I'm not sure what to make of Roy Keane quitting Sunderland. It's not really a surprise as he apparently didn't like the new ownership situation, and was dragging his feet on signing a new contract anyway. But i wonder where he goes from here. I imagine he'll sit back for a while and wait for another Premier League club to come calling this summer.
That's how I see it as well. He spent a lot of money at Sunderland. But he bought a lot of second-class players and expected that depth would keep him in the Premier League. That might work for a year or two, but eventually you need match-winners. At the beginning of the season, I thought Sunderland would be staying up and somewhere around mid-table. Now, I think they are one of the favorites for the drop and are definitely in a relegation dog fight.
I wonder who they'll bring in to replace him. The name that stood out for me was David O'Leary, but i think that's just because he's Irish.
Sorry but Sunderland have already had a manager who has spent 70 million on utter shite. I doubt they'd be after another.
I couldn't think of another Irishman that's looking for a job. Allardyce is the most qualified, and i think he could do a job with their current squad.
By bottling it and leaving SAFC at the first tough time he hardly inspires confidence. He spends ~ £80 million and takes the team into the relegation zone. Then he f@cks off and leaves them all in the sh1t. Basically betraying all those players who joined Sunderland to play for him. Shameful behaviour. I should point out that Roy Keane was earning more than proven managers who have actually achieved things as managers. Keane was shamefully earning more than Benitez and Moyes despite having no track record and inferior management skills. Keane was earning as much as Alex Ferguson! How absurd is that! Roy Keane may prove an able manager in the future but so far he has demonstrated a lack of fight for the cause matched only by his lack of judgement in the transfer market. Keane has had much better treatment from the Press compared to every other manager. He has hardly had to face the barrages of criticisms that Wenger, Mowbray, Ramos, Keegan, Kinnear have got this season. Roy Keane bottled and fled as soon as the going got a bit tough. I feel bad for SAFC as they have been f@cked over by Keane. Sunderland are now managerless, £80 million out of pocket, with a bloated squad full of unhappy players and in real danger of relegation. They needed their leader to step up and make a difference not f@ck off and have a Chistmas Holiday.
Well as a manager he couldn't take out his frustration by breaking someone's leg and ending their career like he could on the field- so he quit. No great loss. Although maybe Peter Reid will come back from Thailand now!
It looks like Allardyce is interested in the Sunderland job and is the early favorite to take over. It's really an ideal situation for him, a bigger and wealthier club than Bolton, and one without the unrealistic expectations of the Newcastle job. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/sunderland/article5289796.ece
Sunderland isn't in that bad shape. I think Allardyce can cobble together a decent squad from the pieces they have, and ship out the rest. He would be reunited with Diouf as well.
Like you said it's an ideal fit. If he takes that job and keeps it for a couple of years he could make them a UEFA Cup team much like he made Bolton into one.
Even more of a reason for him to take it. Anytime you get to say FU to Newcastle fans is a chance that can't be passed up. Cisse and Jones are good forwards, and I am sure Big Sam could get them to work well together.
I'll be interested to see if Keane gets offered any top flight jobs or has to go lower if he wants to get back. I don't think he's shown anything to suggest that he will be a successful manager in the future, and it may be that he walks away from football. His record at Sunderland is comparable to Iain Dowie's at Palace in that both took over struggling clubs and took them up in the first season, and although Palace got relegated in their first year up they had spent substantially less than Sunderland and only accrued six points less. Had Dowie had the budget afforded to Keane than Palace would more than likely have stayed up.
I think he would be more interested in Kenwyne Jones up front to take up the 'Kevin Davies' role of sorts. I am not saying Jones and Davies are identical players, but they both play a far more physical style of game than Cisse. I would not be too surprised to see Cisse possibly moved out wide but given a fair bit of freedom much like Diouf played with Bolton. Allardyce would not be the type to completely overhaul the team in this situation imo - I reckon he would be much more likely to get rid of a good few players asap, bring in an experienced defender or two on loan, and depend upon the most proven, experienced, or motivated players for the remainder of the season. It is also my guess that Sunderland would finish around 14th-16th.
Keane had a good track record before this season, he got Sunderland out of the relegation zone straight to Premier League and kept them up. Ince inherited a midtable club and marched them straight to the relegation zone.
I think both managers got in over their heads. Ince jumped from League 2 to Premiership, while Keane jumped from no management experience to Sunderland. Ince could use excuses of losing two big players in Friedel and Bentley. However he still has plenty of decent players to do something with. Keane spent a lot of money.
Keane did spend alot. But he got them up and kept them up. If they can stay up this year, you'd have to ask if it was worth it. How much money is being in Premier League worth? Didn't the Sheffield case put the cost of going down at 25 million?
Ince has always been drastically overrated. Yes he kept Macclesfield up by the skin of their teeth, and then went to MK Dons, a team with a League One/Championship playing budget and got them promoted. Even then he made it far more difficult than it should have been. The start was poor, then they went 11 points clear, and they ended up winning it by a point. Hardly the kind of achievement that makes you an automatic choice to be a future Premier League manager. He's got a long way to go to mediocrity imo, at the moment he's utterly useless and Blackburn can either sack him or go down.
No it wouldnt Sam Allardyce wouldnt be a bad appointment but he is far from perfect. Our leading striker is Cisse, a player not suited to the direct game. Our midfield consists of players such as Malbranque, Richardson, Reid, Tainio all players who like to pass it not hoof it. We need a footballing coach as we have players suited to playing it on the deck. I wouldnt be disappointed with Allardyce but he is far from first choice.
I meant it's a good fit for Allardyce, not necessarily for the players. He's got a big squad to pick and choose from and he's done well in the past handling problem players like Diouf. Who would be your first choice?
I think Allardyce showed at Bolton that he needs his 'own' players. He failed at Newcastle because he was a square peg being forced into a round hole. He just wasn't adaptable enough and the no-nonsense direct style wasn't ever going to work there. No real outstanding candidates around at the moment. Phil Brown isn't exactly a quick football guru. Heard Andy Townsend saying that Gary McAllister would be his choice.
Just a shame Keane has pissed away all that money. Give Allardyce that money and a few years and he could have them competing for fourth place.
The Premier League is worth £30-£40 million a season to bottom half clubs in TV revenue, then you've the added gate receipts, sponsorship etc. But then you take out all the wages and £80 million in transfers. A lot of teams have come up and stayed up with far smaller budgets.