Howay

This is the thing like, also if they're so MASSIVE why do they have our reserve goalie as their first choice keeper?

Put Wigan in that league and they'd win it with their team, honestly man it's like claiming league two titles and johnstones paint trophys as achievements.

Can Ba even move during this window? he was still playing for Hoffenheim a year ago as of today and iirc you can't play for more than 3 clubs in a year. He moved to West Ham on January 28th so maybe that's the only time he could move? I don't see him going this window, more worried about the summer.

If he wastes loads of chances and he has scored 37 in 65 games, how many chances are one of the worst sides in the Bundesliga creating for him like?! Even if the mackem has seen this lad's every match his opinion is as flimsy as any football fan's. Aye I thought the same he claims he's watched every game but he was talking as if they were flying high . The second point is key like if this lad was so knowledgeable why are Sunderland not paying him to scout for them, doesn't stop the mackems lapping it up like. I've never seen the lad play myself and the stats, while impressive, guarantee fuck all. But I'm very much looking forward to seeing him play for us and the meltdown over the water over his signing has already paid back some of the fee. Can you imagine a similar reaction by Newcastle fans if he'd gone to Sunderland? What a bunch of fucking idiots. Aye I agree the stats, although good, don't mean he'll be a success. I trust our scout team enough to be excited by this, agreed that their reaction is absolutely mental I posted a link in another thread to them having a thread all about 'let's find targets that knocked them back for us' and included Gardener (I'd never heard us linked to him) and Larsson (who I thought we'd give up on when Birmingham pulled the deal the window before). Either way I don't understand why that matters to them I guess they're back to looking for other things to pick at us over as the few year blip of them finishing above us is (hopefully) over.

If he wastes loads of chances and he has scored 37 in 65 games, how many chances are one of the worst sides in the Bundesliga creating for him like?! Even if the mackem has seen this lad's every match his opinion is as flimsy as any football fan's. Aye I thought the same he claims he's watched every game but he was talking as if they were flying high . The second point is key like if this lad was so knowledgeable why are Sunderland not paying him to scout for them, doesn't stop the mackems lapping it up like.

The mackem that reckoned he wasted loads of chances posted something showing he has 9 goals from 60 shots, sounds like he's not too good at analyzing players tbh as a goal every 6ish shots is a good return for comparison David Villa has 18 goals from 121 shots over all the games he played this season (cup and league) and I wouldn't say Villa lacked composure. Seems like a lad just trying to look knowledgeable to me.

Agree with that, good post.

It's was over 100 years ago. Long before subs were used. I think we won the league that season and Sunderland lost 8-1 to Burnley or someone like that in the same year. If that doesn't sum those fuckers up A mackem I know used this as his defence after BOTH the 4-1 at the stadium of shite and the 5-1 from last season his fucking granda wasn't even born when they beat us 9-1 the daft bastard, just ask them the scorers there's nee comeback. This one is really cringeworthy http://www.readytogo...ad.php?t=664917 a whole thread looking for people that they think snubbed us for them, oh dear. If we ever went head to head for a player and were willing to offer the same wages and transfer fee the player would choose us over them guaranteed.

Divvent let the facts get in the way of a good yarn man.

Sorry for the mental post but it's good to finally be able to look a bit more positively at things (not in your camp just yet CT but I'm more understanding) and be excited for our future once again as it's been quite a while since I was. The camps have all been flattened. We are now just one big happy family. Team Carpe Diem tbf Aye it's there or there about.

Seen him play a few times in the Bundesliga. Still think Ba is a slighly better instinctive finisher, but Cisse has quicker movement (and pace) and more 'shit your pants' for opp defences. Very good player. Very good. Not erratic either like some African imports. He's a bit like Demba in that he seem confident and 'happy go lucky'. When these two play together some sides are gonna get caned at SJP....And not gentle like last time. Look forward to the two Demba's ripping O'shea and Brown a new one in SJP!

Because its a relegation clause. Aye this is what I reckon it is in all, it seems he likes to include a relegation release clause and Ashley wouldn't have let him go for free if we went down so made sure there was a sum attached.

Very encouraging that he put Ben Arfa in with Cabaye and Demba!

Good post this, exactly what I was saying to my mate in all. I think Mike is a gambler and has seen the great start we've had and the position we're in, particularly with the poor form of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, now he's seeing a good shot at a European spot with improvements to the team and he's pulled the trigger. We've got a talented young side capable of scoring against anyone as well as closing games out (Man Utd away was a defensive masterclass), I'll always be a bit wary of Mike as you and I have both (I'm sure others have too) stated that no one knows this blokes aims and goals for the club and that will always make people wary of his intentions. IF we sign Aly Cissokho (I don't think we will) our first 11 would be - Krul, Santon, Taylor (ana), Colo, Cissokho, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Cabaye, Jonas, Cisse, Ba, without injuries that's a top 6 side imo I honestly believe that side on paper is better than Liverpool's. We lose out to the 'top' sides because of our depth but again this is the gambler side in Ashley wanting to hit the highs without having much besides youth as cover, which allows us to have a good first 11 and then have back-ups that wont cost much as opposed to say Chelsea who's back-ups are on more money than our 1st teamers. I'm not 'won over' by Ashley but, this is where I apologise to lads like Chez, the guy has been ruthless and smart in his transfer movements recently. I was worried when we lost Enrique, Barton and Nolan (I now don't blame him after hearing all the articles about how they were trying to basically run the team and demand things) but he had no choice with Enrique and to be honest with hindsight the Carroll deal was genius, the team we have now would embarrass the team we had in our 1st season up and whether he's looking to 'cash in' or not doesn't matter if we keep bringing in these very good transfers (I know it's tough to keep finding the Tiote's but he's done it so far which one of us when Enrique went for £5m thought he'd take the £5m and get a player who really isn't too far behind him). It's good to see the team 'buying smart' for instance as much of a wankfest the scousers have over Suarez we have brought in Cisse, Ba, Cabaye, Tiote and Santon for around the same £23m fee (not to mention the comparison we could make with Carroll ). Now I'm still in the camp of sceptics with Ant and Stevie that I worry about this blokes actual intentions but as we keep progressing I'm more and more at ease, we've all said we needed a striker before Carroll went and when he left we wanted two, now we've got two (who,like Stevie says, are a big improvement on Carroll) aye it took a year to get them both but this is Businessman Ashley not wanting to pay over the odds and he's bided his time and when the players his staff have told him they want have come available at a good price he's pulled the trigger. Overall we maybe have 'rode out luck' at times and got lucky with situations (i.e. Ba's release clause from West Ham and Freiburg capitulating) but it's what you need sometimes, it's obvious he trusts Pardew more than any manager we've had under him previously which can only be a good thing. As Alex mentioned earlier the guy has obviously learnt and changed tact from when we had the Wise etc debacles and if the Dekka quotes from a few day ago are true about how they see the Wise, Vetre etc appointments as massive mistakes this is further progress tbh. Sorry for the mental post but it's good to finally be able to look a bit more positively at things (not in your camp just yet CT but I'm more understanding) and be excited for our future once again as it's been quite a while since I was. (p.s this whole post is null and void if we sell Tiote and Colo as the window shuts )

Gerrin, chuffed about this like.

what? I don't understand how this is confusing people, he's actually at the training ground and we've agreed a fee of around £10m it doesn't matter 'what he's worth'.

poor lads, 12 threads on their first page relating to us in some way I just sent one into overdrive on facebook when I told him Gyan has a similar strike rate at Sunderland to Best's Newcastle record.

Tbh they can all fuck off, they were wanking like mad when they signed Gyan and his strike rate isn't even comparable to this lads. If we get this lad on board and keep all our players we're a good team, I'll be watching Senegal's match to see how the two of them link up.

Post of the decade that, sums them lot up brilliantly. Can just see him fully clothed in the fetal position in his shower muttering how he just wants to be better than us. They're all convinced he's shit because this mug's piped up now, the lad's scored 9 in 14 this season for the 18th placed team in Germany, he can't have missed that many chances man Also the German league is probably the closest to ours in terms of physicality and the lad looks canny well built and is at least 6' tall. I'm fairly confident our scouting team know more than this idiot but the mackems seem to be lapping his shit up.

He's flown from Africa to meet us and he's probably had Ba in his ear for the past week, no chance we'll lose him now that'd be like turning down Man utd for Oldham.

Cheer up. Look on the positive side, if something it happens, it happens. No point worrying about speculation in your mind. Aye agreed fuck the negativity for once, the fact is we've signed a very good player for £10m and at this moment haven't sold anyone we can moan if they sell but at the minute lets be happy. None of us are sure of this blokes intentions many, myself included, see him as a bloke who just wants to get money from us but let's be honest nolan and Barton were being cunts, carroll money was mental and Enrique wasn't signing a new deal. Still very unsure of the man but at the moment I'm on cloud 9, speaking of which I wonder if Cisse is getting number 9.

Very interested to watch Senegal now and see how the two Demba's link up!

Very exciting this if it comes off, good strike rate in what is (imo) a very competitive league. Him and Ba getting supplied by Ben Arfa and Cabaye would be something to watch like.

Aye Ryder's a fucking mug, we'd have some defence if this come off but like you and Ant have said it does have a Gervinho feel about it.

That'll explain it, it did seem extremely odd for someone to be so into a very average player.