So, now that the dust is settling and we remain in League One, thought it'd be a good shout to start a thread with everyone's thoughts on who we should keep, who we should get rid of and any potential targets. My two pence: Keep: McLaughlin - tremendous for this level Stryjek - bench Ozturk - rotation option Flanagan - rotation option/sell Baldwin - rotation option/sell Love - rotation option/sell Hume - enough potential to start as our LB this year Leadbitter - experience needed, rotation Maguire - starter, makes things happen McGeouch - keep as rotation Honeyman - not a starter, not a captain, rotation only Gooch - should be playing more for me O'Nein - nothing to add McGeady - if we can keep him, star man E Robson - keep, blood into first team Power - keep Embleton - keep, blood into first team Mumba - keep, blood into first team Wyke - backup option only Watmore - if he's fit he is involved in the 1st team Grigg - get him fit and play to his strengths and he'll score 25+ goals Sell: Ruiter - not required if we have Max as backup Matthews - sicknote and wages Oviedo - wages Loovens - who? One of Flan/Baldwin - too weak to play together Love - sicknote James - poor even at this level Cattermole - hurts, but I think it's time for him to move on Loans: Dunne - poor, send back Morgan - started brightly but ran out of steam, would be tempted to see if they would loan him again but not 1st choice Sterling - send back Need: Two first choice centre backs Left back to compete with Hume First choice right back Attacking centre midfielder Number 10 Winger Pacey striker
Send all the loans back Would never get a loan as back up we have plenty kids Wouldn’t keep many infact they can go if they wished Build our team around who wants to be with us and the manger feels there good enough We shall see what the retain list is but maybe he may let anyone go I don’t know
If we don't keep Mcgeady we are finished sorry to say that coss the jock will not be able to replace him, like the Maja situation. But let's not forget the refs are doing us, and that needs to be looked into and FIFA need to be told. In actual fact they have cost us promotion as well as the dirty players in this league. Wyke in the echo today says "get over the defeat quickly" ! why ? to make him feel better cos he was crap hehe.
Need: Two first choice centre backs Left back to compete with Hume First choice right back Attacking centre midfielder Number 10 Winger Pacey striker Yeh and a few more
I agree entirely with those sentiments vince, as far as the news signings we have some crackers in the youth squad lets get them playing, why loan them out,
A 6'5" strapping defender, an actual striker or 2 that Coventry player for example, or Marquis who we can get the ball to his feet for a change would be nice and a creative midfielder, as for outs well there are plenty.
Retained list will be interesting. On a positive we do know a couple of the over inflated contracts are gone, and hopefully that’s going to free up funds. We need to rebuild the defence. It’s not good enough and hasn’t been all season. That’s priority for me then go forward from there. I’d be going after Eaves or Marquis, if we are going to have a target man plan B let’s have one that puts themselves about and scores. Marquis is the one I’d aim at. Midfield, we need to know who’s staying before we can even start thinking about that. Far too many average players and some poor use. Gooch should be ahead of Honeyman every time, he has a go, his delivery is dangerous and he can finish.
Yeh that has to be the way forward all the so called big buyers and big names have failed Give the better ones of the kids ago Although embleton wasn’t up for the championship he will now be a year older and more experienced He maybe a one to step up
I'd be after Marquis too and I think we could get him if he doesn't go to a championship side. I remember him saying something along the lines of that he didn't want to move in the January window but he'd reconsider after the season finished. Him and Grigg could be good together if Grigg can get a lot sharper than he's been this season. Both intelligent players with some ability.
Without McGeady, during the run in, we struggled against teams well down in the table. I'm glad we didn't have to see how this team would have fared w/o him all season long. I completely agree with your comment about the refs and the dirty players; but, if 11 of your 15 squad players are 'undersized' every 50-50 ball is an injury risk, and if you're getting your lunch box handed to you all game long, your likely to eventually do something rash.
Marquis is a bully with ability and that’s what we need. He didn’t half but himself about last season, he’s a bit untidy, he’s a league one player but he has an impact. I’d still say we are as big a draw as most of the Championship, he’s probably not going to one of the promotion chasers.
Yeah probably, I reckon we'd have a good chance of signing him, he's in that sweet spot of ability where he'd improve us nicely but he's not so **** hot that he'd interest teams in the league above too much. The couple of times I've seen him play for Donny he's not looked particularly happy with a lack of service so that could be a factor, they don't play great football.
If "he's not looked particularly happy with a lack of service" he probably wouldn't like the idea of coming to Sunderland, then The lack of service that Charlie and Willy have had to put up with is a massive part of why we're still in the third division, unfortunately Hopefully, though, the right personnel will be recruited soon, to enable Jacky Boy to play to their strengths next season
It's definitely been an issue from time to time but for me we've not been awful at getting the ball forward to Wyke, it's more been that he can't control it or he hasn't anticipated it and lets the defender in first, or that he gets knocked off the ball easily. I'm not saying we're mint but I would say that we play better football than Donny do and a canny striker would get goals in our side.
I only got back for one game that was Doncaster at home and I was really impressed with Marquis. His positional play was excellent given he had zero service all afternoon. I think he is destined for a higher league, but worth a punt if that doesn't happen for him.
My thoughts. He probably could go Championship, but can he go to a bigger club than us? Probably not. The only concern would be that he is effectively what we thought Wyke was. I suppose in this instance we have seen him first hand.
I think Marquis has so much to offer than Wyke. To be honest I am disappointed with Wyke..he is a big lad who really doesn't put himself about at all. That said he holds the ball up really well.
Looking at their career paths it’s bizzarely similar, actually Wyke probably been more consistent up until last season. It just shows that bare numbers tell half a story. Wyke improved massively back end of the season but he never looked like a solution, 1 goal in 3 bar the own goal in the playoffs tells a story. Marquis in the games v us and the playoffs, he looks the kind who would thrive on the crowds and proper put himself about. For sure, we need to move sharp and try and reignite the momentum. The fans bought in last summer, we dug in as well, but from the Checkatrade final onwards, there was a definite change. We need to come out looking prepared and organised, not throwing darts like the last few days of the January window. We need to see that the club has prepared for the possibility of a second year in League One, get the lads in we need and get a preseason as a squad. It’s finely balanced right now. Averaging over 30k was stunning last season, it will be remarkable to do it again, the club needs to show its up for it from within. If there are indeed talks of a sale is that going to prevent us doing business? I think, for the most part, folk took Sunday well. Not a lot of anger and knee jerk and that’s great. But we need that lift, we need it ASAP.