After the trials and tribulations of last season,I am honestly excited about what is happening at our club.We appear to be going in the right direction at all levels,and next season promises to be a defining season in our club's upward progress.None of us genuine fans know a lot about our new young signings,but we do know that they have been sourced by the right people.I was very worried towards the end of last season,as I thought MON was taking us down.What a brave decision by Mr.Short to appoint Paulo as our new manager.I now believe that appointment is the best move he could have made,and I am honestly excited about what will happen next season.One thing for sure...we will finish above NUFC next season!
Excited but more towards the way the club is beginning to operate and the new set-up rather than the actual players we are bringing in but thats because I have never heard of them! haha I think some of these guys will be dross but I would home that 75% of our signings this summer will turn out ok especially with the new scouts as I trust their opinion.
It's good that swift action is taken to recruit, however it looks like PDC will end up recruiting around 8 or more players at te current rate. Is this a bit of a gamble? As you say no one has heard of these players... plus PDC has no track record in the prem yet. As we found out in January, to integrate 5 Frenchmen into the side was a bit of a struggle for us in one go. I'd hope they were on low wages otherwise Ellis will be stuck with one big bill if PDC loses the plot and things go tits up.
This is true, but we have lowered the wage bill a fair amount recently, Bramble was on extremely high wages as was Fraizer Campbell and both are no longer with us. If we can get the likes of Elmo, Graham and Vaughan out we will be fine.
i think the behind the schenes is the biggest thing for us. we have a proper scout and hierachy in place. the new director of footbal and scout seem to be exactly what we needed. its ahrd to keep up with all the links and potential deals seem to be coming thick and fast. we also have a few confirmed early doors as we have left it late in seasons gone by.
I'll get excited when we get a couple of quality strikers and a quality midfield playmaker. At the moment PDC is doing little more than surrounding himself with his own players. Loads of time to go but CW, JDW, DG don't seem to be getting any approval from PDC and rumours of being shipped out and need to be replaced with quality. That, imh is where the big money will be spent.
Well you'll enjoy this. In the absence of last day relegation drama, Paolo Di Canio took it upon himself to fill the void. His 24 minute rant was captured on video for all to see, as the Black Cats manager tore through his squad. The passion at the Stadium of Light had dwindled in the final hours of the Martin O'Neill era, but Di Canio brought it back in abundance. Laying bare the problems he believed to be endemic with the club's playing staff, Di Canio was determined to be part of the solution rather than the problem. Dissenters to his new philosophy were to be promptly shown the door. It was a swift turn from the message of comforting positivity that at its height, had seen him credit Craig Gardner's passion following a reckless red card against Stoke City. He promised sweeping changes, and now just weeks after the season has ended they are plentiful on Wearside. - Sunderland interest in Orban confirmed - Di Canio promises attacking football Off the field, the club's technical staff has been given a modern restructuring. New director of football, Roberto De Fanti had been working behind the scenes at the club already for some time, and is understood to have provided a significant push towards hiring Di Canio as manager. A former agent, it is perceived De Fanti's extensive list of contacts will serve the club well in securing deals for players around the world - foreign markets being only briefly touched on by Martin O'Neill in his final transfer window. Underneath De Fanti is chief scout Valentino Angeloni. Serving as a sharp contrast from the previous incumbent of the role, former Sunderland striker Bryan 'Pop' Robson, chief executive Margaret Byrne highlighted both men's strongest asset: "Roberto and Valentino bring with them a wealth of experience, knowledge and football contacts from across Europe and indeed the world and we are delighted to welcome them to Sunderland," she told the club's official website on Monday. Having previously worked with De Fanti, Angeloni's pedigree at Udinese and Inter Milan is likely to have Sunderland fans salivating at the potential the club's dealmakers now have. To date, Alexis Sanchez is considered Angeloni's most prized find, and owner Ellis Short will no doubt be hoping the Italian can draw on his four years of experience in Udine, during which time the club finished in the top four of the league. Keen to dramatically shift the club's transfer policy from premium players, to younger charges with potential to reach that level, Sunderland's first three additions already fit such a strategy. Confirmed on Monday evening, but yet to be handed the token scarf holding ceremony, Swiss midfielder Cabral, and French defenders Valentin Roberge and Modibo Diakite all hail from mainland Europe and give a subtle indication towards the new Sunderland. Aged between 24-years-old and 26-years-old, all three will enter the perceived peak period of a player's career whilst on Wearside. Having previously spoken of the difficulty in changing the attitude of players aged over 27-years-old, expect Di Canio to lean towards youth over experience on the whole. Arriving on free transfers, the parsimonious nature of their acquisition is also an avenue Sunderland have not always maximised. More importantly, the three also indicate the style of football Di Canio is attempting to cultivate with the Black Cats. Although work off the field may seem progressive, Di Canio's ideology is not as congruent with modern footballing trends. In his early moves he has looked to add physicality and strength to the spine of his side. Diakite and Cabral in particular will bolster what during the early throes of Di Canio's reign looked a potentially fragile middle. Competent technicians, Roberge is arguably the best of the trio, but even he is noted more for his strength on the ball and the physical nature of his game. With Alfred N'Diaye citing the immense amount of organisation to Di Canio's training sessions, the Italian's meticulous nature to organisation and shape has been duly noted by all with whom he has worked with in management. A desire to play possession based football has not. Constant derision towards what he calls 'tippy tappy' football is further backed up by his desire to go for athletes over artists in central areas. In September last year he told the Swindon Advertiser: "I am happy when they have a combination because I want to play football but my football is not one, two, three, four, five - moving the ball in a 10-yard space. My football is one, two, three and then boom - change and go through." Those facets carried through to his seven game introductory period of last season. Averaging less than 300 passes per game, and just 38% of the possession (Opta), Di Canio will maintain the style he instilled at Swindon with minor tweaks. Thus he intends to pack the central areas with athletic players while preferring any creativity and supreme technical skill to come from wide areas. Previously linked with Milos Krasic, this week has seen Alessandro Rosina put forth as a potential target. Noted for his desire to use inverted wingers, Matt Ritchie starred at Swindon in the same role. It is another trend he will likely continue after his deployment of Adam Johnson in such a role saw a dramatic upturn in the player's form. Requiring an influx of new faces ahead of the new season, Sunderland's new look side will likely begin to take shape in the coming weeks and months as Di Canio continues to clear those who do not invest in his hard-work mentality. Having vocalised the importance of his coaching staff, in affording him a fluency of operation, it now seems Sunderland are keen to extend that right through the club. The strategy has potential if it is given the time to develop and settle into the rhythm of the Premier League. While the benefit may not become apparent this season or even next, Ellis Short could in years to come be reaping the profits of the day he decided to take huge gamble. http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/espnfcunited/id/6646?cc=4716
Thing you need to remember is these signings aren't really PDC's. Di Fanti unofficially has been working with us since christmas. He met MoN and when he was sacked, it was de fanti who recommended PDC (who passed his coaching badges with record marks). The club is structured completely different. PDC is not top boy, He's under Di Fanti and Short meaning we can now change manager without it effecting the rest of the club. All these changes aren't designed to have us challenging for europe this season and we all know it. It's building the club back with a new modern shape which could take 3 years before we start seeing results. As for signing lots of players. When you've one fit senior CB at the club, JoS then you've got fill the squad out to add depth. It's a needs must situation. Besides I've more faith in how these new lads are going to be trained and prepared compared to your french lads or our own previous squads have been.
I reckon we'll see another 2 to 3 free /low fee signings in, with a couple of bigger buys once the window opens properly. Hopefully one of them will be Rose + a surprise. Bardo and another couple will leave which will free up the wages.
As a Swindon fan Sunderland fans will see a drastic improvement in your team next season under Paolo. The defence will be mean and ok we were a lower league club but when he came in he made our defence the meanest in all the leagues and we went something like 5 months only letting in 1 goal at home and ok the premier league is a different proposition but even so i could see in the couple of games i saw you on tv he had already done work on the defence and with the summer break to work with the players they will be even better. Personally i think Sunderland are going to be the surprise package next season and dare i say it i think you will do what Newcastle did the season before last and end up around 7th or 8th. His coaching staff that he has with him are also very astute and you will see a good style of football as well. He will make the players exceptionally fit and probably one fo the fittest teams in the league and the games will be played at a very high tempo and the workrate from players will need to be exceptional. There will be a downside where he will fall out with a couple of players if they dont give 100% and he wont worry about reputations or who they are which to me is the way to be as alot of players are full of themselves and think their bigger than the club. Next season will be an exciting one for Sunderland and i hope you do well as Paolo is highly thought of by Swindon fans what he did to our club and we were all gutted he left but we all knew he would go on to bigger and better things. Best of luck for next season. Sunderland have become my team to follow in the premier league
