New Head Coach

True, but I think they would have to have someone already selected, interviewed, and appointed at this stage now but yet to be announced. I suppose they could bring someone in alongside Speakman to take over from him when the crucial period is over. I wouldn't have a problem with Speakman overseeing recruitment; I don't subscribe to the theory that he's incompetent.

 

It all means Beale is coming back

#OneLastPrance

 

no. I just think if he was going to be let go it would have happened earlier with a new guy come in for this window

 

Aye. Pass it sideways until you lose the ball.

 

I’d trust him with some things. He’s definitely a good operator but I’ve lost all faith in him making player decisions.

 

Possibly the best team goal I’ve seen against manu away

 

His season 1 was promotion from L1. Season 2 was playoffs in the Championship. Season 3, if he’d made a half decent head coach appointment when we brought in Beale wouldn’t be seeming too bad in my opinion.

Edit: ignore me, I’m an idiot. I thought you were still talking about Speakman.

 

It'll feel like a right kick in the knackers if neither of them take up the role.

I just want it done to end all of the speculation. Very little will be done at work until it is!

 

He did a lot of complaining, then and since, about the players he was being given to work with by the DOF Lee Congerton. Reckoned he identified players for specific roles but always ended up with the third or fourth choice. Don’t know how much of that is true but he’s worked with a DOF before and knew exactly what he didn’t like about it. That may be useful in that he could see the bigger picture of both roles. Who knows?

 

Like I've said plenty of times, I think you'd need to see a list of the players he's tried to bring in, but failed to for reasons beyond his control, before making a judgement on that.

 

Congerton is very respected in the game. I'm just not a Poyet fan at all. Feels like a really weird one to go back to. Ended horribly. That Villa game is the worst I have ever seen Sunderland play. Felt like they could have won 10-0.

 

I might just be poisoned by the bad times. Not one I remember fondly at all.

 

This club can do weird things to coaches. Quite a few have bottled decent playing style to go very defensive which rarely works and doesn’t impress the support. It’s basically a long painful resignation letter.

 

I think Congerton's failings here have more to do with the problems of the Ellis Short regime than anything else. Same goes for Roberto de Fanti.

Strange how Directors of Football always seem to be unpopular amongst our fans.

 

We agree on a lot but that’s never disagree on. We can judge him on signings made and positions not filled but not people we tried for. There’s a long game I know but this season has been dreadful and he has to be judged on that, as do others of course. My judgment is - academy good 8/10, first team 2/10.

 

Fair enough
I understand your reasoning. Just not the way I see it.

 

I’d agree with that if we were talking about one transfer window. Not bringing in a striker during 3/4 transfer windows is negligent. He should have found a way, it’s his job.

 

haha

 

You’re of course entitled to your opinion so this isn’t meant to sound arsey but 2/10 seems a ridiculously harsh score to me. You compare the club now compared to the day he came in and it’s practically unrecognisable-in a good way. With a few enjoyable times along the way too.

I still think a good head coach makes all seem better too (recruitment, current squad quality etc), his biggest failing, and it is a huge one, was the Beale appointment.

 

If it is Still we go for then I wonder if we’ve burned our bridges with Maric. Could be one we end up revisiting if Still doesn’t work out (if Maric still hasn’t taken a head coach role elsewhere by then).