lenred

Generally I’d say these were extremely knee jerk posters who didn’t / wouldn’t understand the plight of the club despite it being spelled out to them. With LJ most people gave him a fair crack I’d say (of course there were always the ones who hated the appointment from the start given his perceived past in some quarters) but after a couple of seasons of the bluff and bluster and the tombola, and the throwing players under the bus and lack of personal responsibility, people started to tire of him. Then the further it went on the more toxic it became. He should’ve gone well before he did and imho he was very lucky to get such a huge job as Sunderland, but he was never ever going to be afforded anywhere near the time he was here.

Did he really? Wow, that’s incredible. I’m sure there must’ve been context to it as I can’t imagine him saying that seriously tbf? I’d hope so anyway.

Surely his dad and his uncle were his mentors? In his eyes at least? Not officially of course but I’d imagine that’s what his answer may be if asked (along with direct lines to Pep etc!)

They signed Carvalho for around the same amount so guess it’s feasible at least. Obviously it was a different time finances wise when they paid that though but guessing there won’t be too many questions if / when it happens.

Yep 4 games more than second place and two more than first.

I’d imagine anyone getting them up would get treated pretty well up there, even if it’s more expected than at most other places. They are absolutely desperate to get out of League 1.

Would his drive / ambition / ego whatever allow him to be a coach? I’m not so sure. Maybe if it was for one of the very best perhaps but they generally have their own right hand guys.

I’ve not seen much of them this year but I’ve been shocked at how poor they’ve been. And now it looks like they’ve lost Grabban for a good while possibly as well having let Taylor go. No way they are top 6 like you say.

Yep, that’s exactly what I thought as well; ‘didn’t want it released’ ‘part of the family’ ‘very much in love’. Any right minded father surely wouldn’t be saying those things to anyone, let alone releasing a statement to the nation about it. Really odd.

Really really strange. Like you say I’d be preoccupied trying to get MG filled in as opposed worrying about statements if it was my girl!

And nearly again! Shocking.

Fish finger sandwiches

Uneasy feeling wanting Forest to win!

Evidently not helping matters!

How does Rooney look so so old? He’s 36 going on 56!

Just returned from yonks out and has now done himself again in scoring. Hell of a finish mind.

Yep. Incredibly sickening and disturbing to listen to. Strangeways beckons.

Hate is a very very strong word and certainly not one Id use with LJ at all. But I find it really hard to separate him and Ashton as a joint tenure at our club. A time when, bar a nice run in the 3rd rate cup, we had very little to shout about, played some absolutely dire football a lot of the time and spent so much money that we now are having to rebuild with the odd free transfer here and lower league signing there. I loved that we employed him at the start it was a really progressive and positive step imho and gave him a couple of years to work it through, but in the end he was given too much time imho. Time and the accompanying money wasted, that could’ve been spent much more wisely possibly by a new and better manager and of course it can be said that’s SL’s fault as well that he kept him on too long…. That he kept us up given the money he had isn’t really an achievement in my eyes. SL funded him like no other manager before and it was wasted in the main. I’m just glad that era is over. And in terms of what he’s doing now, I’m interested to see if he builds something at Sunderland without MA, or whether he is, as I suspect, a league 1 manager at best. Given his time here I don’t think it’s a problem to discuss it - as long as it’s in a non hateful way of course, and I wish him no ill at all. It would make a great occasion to be playing Sunderland next year if he makes it!

Fair enough, but I think such divisive figures as LJ and Ashton, rightly or wrongly, will attract attention and debate for a good while to come and I suppose when they hit a bad patch that attention will be heightened. Don’t see it as a problem myself but get your POV.

Does anyone we talk about on OTIB have any idea that we exist? It’s a forum no? No one expects the subjects we debate to actually pay any attention to what we discuss surely?

I’d quit worrying about us if I were you and turn your attentions back home. We’re absolutely fine ta ??

Yeah I think that’s a fair assessment. But my god give me that in comparison to where we have been over the last couple of years and more and the young players are coming on leaps and bounds . If we can build that defence then we really can start to look upwards.

Brilliant ??????

How on any planet am I obsessed with you ‘mate’?

He’s been fantastic. He’s cocked up big time here but he’s been one of the finds of the season. Let’s not go massively overboard on him for a mistake. Plenty have been made and plenty will continue to be made for the foreseeable. But we’re building