Will we ever have one? What would it be..... Michael Turner insists Sunderland will only begin to motor up the table once they decide on a settle starting line-up. The Black Cats brought in nine new players over the summer in the hope of making an outside push for a Europa League place. But their influx of arrivals seems to have had an adverse effect as they languish a place outside the relegation zone. Only four players - Simon Mignolet, Wes Brown, Sebastian Larsson and Stephane Sessegnon - have started all eight of the Black Cats' league games this term.Suspensions to Phil Bardsley and Titus Bramble have further disrupted the understanding of the back four, and former Hull stopper Turner believes this lack of continuity in the team is one of the main reasons for their poor start. Consistent Turner told The Journal: "The manager will be looking for a consistent back four and team. "The first two seasons I have been here it has always been chopping and changing and it can be difficult playing with someone different every week but hopefully we can get good form and play well together. "Injuries and suspensions you cannot really help - and other issues of course - but you just have to deal with changes to the team." However, one positive to come out of Bruce shuffling his pack is the partnership between Turner and Brown, which has been used for the last two games. Brown has been immense at the heart of the defence since his arrival from United this summer and his calming influence and experience has been appreciated by his team-mate. Comfortable "There have been players I have played alongside I have not felt comfortable with but sometimes you just click," he added. "We have not had many games playing together and even though Wes and I have had bad starts in games we have been comfortable. "Wes' positioning and sense of the game is great and if you play alongside someone like that you will get better yourself. "He has brought something different to the club. He has great experience and is a really nice guy as well; he is not big-time at all. "He is a great leader on the pitch in his own way and I have enjoyed the first two games with him
And whose fault is it that in 2.5 years, 5 transfer windows and more players bought and sold in that time than there are ants in Africa then? Bruce is the architect of this pile of ****e 100%. Yes there were injuries but so had every other club and he was the one who kept choosing to sell players or move them on and then neglect to replace them. He's done it with Collins, Jones, Bent, Gyan and Reid. The merits of whether these players should have been sold or not is another argument. The fact they have been sold and not replaced is one for now. The only settled thing I want to see as soon as possible, is the settlement of Bruce's contract and a manager brought in that can deliver on promises and not make the lamest excuses in the Kingdom after defeats.
Did he have a choice with Bent or Gyan ??? Forgive but when we were buying in the summer I thought most of us were happy ? Who could have predicted what that idiot Gyan would do ?
Both players were contracted so yes, we did have a choice as Wigan did with N'Zogbia, Spurs with Modric, Arsenal and Fabregas - for 2 years and Man Utd with both Ronaldo and Rooney. You see its very simple, good club managers dont allow their best players to just walk out when they feel like it. They move them on when and only when replacements have been brought in or lined up. Unless they are out of contract, which non e were, they dont get to make the decisions about whether they stay or not. Gyan may well have come out of the blue but he could have been told no very quickly and very easily. I mean, who the **** is actually in charge of the club? As for Bent, he STILL hasnt been replaced now and thats 9 months and 1 ****ing whole summer transfer window later. You can make as many excuses as you want for this lame **** manager chum but it doesnt change facts. Hes a clueless prick and he will relegate this club if he is allowed to.
Oh OK we should keep players who don't want to play for us and pay them £60000 a week not to play ! That will teach them ! I agree we should have replaced him but that's easier said than done. BUT it's simple for me if you don't want to play **** off !
Back to the original question we will never have a settled team as long as Bruce is in charge, there is no balance so it will never be a settled team as he will have to chop and change week in week out.
Aye we were happy, we've bought some good players. But if you don't have a clue how to use them effectively then you're going to struggle before the kick off starts.
Bent is very simple for me, he wanted more money than we could pay him, Rooney is different, Man United wages are 45% of their turnover, and thats with Rooney getting £250,000 PW, ours is about 85% of our turnover, which is why we have a wage cap. There will be players in our team that have a "I must get paid the same as the best paid player" in their contracts, but when you have a wage cap, you dont think twice about putting into their contracts, as you wont break the wage cap. lets say £50,000pw was the wage cap, Bent was on that, but we wanted £80,000 a week, 5 other players would have been on the same £50,000 a week, but would have went to £80,000 a week to match Bents. thats £30,000 * 5 or £150,000 pw extra or £7,800,000 PY extra which would have pushed our wages close to 100% of our turnover. So we just couldnt do it, without a bigger turnover, hence our trip to to Asia and getting Quinn out there to drum up business oportunities. Gyan, havnt got a clue what happened to him.
Turner wants to be careful this 2nd half..he keeps shoving people and he's already got one card, and this ref (the beachball ref) is a bit card happy..
Michael Turner says!!!!!!!! MR says the only time it will change is when we get a manager and Turner is back where he is suited in the championship. (Hopefully not with Sunderland! )
