Salut! Sunderland extends a hearty welcome to Glenn Loovens, who arrives as a free agent having been released by Sheffield Wednesday, while also bidding farewell to Billy Jones (to Rotherham) and Callum McManaman (to Wigan).
No time to do much more than quote safc.com on the new signing of a much-needed defender, getting on a bit for a footballer at 34 but with bags of experience:
‘Jack Ross’s seventh summer signing, Loovens joins Tom Flanagan, Chris Maguire, Jon McLaughlin, Alim Ozturk, Reece James and Dylan McGeouch on Wearside.
The 34-year-old Dutchman started his career with Feyenoord, progressing through the ranks alongside the likes of Robin van Persie before breaking into the first team in 2001.
… his first taste of English football came in 2005 when he joined Cardiff City on loan ahead the 2005-06 season. One year later he signed a permanent deal and made over 100 appearances for the Welsh side…
Loovens spent four seasons at Celtic … (winning the Scottish Premier League, the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup) …
After a spell with Real Zaragoza he returned to England in 2013, signing for Sheffield Wednesday where he would go on to make 150 appearances and become club captain … [he] has also represented his country at senior level, earning two caps.’
As for the departures, McManaman was doing well in pre-season friendlies but hardly set our place alight last season. He’s played for Wigan before and is happy to return there. Billy Jones suffered injury problems at SAFC and his form was never convincing. But we wish both of them well …
* The Chronicle’s SAFC reporter, James Hunter, summed up Billy well in this tweet …
If a player is fully committed and plays to the best of his ability – which I think he did – but isn't good enough, that's the fault of the people who signed him.
The ones that annoy me are not the Billy Joneses, but the ones who have greater ability but just can't be bothered— James Hunter (@JHunterChron) July 20, 2018
** And Callum did himself a small favour with this dignified adieu …
Just like to thank @SunderlandAFC for everything, hope they get back to where they belong brilliant club with a brilliant fan base, all the best for the new season and future ???
— callum mcmanaman (@cm_macca) July 20, 2018
Malcolm nothing there I really disagree with, but this is a good bye Billy Jones thread and he was a dreadful footballer, who the club sought to replace 5 times by my reckoning, so instead of investing in a quality right back we are paying out transfer fees, signing on fees wages, transfer fees etc. A perfect example of how badly the club is run. On another full back note I see John Egan released by us has just been sold by Brentford to Sheffield United for 4 million quid
I cannot believe some of the sh*** I’ve seen written about Billy Jones, an awful footballer who stole a living from the club, signed 4 years ago and we’d had at least 5 tries to replace him. That’s the mismanagement that got the club into mess we;re in now. His attitude against Burton summed him up. The bloke he replaced finished 7th in the premier league this season.
McManaman just a chancer good riddance, Wigan have him Vaughan and are looking at Gibson. A relegation struggle me thinks
I can think of twenty plus signings and a few non signings who are better examples of the club’s mismanagement than Jones. Non more so than Alvarez, but let’s start with Lescott, Coates, Camp, Rodwell, Steele, Roberge, Dossena, Djilibodji, Clarke-Salter and Galloway for starters and then Alonso, Yedlin and M’Vila on the other side of the equation. Jones wasn’t great but he wouldn’t make my starting XI of our worst signings of the past 5 years.
Jones was released of course at the end of his contract so was a free agent. He was an honest if limited player. Rather have a Billy Jones than a Papy Djilibodji anyday but not renewing his contract was not unexpected. McManaman said some positive things about the way things are going at SAFC but Wigan is where he feels at home. Fair enough. Unlike McNair, Kone and the two who’ve bunked off. Sooner those are off the wage bill the better.
Speaking of the absentees, how long do the have to stay away before the club can sue them for breach of contract and damages as their value must be going down and definitely will once the transfer window closes.