Sunderland Match Thread (17th October 2009)

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

Our current plight is partly down to Rafa. He's fucking wasted millions on assembling fucking shite summer after summer, only to sell them on the following season. Everyone knows without Gerrard and Torres, we're fucking rank.

 

After saying all that, we were so close last season. If he would have been given some money this summer, I'm sure he would have brought in at least two quality attacking players.

 

Lets face it. The majority of our squad are fucking bottling useless gutless cunts.

[Red Nick]

It isn't worth it Coop. I wouldn't bother if I were you. The knives are out, and they've got some momentum going. They can barely wait to dance on Benitez's grave, but I think they won't find it so funny if he is replaced.

 

If its aimed at me its a little unfair.

 

I am pointing out some of Rafa's glaring mistakes this close season but much worse the close season before this one.

 

However I have also pointed out that the rug has been pulled from underneath him and its not Rafa's fault that Carra has ceased to be one of the best CB in the PL. COOP goes on about it being the same team minus Alonso from last season but in reality its minus Carra as well which has been a huge blow to the team

 

I am trying to be objective about the whole situation.

[coop]

It isn't worth it Coop. I wouldn't bother if I were you. The knives are out, and they've got some momentum going. They can barely wait to dance on Benitez's grave, but I think they won't find it so funny if he is replaced.

 

Your right mate it is like pissing in bed awake but im not prepared to come on here and just allow one side of the arguement to be told.

 

We had no choice in the matter regards signing a midfielder and a right back so to say Rafa should have signed say for instance a striker or winger is crazy.

 

Would people have been happy going into the new season with Degen as the first choice right back with probably Kelly or Darby as his backup.

 

Alonso had made it clear he was going as did Arbeloa and we had to replace them.

 

For a while now we have had the calls for Spearing to be in the team and Rafa's a cunt for not playing him so today Rafa does give Jay a chance and the lad was poor but its still Rafa's fault for playing the midfield he did.

 

If the players today had not trotted around feeling sorry for themselves then maybe we woud have got something out of the game but to say shite like we are the weakest in the top half and Rafa is a cunt for a performance like that is just complete bollocks.

[Michael]

If you compare our squad to the scum, who were missing Rooney and Vidic today you will see the difference

 

United without Rooney, Vidic, Ronaldo and Tevez

 

----------Van der sar------------

Brown--Ferdinand----Evans--Evra

--------Fletcher--Carrick-------

Valencia------Scholes-------Giggs

-------------Berbatov-----------

 

Us without Torres,Carragher,Gerrard and Keane

--------------Reina--------------

Johnson--Agger----Skrtel--Aurelio

---------Mascherano--Lucas-----

-Babel------Benayoun------Riera-

---------------Kuyt-------------

 

That say it all does it not?

 

... And I blame the yanks not Rafa!

[JMARKH]

We need to win next week, if Torres and Gerrard are struggling for fitness I think we should leave them out of Lyon game. If we go out the champions league early the yanks only have themselves to blame, most clubs have invested this summer why we stood still, it is no surprise we are struggling. Rafa is not faultless by no means but the real problem was the pathetic funds he was handed in the summer. We had a good platform to build on but they fucked it up.

[Megadrive Man]

He didnt have to spend the money on a player who was gong to miss 30% of the PL season

 

However he chose not to

 

At the time of his signing, Rafa was asked if it was a risk signing an injured player who would miss the first 2 months of the season, and he responded by saying something along the lines of the season is 10 months long not 2, can't remember exactly how he put it.

 

Surely he must have realised by now that the team needs to be ready from day one, otherwise you falll behind the rest?

[Red Nick]

Lucas should have been shipped out well over a year ago. It's really sad that when one of our star central midfielders moves on, all we had to fill in the gap was this guy.

 

You don't have to be a fucking mastermind scout to see he isn't good enough.

 

Also why the fuck is Babel still here? He was mistake and a panic buy and yet Rafa hasn't moved him on. The squad is beginning to resemble the dark days of Houllier. Spineless.

 

If we lose next weekend the wheel could come off and we could be back to where we started from in 2004

[Red-Ed]

This reaction if fairly typical.

 

At the end of the day as someone said - it's the same squad as last season with one of the best midfielders and strikers in the world out injured. Our defensive midfielder worn out from the stressful qualification that his country have gone through.

 

Sunderland should have beaten the mancs last week and are a decent team.

 

We have some poor games, but we haven't become a poor side over night and whoever said we had one of the weakest squads in the top half of the table clearly has no footballing knowledge whatsoever! Talk about knee jerk.

[liverpoolsno9]

I have backed rafa 110%.....................but, today, without our best 2 forwards, we change the shape, bringing ANOTHER defender in.He went for a draw today. Why did he wait so long to make a change when Spearing was clearly struggling. Would Mash have been rested if we were playing any of the big 3? He went for a draw today and got shit on, really annoyed with him today and his negativity.

[Kevin D]

Stupid post. I'm just about as big a Rafa fan as they come, but of course he is severely testing the patience of the fans when five years into his tenure we are performing like that.

 

If we weren't disappointed and angry now, there'd be something wrong at a club where first is first and second is nothing.

 

There were about 6 massive tactical errors today, which is inexcuseable for a top level manager. That's not even mentioning that there was no evidence of us even being a premiership team today. I can't believe how effortlessly Sunderland dragged us down to their level.

[RobbieOR]

We need to win next week, if Torres and Gerrard are struggling for fitness I think we should leave them out of Lyon game. If we go out the champions league early the yanks only have themselves to blame, most clubs have invested this summer why we stood still, it is no surprise we are struggling. Rafa is not faultless by no means but the real problem was the pathetic funds he was handed in the summer. We had a good platform to build on but they fucked it up.

 

Erm, we spent more than Chelsea and the mancs.

[Red Nick]

Your right mate it is like pissing in bed awake but im not prepared to come on here and just allow one side of the arguement to be told.

 

We had no choice in the matter regards signing a midfielder and a right back so to say Rafa should have signed say for instance a striker or winger is crazy.

 

Would people have been happy going into the new season with Degen as the first choice right back with probably Kelly or Darby as his backup.

 

Alonso had made it clear he was going as did Arbeloa and we had to replace them.

 

For a while now we have had the calls for Spearing to be in the team and Rafa's a cunt for not playing him so today Rafa does give Jay a chance and the lad was poor but its still Rafa's fault for playing the midfield he did.

 

If the players today had not trotted around feeling sorry for themselves then maybe we woud have got something out of the game but to say shite like we are the weakest in the top half and Rafa is a cunt for a performance like that is just complete bollocks.

 

He could have kept Arbeloa for the last year of his contract and he could have chosen not to replace Alonso especially as he rates Lucas so highly.

 

He chose not to

 

FWIW I think Johnson has been the star of the season so far and a brilliant signing

[rebel23]

if I was Benitez i'd rush Aquilani back for the mancs, he originally said 8 weeks, we're well over that now.

[Red Nick]

There were about 6 massive tactical errors today, which is inexcuseable for a top level manager. That's not even mentioning that there was no evidence of us even being a premiership team today. I can't believe how effortlessly Sunderland dragged us down to their level.

I also really wonder if Rafa really gives a shit

 

Maybe he wants to be sacked and paid off

 

I reckon his agent is already looking for another club for him

 

The Owners fucked Rafa and the fans over in the summer and like Valencia its not something you do with Rafa

[Red Mist]

Disagree there.

 

This same team minus Alonso finished second last season and do not suddenly become shite overnight.

Unfortunately our squad isn't packed with world class players. Torres and Gerrard aside, Alonso was our only other world class player so when we replace him in the team with substandard rubbish like Lucas, the difference is enormous. So losing a single world class player and not adequately replacing him makes all the difference from challenging for the title (like we did last season) and not challenging at all (as we are doing, this season).

[23_Carra_Gold]

Erm, we spent more than Chelsea and the mancs.

 

We spent nothing this summer Robbie.

 

We lost Alonso and replaced him with the injured Aquilani. Lost Bob and replaced him with the superior Glen Johnson.

[JMARKH]

Erm, we spent more than Chelsea and the mancs.

 

I don't care about that, for the money we received we didn't spend enough, Ambramovich has ploughed millions assembling the Chelsea squad and I don't recall them selling anyone to finance transfers, United don't do it either.

[Michael]

He could have kept Arbeloa for the last year of his contract and he could have chosen not to replace Alonso especially as he rates Lucas so highly.

 

He chose not to

 

FWIW I think Johnson has been the star of the season so far and a brilliant signing

 

 

Seconded! GJ tried as the only one taking on the sunderland's defence and won us a few corners. We were shite today... full stop!

[Red Nick]

This reaction if fairly typical.

 

At the end of the day as someone said - it's the same squad as last season with one of the best midfielders and strikers in the world out injured. Our defensive midfielder worn out from the stressful qualification that his country have gone through.

 

Sunderland should have beaten the mancs last week and are a decent team.

 

We have some poor games, but we haven't become a poor side over night and whoever said we had one of the weakest squads in the top half of the table clearly has no footballing knowledge whatsoever! Talk about knee jerk.

 

We have lost 4 games this season

[Unrighteous]

if I was Benitez i'd rush Aquilani back for the mancs, he originally said 8 weeks, we're well over that now.

 

Why bother? We just need to finish fourth now. Losing 3 more points to the Mancs beats losing 12 more points to decent sides because we had to start fucking Lucas more.

[coop]

He could have kept Arbeloa for the last year of his contract and he could have chosen not to replace Alonso especially as he rates Lucas so highly.

 

He chose not to

 

FWIW I think Johnson has been the star of the season so far and a brilliant signing

 

He needed to sell Arbeloa mate as he wanted to superior Johnson and also we can not afford to lose out on the cash Arbeloa made us.

 

Replacing Alonso with Aquilani so far is what costing us as its meant we have had to rely on Lucas and Mascherano in midfield and thats not going to be good enough even over a short period of time.

[Michael]

He needed to sell Arbeloa mate as he wanted to superior Johnson and also we can not afford to lose out on the cash Arbeloa made us.

 

Replacing Alonso with Aquilani so far is what costing us as its meant we have had to rely on Lucas and Mascherano in midfield and thats not going to be good enough even over a short period of time.

 

 

But but... what happened to those 20 mill we usually have every summer? With the money Rafa brought in (40mill) plus 20 mill he would have got his main targets.

[Anubis]

If its aimed at me its a little unfair.

 

It wasn't aimed at you specifically Nick.

[Megadrive Man]

if I was Benitez i'd rush Aquilani back for the mancs, he originally said 8 weeks, we're well over that now.

 

is it really a good idea to rush back an injury prone player, that hasn't played for 6 months, in a game that will make or break our league campaign?

[Unrighteous]

is it really a good idea to rush back an injury prone player, that hasn't played for 6 months, in a game that will make or break our league campaign?

 

What league campaign?