Are Sunderland Really In Crisis?

Peter Reid: "Believe it or not, I do have a mobile telephone, and I know how to use it".

My season ticket holding mate described the situation as "as bad as when we had that muppet managing us" I can't remember the name of the feller, Malcolm something I think.

I don't think it's particularly Reid's fault, the players just look inept at the moment.

yes, i think they are. the fact that has gone on for such a long time really accentuates it. for the gates they get they shouldn't be where they are. theres 2 ways of looking at it,

1) they were out of the top flight when reid got there, compared to that they're in a better position ie compare to wolves etc.

2) that was a long time ago, the progress has halted, and the danger of becoming a club going backwards is, well, its already here isn't it? sunderland should be on a par with leeds really

yea, but chris, its more than a bad patch isn't it? what west ham are going through is a bad patch, sunderlands problems look deep seated, and don't seem to have been addressed for too long. complacency when they were riding high blinding to underlying problems?

I guess the nub of the question is "what qualifies as a crisis" in football terms. Sunderland aren't in the sort of crisis that some clubs are - Derby maybe, or Bradford, or Leicester, which is to say that they don't look close to going out of business.

Derby's and Leicester's crises seem closely related to their relegation, though, and Sunderland's team doesnt' look terribly good to me. I'm not sure they have many 'underlying problems' aside from their squad being a bit weak; maybe you know better Gareth?

I get the feeling that they're caught in a difficult position where they're trying to sign top-class individuals, but those players don't want to go to Sunderland. Middlesbrough got around this problem (I think) by paying top dollar on wages. It might well be madness for Sunderland to try the same thing, but do they have an alternative?

it's the strike force isn't it really? I mean, Quinny can still do his part but he's carrying all those injuries. Whereas Phillips seems to have completely gone to pieces, which is a shame. All the others brought in have been a waste of time (other than McAteer, who has been consistent I think) especially Laslandes. This is the place where Reid maybe has slipped up. Whop was that South American he signed? Milton Nunez or summat, whatever happened to him?

Malcolm Crosbie, Chris. He did get them to a cup final though.

Yes, they're in trouble. No quality at the back. Little skill in midfield (Reyna poss best player here, but seems out of form). Up front I suspect Phillips will never score as regularly as he once did - Stewart isn't a Prem. player and Flo is an oddity - skilful but too slow and not tough enough for the kind of dogfights Sunderland will be in from now on.

I think West Ham will pull clear, although may need to lose Roeder to do so.

This years relegation candidates Everton, Bolton, Sunderland, Southampton, WBA. Outsider Charlton. Birmingham have bought wisely enough to (just)stay up this time.

That's the feller, he did indeed get them to a cup final but after that he fell right out of favour with the fans that I know. And he did look like a muppet.

No quality at the back? I must admit I rate Bjorklund, mind you he's prolly being dragged down by the others.

hmmm, relegation, Sunderland, Bolton and West Brom.

Who would take over at the Hammers if Roeder went, you know that DiCanio would want it, and that would be an absolute disaster.

"This years relegation candidates Everton, Bolton, Sunderland, Southampton, WBA. Outsider Charlton. Birmingham have bought wisely enough to (just)stay up this time."

What about the Villa? They've been looking well dodgy recently. I can certainly see them finishing below Southampton and Everton.

YEah Cabbage I think the strikeforce is the area they're alright in. They may not be scoring as much but then they can't work miracles. Phillips has been good but in the absence of a fit Quinn it's that much easier to restrict his chances and yes, he hasn't been on the same kind of electric form.

But perm two central midfielders from these:

M Piper; G McCann; J Arca; S Thornton; T Butler; J McAteer; P Thirlwell; C Reyna

and two centre halves from these:

J Craddock; J Bjorklund; P Babb; E Thome

The spine of the team is decidedly weak.

sunderland are not in the position of derby or leicester true, but they're on that slope downwards, somewhere along the line progress stopped bein made

i would be very surprised indeed if west ham don't pull clear. and i don't think charlton or southampton will be relegated

Hey Dr C did you enjoy "Football Story"?

you'd have to put McAteer on the wing surely?

Arca has potential but is fitful (oopos that word again but maybe it sums them up perfectly?) and what happened to Reyna?

Do you remember whenb Jody Craddock was a fringe England player? or was that McCann?

One of those players has a league winners medal from last year too.

But I agree, they just aren't providing any bullets for the strikers, but then none of their strikers are the sort of forward who really goes looking for the ball in midfield are they? That could be what they need.

McAteer on the wing? Sure (or the bench, for me) but he has played in the middle and I like to be fair...

My point is not that these are all bad players (any one of them could come and play for my lot anytime if they fanciued a salary drop) but that the spine of the team has a kind of patchy feel to it. Haha they're missing Rae.

what happened to Rae, did he move to Scotland? or the Priory?

Rae = Wolves, I think.
Tim - haven't listened yet, sorry.
Chris - it was McCann. I think he got a cap.
West Ham post-Roeder? Curbishley? Old WH boy and can't do more at The Valley. George Graham?

that was it, for Rae and McCann.

I honestly can't see Curbs going to West Ham, not after all the hubbub about it before Roeder joined. I think there'd have to be a big falling out at Charlton.

Graham however, that might be a possibility, mind you, my Hammer supporting mate said he'd never go back to the Boleyn if Graham joined them.

Rae appears to have scored 3 already this season.

Dr. C: don't worry! It wasn't a test!

I reckon Southampton could end up bottom. Anyone else agree?

They can't score - Beattie's hot run was ages ago, Pahars is a good player, but lightweight, Delgado a perma-injured disaster, Ormerod untried. I do think they have some guts - the Svennsons are decent players as is Marsden - but I can't see them winning many.

If not them, what about Everton? How will they stop leaking goals?

*But perm 2 central midfielders*

Those were the days. Are they back again?

I don't think Sunderland look so bad, in theory. It's turning some decent and good players into a good team that doesn't seem to be happening these days. Bjorklund and Thome behind McCann (yes, one cap) and Reyna isn't as weak as WBA, Birmingham, Bolton, Southampton, Charlton, I'd have thought, and where do any of those teams have a goalscorer with a record anywhere near Kevin Phillips? And, crucially, they have bought an ex-Bristol Rovers striker in Marcus Stewart - they're proliferating up there these days, with Jason Roberts at WBA and Barry Hayles at Fulham. I don't see West Brom or Birmingham surviving, and I think Bolton might be the third. I'm not optimistic about Southampton really, but I so enjoy Strachan's interviews that I really hope they survive.

Saturday turned things around a bit. Haven't seen any of the action yet though. And who remembered David Bellion?

re: I reckon Southampton could end up bottom. Anyone else agree?

I have a dream May 2003, Pompey for Promotion, Scummers for Relegation.

Harry R achieved promotion 92/93 with West Ham and Strachen has a track record of taking a club down - both know what they are doing !

Southampton are contenders for the drop, and Portsmouth are notching up the points well, so it certainly could happen.

I think Sunderland might be in crisis.

their transfer strategy is odd; what's the point in rejecting bids for reyna, phillips and mccann

Let's hope so!

Chip, I guess they think the bids are too low, and they can get better ones. I don't know if they're right, but I've heard nothing above £1.5m for Phillips, so they might well get better than that.

Over 3 years on, I think they could be getting into crisis again.

Maybe David Boyle needs to advise on the running of the club.

Crikey. Mick McCarthy speaks after another defeat, vs Birmingham:

"Looked like two rubbish teams playing rubbish football... I apologize to everyone ... If you can't pass the ball 20 yards to a red and white shirt, you shouldn't be playing in the League... we don't look like Premier League players... that was a dreadful performance".

Feels like he might just chuck it in! But no, that's not his style.

perhaps mccarthy needs a bit of steel in the middle of the park

maybe he will attempt to sign keane. or maybe he will shy away from such a thing