whizzpop

That'll be the same Sunderland team that beat Man City on Boxing day.

For value for money Lundekvam? bought for 400k, played 350plus games? Impact wise toss up between Lambert and Pahars as both changed our fortunes at different periods and levels Profit wise Dean Richards.

Yoshida now looks settled and composed. ramirez returning too has obviously helped the dynamics

Adkins has to go, the team out there tonight should on paper be a top 10 championship side and at least match Leeds not lose 3-0. Something is fundamentally wrong with the planning and the morale.

He's trying to get the media on his side. Much like Ian Holloway has done with his quips at press conference.

quite a few thrashings as well, we lost 4-1 at home to Palace (worst opening game of the season I can remember), 5-0 Hull, 5-0 Sheff Weds.

If it reminds me of any season it is the one of George Burley's last year before Pearson came in, 07-08 season? We were good upfront, very poor at the back, nice passing and players played out of position. Only we don't have Stern John or "Jesus" to save us!

To name but a few Barry Venison, Luis Boa Morte, Agustin Delgado, Jelle VanDamme, Tommy Forecast, Jonathan Forte

Probably George Burley at a push - purely for achieving what he did at Ipswich. Didn't do too badly with Derby or Saints initially (albeit spending 7m) and getting us into trouble. Whereas Pearson still has to manage in the Premier League full time.

Off the top of my head from the 90s Joey Beauchamp, Peter Beagrie, and Darren Barnard all turned us down at the last minute...no real loss in hindsight!

Don't ESPN like us now?

I'd prefer Rafa Benitez if Nigel ever gets sacked this season, I can't see anyone else who'd realistically come in and do a good job if the worst happened.

I've been through enough relegation scraps in the 90s to know that we should be fine, remember the Dave Jones and Stuart Gray eras when we only had one point after 10 games? The only worry is that the morale disappears if we are dragged into a dogfight, and the players start to get itchy feet i.e Gaston or Guly become fed up and homesick (a la Delgado, Van Damme, Mikael Nilson) and aren't prepared to fight for the cause.

Remember Kevin Richardson? sure he played for England as well a few times mid 90s.

Amazed no ones mentioned Stuart Ripley yet?

David Speedie and Kerry Dixon

Michael Owen is still a free man! could it possibly be?

The reporter can't be a football fan, or follows it from a distance..how has this even passed through the sports editor?

Imants Bleidelis, Cosimo Sarli, and Eric Hassli - all awesome in the reserves but that's where it stopped.

Players who made no impact, and no one seems to talk about anymore - Yoann Folly, Zoltan Liptak, Alex Pearce, Jordan Robertson, Youssef Safri, Marcelo Sarmiento and Chris Makin

I don't think he looked as bad as what I thought he would have been, after hearing so many bad things about him. The plus points for me is he failed against a decent striker, and nearly got to the fourth penalty too. When he kicked out of his area it remained inside the pitch, i've seen a lot worse.

My experience of players who have been boo'd in recent years:- Paul Telfer Rory Delap Fabrice Fernandes Brett Ormerod Neil McCann Danny Higginbotham Darren Kenton David Prutton Peter Crouch Mikael Nilsson Andreas Jakobssen Jelle Van Damme Kenwyne Jones Leon Best David McGoldrick Calum Davenport Nigel Quashie Ricardo Fuller Darren Powell Nathan Dyer Kelvin Davis Jermaine Wright Jhon Viafara Chris Makin Bradley Wright Phillips Gregorz Rasiak Youssef Safri Adam Hammill Jason Euell Marek Saganowski Wayne Thomas Tomas Pekhart Ryan Smith Paul Wotton Papa Waigo N'Diaye Michail Antonio Lee Molyeneux Jason Puncheon Jonathan Forte Dany N'Guessan a fair few over the last 10 years or so!

If you take Chelsea for example you don't hear anything from Roman Abramovich, or even their chairman Bruce Buck (i think?) not saying its the model way to conduct business but we're not the only club like that has silent owners. Whereas Wigan on the other hand...i'm sure Liverpool are extremely happy with Dave Whelan announcing Martinez has been offered the job.

I wonder what reception Alan Pardew will get?

I don't see how what I said earlier is utter bollix, He did lay the foundations of the "successful period" which followed in the next 3-4 years. The main hub of the team was Paul Jones, Wayne Bridge, Claus Lundekvam, Jason Dodd, Chris Marsden, Matthew Oakley, James Beattie, Marian Pahars, Jo Tessem. Of which half he signed. And yes perhaps some of the signings didn't work out how they should have i.e. Mark Hughes, David Howells, John Beresford, Stuart Ripley, Scott Marshall, but show me a manager who doesn't sign some iffy ones. What we have to remember is that we didn't have a lot of money to play with back then, and the some signings were shrewd and kept us floating above water such as the Carlton Palmers', David Hirst, Trond Egil Soltvedt. He also got us to 10th which was a big feat at the time, and didn't he win the manager's manager award one year. Although not the best manager we've had he certainly wasn't the worst manager and seemed to tolerate working with Lowe a lot more than the ones who followed and went before.