John Barnes wants to manage

[Barry Scott]

if Sunderland didn't have a bottomless pit of transfer money Keane would have been booted out by now.

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.

[Rich Pullen]

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.

[Lumps]

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.

[Colin Todd]

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.

[oxford_fan]

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.

[Colin Todd]

Why the fuck do you like chimbonda OF? 

Seems a right cunt to me

[oxford_fan]

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

that and his style of play. and blackness.

[Rich Pullen]

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

(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

[oxford_fan]

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

[Rich Pullen]

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>

[dell boy]

But what's this, that's not Spock... It's, it's, it's JESUS

http://www.yorkshiresoul.org/south%20park%20jesus.jpg

<Holy choir noises of pain>

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

[Rich Pullen]

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

[dell boy]

Possibly, it might be a cartoon character too - I'm sure Trey Parker and Matt Stone will add you to the people that hate them list.

Might be Offended and Hate are completely different?

[Rich Pullen]

Maybe Offended and Hate or completely different aren't they?

Duly noted... edit that to offended.

[flammableBen]

South park is ace.