Monsieur Salut says: the international break makes me twitchy. No serious interest in the football, lots of time to worry about Sunderland. So let’s have a poll …
Are we, then, resigned to Jordan Pickford becoming another Jordan Henderson, red-and-white through and through but grasping, understandably, at opportunities higher up the footballing ladder than where Sunderland find themselves placed?
Do we reluctantly accept that pressure from Everton, or West Ham or someone else with pots of money to spend and heads to turn, will lure away Lamine Kone in January?
And could we live with one or both departing provided – are you listening, Mr Short? – adequate replacements are secured before anyone is let out of the door? So not just Vito Mannone fit again – though that matters, too – but people coming in, and coming in as a pre-condition of anyone else’s departure.
Three questions (and two images – thanks as ever, Jake).
I hope they are all academic, just something for us to talk about during the irritating international break (though good luck Jordan, “one of our own,” on another call-up to the squad. Whether Joe Hart and Tom Heaton are both better keepers is something on which we could open up a whole new debate).
But we know both Kone and Pickford are in the sights of other managers, so there is nothing dangerous about having our say here.
[polldaddy poll=9574269]
But do not feel restricted to the poll. Explain, in Comments below, why you voted as you did. It takes our minds of fearing for the USA and the world if the clown gets in (no vote allowed on who I’m referring to).
For what it is worth, I favour fighting as hard as we can to keep them both as the kind of players we should be building our squad around, whether for promotion or consolidation in the Premier.
*** And if you’d really rather just reflect on a good weekend, check out the outstanding Bournemouth reports from Bob Chapman and Rob Hutchison …
I would imagine Jordan is nailed on for Man City (although if Liverpool fancy him could we have Mig back)? I will then watch his progress with pride as I have done with Jordan Henderson. Kone? – who cares?
Kone is -as I have said before when referencing my mam’s comments comparing him to her first hero Johnny Mapson- a clueless greedy git.
When I met Johnny in 1998 I told him how much my mam adored him as a child, he replied “your mam has good taste.” How cool is that?
Kone will be a minor footnote in our club’s history.
A shame. He could have been great.
Step up Victor….
Pleased to hear the great man’s name again. I refer of course to Johnny Mapson. He was Sunderland’s ‘keeper when I first went to Roker Park. A tough, uncompromising character, in the days when every team had a hard, bruising centre forward, and knocking the goalkeeper into the back of the net was not only legal, but approved of. [ our own Trevor Ford was expert at it ]
Not many knocked Mapson in though. He was as hard as nails. Great goalkeeper, he was unfortunate to miss most of his career as a result of WW2.
Coming on to the item in question : I think a ” big ” club will come in for Jordan Pickford. Almost inevitable given his talent. I hope he doesn’t make the mistake of going to sit on the bench somewhere. He would be better to stay where he is, at least for a couple of years.
Kone, for me, can go. I wouldn’t keep any dissatisfied player, and he clearly want’s away. We can replace him with someone who wants to represent SAFC.
Some times you have to accept the inevitable……SAFC are currently a minnow in the PL, bereft of a PL pedigree, annual flirters with relegation and piss poor football ability.
We currently have two bankable assets in Pickford and Kone (although how long Kone will remain one on his current form is open to be debate).
Pickford like Henderson before him we can cash in as a mercy release so that he can achieve the greatness he deserves.
Kone can go because he doesn’t want to be at SAFC any more and his lack lustred performances indicate this.
The argument is basically that if you keep selling your best players you will not move forward, however strategic selling can enhance the Club as a whole, but do SAFC have the acumen to pull this of?
Do we have sufficient faith in Moye’s to risk it, what happens if we do, what happens if we don’t. A bloody big dilemma.