Thetownend.com

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7463038.stm

"I've applied for numerous jobs and sometimes I haven't even had the courtesy of a reply to my application letter," Barnes told BBC Sport.

"Perhaps I could understand it if I was applying for jobs at the top level but these were clubs in League One."

Oh you muggins Barnes. Sorry chap, but you cannot just walk into management. Try doing what Ince did down at Maccy or someone really shit (Oxford?) before moaning. Too much natter on channel 5 about Prem/World Football  - our lower leagues are pretty strong.

he should stick to rapping!

That's a little bit harsh JFW!

As for the article I saw that last week, and thought of his highly succesful time at Celtic Park.  The bloke deserves nothing management wise, earn your stripes and earn some respect.  Having said that I'd say the same about other ex-player managers.

I am pleased about this because I applied for Chelsea and Swindon jobs last season, and didn't hear back from either club.

It would appear that mine wasn't the only app they binned on receipt.

Carlisle were a club who did reply. They were very courteous and encouraging with their response. They are my second club now.

Didn't Barnes do a really really really crap job at Celtic or something, or am I getting this confused?

yes. He was appalling. Thats why no one will employ him.

Did you not get a reply, fuck me Ben Lambert sent me a long speel of an email.

His application must have been really bad then!

8)

Too big a job too soon!
I hope Incy hasnt jumped up too fast either......

I do.

too soon after doing sterling jobs at Maccy and Franchise? doubt it.

hughes/keane have both stepped straight in at the top level

Mark Hughes is a fair point - but trust me, if Sunderland didn't have a bottomless pit of transfer money Keane would have been booted out by now.

i don't trust you.

keane has done a good job. whats the money to do with it? and are sunderland that rich?

Fair enough.

Living up here in the North East - if I have the money I go and watch Sunderland every now and again (far cheaper than Newcastle), I usually go to Gateshead games though to get my live football fix.

Sunderland fans talk alot, mainly on train stations when they overhear you and want to join in - In my experience, they give Keane credit where it is due (he has done a good job) but their main concern is that last season they had to spend too much money in order to just survive relegation. Many of those players not being quite good enough - Rada Prica has to be one of the most truly awful players I've ever seen.

If their summer signings are duds then Sunderland won't amount to anything but relegation fodder again.

We shall see.

I kind of agree with you, but kinda don't as well. All Keane has done since being given these large sums of money is demonstrate how to spend stupid amounts of money on players that belong in the Championship.

I think the way he has spent is extremely poor, and he's, imo, kept Sunderland up despite spending loads, not because he spent loads. The players he's bought are really quite shit and make him look like a tard of a manager.

To me, Roy Keane is like Gary Johnson at Bristol City - but perhaps a little bit ahead of him.

What I mean is a year ago Roy Keane could do no wrong - the fans faith was a little bit creepy/cult like... but as more and more mediocre players come in the more fans started thinking "We've signed him? Are you serious?"

The same will happen to Johnson this season if they turn into a non-promotion challenging team.

Keane's done what Keane had to do in the first season following promotion. He's built a big enough squad to cope with injuries from the pool of players prepared to come to a club like Sunderland in the frozen north when they're one of the favourites for relegation.

This year he's been able to raise his sights a bit higher in terms of the players he's targeting, and it seems like he's having some success persuading players of better quality that a move to Sunderland isn't that's only worth condsidering to avoid the consequences of major tectonic shifts.

It's the Bolton / Wigan model. Take what you've got in the first season. Add more bodies of similar quality, and if you can get in a goalscorer. Stay up by fighting hard and running more than the opposition. Then add some quality in the subsequent seasons.

It's kind of the only way to do it. REALLY decent players won't touch a club like Sunderland first season out.

Lumps is right. Keane only signed a bunch of Championship players last season because no-one better would join them due to their nemly promoted status and location.

He's now signing proven mediocre premiership players because he can.

Agree with Lumps. Keane's remit would have been to secure Prem status, and he did that. When I checked the final table they were surprisingly far from a relegation dog fight too, which I'd bet they feared.

Add to this the signing of Diouf (tosser but good) and Chimbonda (one of my favourite Prem players) and things are looking better. Then the potential moves of Kaboul (dodgy but only 23) and Malbranque (quality) and it looks a much better squad. Plus he has the masterful Dean Whitehead (ex-Oxford) at his disposal, a man once applauded by Gianfranco Zola for his Cudicini-beating-free-kick from 30-yards at the age of 20 [sorry].

Rich Pullen your location, casual support and supporter opinion (pah!) do not convince me.

Why the fuck do you like chimbonda OF? 

Seems a right cunt to me

he seems a happy-go-lucky nice chap to me.

that and his style of play. and blackness.

(Casual support? Nope)

Again, fair enough - it's your opinion... But you leave me no choice but to challenge you to a Star Trek style duel to the death (cue dramatic music)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/STAmokTime.jpg

fair enough. however, as i've never seen Star Trek, i shall default to Bruce Lee

http://www.sethskim.com/pics/Bruce%20Lee%202.jpg

wootaaaaah! spok goes down

But what's this, that's not Spock... It's, it's, it's the former Dominican baseball outfielder Jesús Alou,

http://www.checkoutmycards.com/CardImages/Cards/023/528/02F.jpg

<Kerpow baseball noises of pain>

I and many others might be offended by your post!!!

Possibly, it might be a cartoon character too - I'm sure Trey Parker and Matt Stone will add you to the people that they have offended list - if they have a list of people that they have offended, that is.

EDITED

Might be Offended and Hate are completely different?

Duly noted... edit that to offended.

South park is ace.

Steeeve Perry