Ji Dong-Won @ Sunderland A.F.C./Augsburg 2012-2013 [R]

Hopefully he'll start against newly promoted Reading on the 25th and score a hattrick

Edit: Hodori i just read your post on the KSY thread, so JDW won't be participating in the game vs Reading?

http://www.goal.com/kr/news/148/england/2012/08/16/3310237/선덜랜드-사아-계약지동원과-경쟁-예고?source=breakingnews

Sunderland after Saha? Good grief....

Any other sources than Goal.com?

Not really surprised. Gyan and Bendtner are now gone. Now who else does Sunderland have at Forward other than Ji and another dude? Not too much depth I believe.

Ji, Campbell, Wickham. You could count Noble from their youth team too i guess.

I recall Martin O'Neill throwing a lot of minutes Wickham's way. I never understood why. Both are young prospects with very similar skill sets. Political football if I've ever seen it... that and Ji was brought over by Steve Bruce. If Ji pans out, I'm thinking it would be to Bruce's credit, not necessarily towards O'Neill.

Saha to Sunderland is an old recycled story. Their main target is Fletcher.

Besides, Saha would be a terrible acquisition for Sunderland. He can't play more than 15 matches per season without breaking down. Saha should really cash out w/ oil money in the desert.

Wickham is Bruce's acquisition as well. MON likes his Carews and his Heskeys. Wickham just fits the description of MON's archetypal target man better I guess. Whatever...

I think O'Neill started by favouring Wickham,but IIRC, he started to give JDW more minutes towards the end of the season.

I think there's fire to all the smoke of wickham rumors. Even if he's mons type of striker, I don't get the feeling he rates him... It's not his buy after all

Sunderland are signing Saha... Unless he fails his medical, which is quite possible.

http://twitter.com/louissaha08

louis saha ‏@louissaha08
I'm on my way to discuss with Sunderland.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...s-sunderland-sign-louis-saha-on-one-year-deal
It's official. Saha signs for Sunderland. Bad news for JDW. Unless they switch to a two striker system, this may be a repeat of last season.

Saha is 34 and is always hurt. Why so worried?

+1

This is the best scenario. Clearly a one year deal, this is not an investment for the future. Its a stop gap measure.

O'Neill still considers him the first choice striker. Then there's still Campbell and Wickham.

Ji was going to be behind two strikers no matter what. X + Campbell. I think JDW is firmly ahead of wickham at this point but JDW has to fight to stay there, let alone move ahead of Saha or Campbell. But neither are RVP level obstacles

RVP was also always hurt until last year he magically stayed in good health... don't want to see that again. but then of course Saha is 34..

MON also saw first hand during these Olympics that JDW plays the inverted forward position better than the out and out position. So I wouldn't be surprised to see him start on the left more this season.

I learned this year that seeing a KPA on the bench and not playing gets my blood pressure up to dangerous levels. If it happens again too many times this season, I may not survive the year...

i would have been more worried if they signed Fletcher than Saha. In preseason they changed to a 4-3-3 system that turns 4-5-1 when in defense...so basically the same as last year. MON will probably use him as a SS so he would have to fight sess for the spot unless he gets put in the wings

Saha goes straight in ahead of Ji I'm afraid. We will see on saturday.

See what? JDW will still be in Korea on Saturday.

Why? Not interested in getting back?

^^Vacation

woah, ji is wearing 21 now and wickham is wearing 22