if we don't finish in a European spot seems a bit hysterical though.

[The College Dropout]

1 minute ago, Sibierski said:

Thy have helped us improve by doing what a club of our size should be doing as a minimum, and haven’t interfered by letting the manager do his thing (which has helped us win our first cup), but it does feel like Stavaley was the driver for PIF vested interest. 

 

We’re now at a level where we should’ve been years back, but how far will we move from here I’m not sure about. 

I think we are better off than that.  The excitement Staveley had for the project helped us land players with profiles above our level like Trippier, Tonali, Isak.

 

i don’t think it’s a coincidence Staveley left and we suddenly struggle to land targets. From Guehi to Sesko we couldn’t land them. But we did convince Tonali and co. 

[SUPERTOON]

We still haven’t even gotten training ground/kit sponsors 

[The College Dropout]

Under Staveley we were regularly signing players heavily linked to big 6.  

[Colos Short and Curlies]

10 minutes ago, stozo said:

I think we are a long way off talking about no Europe yet - four points off seventh, six off fifth and in the League Cup, FA Cup and Champions League, which all theoretically (and I emphasise theoretically in the case of the last of those) offer a route to Europe.

 

I also think this is partly where the penny needs to drop with fans after last summer's events - some of those players will need to be sold regardless. Tino I highly suspect will go - City want him, will offer massive wages which we can't match and we'll cash in if we can get £50m+. Tonali it's all about how aggy he gets for a new deal - it's clear from various briefings out there that his agent is on manoeuvres so will presumably depend on (a) interest in him and (b) if we can agree financials on a new deal. But regardless, the model moving forward probably needs to be one big sale per summer, re-invest and keep building the squad. 

 

The hypothetical was 9-11 and no cup, to which I replied.

 

And of course players will be sold, some of whom we as a fan base would really rather not. It's a lot easier to bring in players to replace them and who have potential to kick on further when you have Europe as a selling point though

[JonBez comesock]

Everyone of us is cynical and not 100% sure on Saudi plans

 

My view now is what will be , will be 

 

We now have a squad that is capable of European football and a sense of direction 

 

light years ahead of where we were under Ashley 

 

Slow progress is progress 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by JonBez comesock

[black_n_white]

1 hour ago, Turnbull2000 said:

 

I had us down for around 8th this season, but even that is starting to look slightly generous. The only team with worse away form than us is Wolves, is it not? We'll end up around 9-11th unless Howe turns things around. It will be a monumental set back unless we win a cup.

6th is still possible. Not winning a cup this season would neither be a set back either, that’s a stupid take on things.

[Yorkie]

2 hours ago, The College Dropout said:

I’ve not changed position on the ownership for well over a year now.  
 

we’ve been rudderless for a long time.  We had a massive opportunity in the summer to establish ourselves as a top 6 squad and team and we fumbled it.  I said at the time this squad could easily finish 8th, it was such a bad summer. 

 

We lost our golden ticket to guaranteeing that, if such a thing can be guaranteed (it can't). 

[TBG]

Arguably the worst year in the clubs history.

[Novocastrian]

35 minutes ago, TBG said:

Arguably the worst year in the clubs history.

True, I stood on the Scoreboard and watched out 1/2  billion pound team bravely succumb to Notts County. Nothing like we’re suffering now.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by Novocastrian

[bobbydazzla]

2 minutes ago, Novocastrian said:

True, I stood on the Scoreboard and watched out 1/2  billion pound team bravely succumb  Notts County. Nothing like were are suffering now.

I’m suffering more from the atrocious grammar and spelling in that post than I am from our current away form.

 

[Novocastrian]

Just now, bobbydazzla said:

I’m suffering more from the atrocious grammar and spelling in that post than I am from our current away form.

 

Sorry Sur, wills they better on future 🫡

[GEFAFWISP]

I do hope PIF fuck off. We need a young go getter like the Sunderland owner.

[bobbydazzla]

2 hours ago, The College Dropout said:

I think we are better off than that.  The excitement Staveley had for the project helped us land players with profiles above our level like Trippier, Tonali, Isak.

 

i don’t think it’s a coincidence Staveley left and we suddenly struggle to land targets. From Guehi to Sesko we couldn’t land them. But we did convince Tonali and co. 

I think you’re reading too much into it.
 

We got Tonali and then he got banned for a year. Which is probably why we got him. 
 

Trippier wanted to move to the North of England to keep his missus happy, then he got caught on his Ring camera taking lasses home to do the nasty.

 

Isak has no loyalty to anything but himself, he couldn’t give a fuck about anything else. 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by bobbydazzla

[Myleftboot]

2 minutes ago, GEFAFWISP said:

I do hope PIF fuck off. We need a young go getter like the Sunderland owner.

 

[bobbydazzla]

3 minutes ago, GEFAFWISP said:

I do hope PIF fuck off. We need a young go getter like the Sunderland owner.

[1892er]

10 minutes ago, GEFAFWISP said:

I do hope PIF fuck off. We need a young go getter like the Sunderland owner.

KLD as he's fondly known on Wearside. If only we had an owner from Saudi with a short snappy name like that. 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by 1892er

[Jonas]

25 minutes ago, Novocastrian said:

True, I stood on the Scoreboard and watched out 1/2  billion pound team bravely succumb to Notts County. Nothing like we’re suffering now.

 

 

 

Got a fireworks display out of that though, apart from qualifying for the Champions League twice and winning a cup, what have this lot done in the last 3year since buying some scorched earth from Ashley.