Sunderland

[Norwood's 6 iron]

If the owners of Sunderland have any sense they will snap Heckingbottom up.
Whilst I agree that we needed a change of manager, he deserves a job with another club that has a terrific fanbase.

 

[Old Programme seller]

It makes you wonder if the hold up was Wilder possibly talking to Sunderland?

 

[1888to1889]

If the owners of Sunderland have any sense they will snap Heckingbottom up.
Whilst I agree that we needed a change of manager, he deserves a job with another club that has a terrific fanbase.

Good Call

 

[CaptainMorgans]

Really young squad at Sunderland too, think it would suit Hecky & McCall.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Really young squad at Sunderland too, think it would suit Hecky & McCall.

If you read the Sunderland forum they were never impressed with us last season.

Often commenting when watching our televised matches on Sky that we always looked a very average mid table side that had 2 top players in Berge and N'Diaye and they regularly commented that they looked a better team than us and should be higher than us in the league.

There's a thread specifically on Hecky and in recent days.....
I'd say 95% of their fans are saying a resounding no regards having Hecky as their manager, basically they don't want him.
They think it would be underwhelming and being a big club think they can get better....a bigger name....someone with a better CV.

 

[LBA_Blade]

It makes you wonder if the hold up was Wilder possibly talking to Sunderland?

Personally i think the hold up was the win against Wolves followed by the draw against Brighton. It would have been a surprising move if the Prince ditched Hecky then. He needed the excuse to get rid and after the international break especially the performance vs Burnley was the opportunity, Wilder has probably been sat on his hands for 4 weeks waiting to sign the deal.

 

[Ace of Blades]

So if Hecky got us up with a two player team and they are a better side overall, what are they waiting for? Surely he would storm the league?

 

[Sheffsteel]

So if Hecky got us up with a two player team and they are a better side overall, what are they waiting for? Surely he would storm the league?

Agree...although fans are always biased towards their team.

The most common comments from Sunderland fans last season was
"can't believe how average the standard is in the Championship, every team is so beatable"
and "when we're on our game there's only Burnley better than us....still think we can pinch 2nd place"
and "when you look at the points we've thrown away this season...there was a massive opportunity there for us to finish 2nd"

My thoughts were.....agree most teams in the Championship are quite average, the top teams aren't great but the bottom team aren't bad.
You need to treat every team with full respect and prepare for and expect a really tough game.
The key to success in the Championship is simply "consistency", being able to grind our results when not playing well.
This is the part that Hecky understood, he possibly knew that our defence was slow and vulnerable to fast counter attacks
so he set us up to defend deep in numbers and hardly any Championship side had enough quality to break through.

Sunderland on their day were a really good team, arguably better than us
but they were so inconsistent and easily beatable on other days.

 

[Grizzly blade]

They have been superb with the ball at times, but perhaps also a little naive and gung ho.
Suggests their game management needed work, and that they has a few too many players prone to a mistake.

I find it rather silly to sack the manager now, where they are in a tight league, knowing they are capable of putting a run together.
What it tells me is that they are desperate for it this season, and were expecting to be going up top 2. They are over rating Clarke (who although good I think will be one of those players who’s not quite prem quality) and although they have a few tidy players they aren’t stars….but are perhaps paying them as they are.
In fact I bet their budgets are that far away from ours!

So as it looks like the top two spots is going to beyond them they’ve rolled the dice hoping someone else will give them a bit more consistency. They will make a last ditch effort through some loans in January and they will be all in and hoping Clarke stays fit.

If they fail, Clarke will be sold to cover some of the debt they will be building.

So…they will be going the foreign route. Hecky won’t get the fans up off their seats

 

[Boxer Blade]

If you read the Sunderland forum they were never impressed with us last season.

Often commenting when watching our televised matches on Sky that we always looked a very average mid table side that had 2 top players in Berge and N'Diaye and they regularly commented that they looked a better team than us and should be higher than us in the league.

There's a thread specifically on Hecky and in recent days.....
I'd say 95% of their fans are saying a resounding no regards having Hecky as their manager, basically they don't want him.
They think it would be underwhelming and being a big club think they can get better....a bigger name....someone with a better CV.

They may not have impressed but a turning point of our season was our sky match at their place when Macatee and Doyle both started and we were brilliant for the first half an hour and played really well all game.

 

[Sheffsteel]

They may not have impressed but a turning point of our season was our sky match at their place when Macatee and Doyle both started and we were brilliant for the first half an hour and played really well all game.

Agree...for the first 30 minutes felt really proud.....we looked a clear division above Sunderland....men against boys.
As expected they came into it towards the end of the 1st half but what an impressive 1st half performance from us.

However 2nd half we went into our shell and they generally dominated. We (yet again) went through that phase of 15-20 minutes every match struggling to string 3 passes together as we put most of our players in defence and booted it out anywhere. However it was another example of parking the bus for the last 20 minutes and this negative tactic achieving the desired result.....fair play.
Sunderland had plenty of attacks in the 2nd half but didn't create many clear chances....our defence was pretty solid all season.

It was a fairly typical game from us...in many games our defence were under alot of pressure but often the goalie had little to do.
Last season it was vital we were promoted, so Hecky was proven right to choose a "win at any cost" strategy.

 

[steve26272]

If the owners of Sunderland have any sense they will snap Heckingbottom up.
Whilst I agree that we needed a change of manager, he deserves a job with another club that has a terrific fanbase.

Its a fair shout mate

On the flip side, I wonder if the teams 'performances' in the EPL have exposed him as tactically out of his depth?

I would suggest Sunderland would go with a similar calibre of squad to us, and rabbit in the headlights performances PH has produced have led us to the bottom of the table despite an Everton 10point deduction by 1st December

Hes a top bloke, but I wonder if whats happened this season has exposed his level, and Sunderland want to be at that level

 

[Grappler]

We beat them home and away last season. When we went into second spot in the table, we never dropped below that, from memory, right up to promotion being confirmed with games in hand.

Not sure why they would turn their nose up at Hecky?

 

[71Blade]

I was thinking about this what is the more attractive job right now us or Sunderland? Genuine question as a Blade of course I'd say us however red n white specs off what do you guys think?

 

[SRA76]

Sunderland are a huge club with a huge fan base huge expectations could be to much I feel for hecky we don’t have the same fan base or stadium or expectations and it suited hecky much better but even with us the pressure became to much

 

[LBA_Blade]

I was thinking about this what is the more attractive job right now us or Sunderland? Genuine question as a Blade of course I'd say us however red n white specs off what do you guys think?

Still leaves either us or Sunderland....

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

If you read the Sunderland forum they were never impressed with us last season.

Often commenting when watching our televised matches on Sky that we always looked a very average mid table side that had 2 top players in Berge and N'Diaye and they regularly commented that they looked a better team than us and should be higher than us in the league.

There's a thread specifically on Hecky and in recent days.....
I'd say 95% of their fans are saying a resounding no regards having Hecky as their manager, basically they don't want him.
They think it would be underwhelming and being a big club think they can get better....a bigger name....someone with a better CV.

Mackems are as bad as Geordies with their delusions of grandeur.

 

[brownblade]

They'll be appoint someone more exciting. E.g. The young guy at Reims. Will Still, or have I made that name up!?

 

[Lord Eddard Muir]

Sunderland are a huge club with a huge fan base huge expectations could be to much I feel for hecky we don’t have the same fan base or stadium or expectations and it suited hecky much better but even with us the pressure became to much

We don't have a comparable fanbase, stadium or expectations to Sunderland? Not sure how you figure that one out. They had a good run in the top flight that made them think they were bigger than they are, but those days are long gone.

 

[MadDad38]

I was thinking about this what is the more attractive job right now us or Sunderland? Genuine question as a Blade of course I'd say us however red n white specs off what do you guys think?

We are more attractive at the moment because we are in the Premier League, with all of the razzamatazz that it entails. We will still be more attractive next season because unless Sunderland are lucky in the playoffs then we will be in the same division but with parachute payments cf Leicester, Leeds and Southampton - all of whom would be more attractive than Sunderland as of now.

 

[Pintor75]

Would have thought Rovrum was more of a quick return for Hecky

 

[SRA76]

We don't have a comparable fanbase, stadium or expectations to Sunderland? Not sure how you figure that one out. They had a good run in the top flight that made them think they were bigger than they are, but those days are long gone.

They are a much bigger club than us let’s not be deluded like pigs. There fanbase and stadium and expectations are all much bigger that’s just fact

 

[Sheffsteel]

They are a much bigger club than us let’s not be deluded like pigs. There fanbase and stadium and expectations are all much bigger that’s just fact

Based on data (honours, seasons in the top flight, stadium size, attendances), probably the 9th biggest club in England.
Their stats on everything is surprisingly close (very similar) to Newcastle but Newcastle just edge it on most statistics.
Same as our stats are surprisingly similar to Sheff Wed, but again, they just edge it on most statistics.

Sunderland have a pretty impressive honours list, but like us, their heyday was pre war, that's 1st world war not 2nd world war.
And also like us....since the 2nd world war they've been surprisingly underwhelming.
So like us....their overall reputation is weaker than it should be.

Based on data, we usually come in as 19th biggest club in England, so some way behind Sunderland.
Sheff Wed tend to come in about 16th or 17th biggest club in England.

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

Someone who played second fiddle at St Et.

 

[RecordBreakers]

Hecky will not get a job at a club like Sunderland, expect to see him at a lower end champ top lg1 club.

 

[mancunianblade]

Wont he just take the Rotherham job now?

 

[Balham]

Wont he just take the Rotherham job now?

Why would he do that? They need a miracle. Better to wait for Stoke/Naarwich.

 

[mancunianblade]

Why would he do that? They need a miracle. Better to wait for Stoke/Naarwich.

I was told a while back Wilder coming back and Hecky potentially reverting back to his old role. main reason being he didnt want to leave the area as he has a settled young family. Stoke would still work for him I suppose.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Mate whose a Sun’lun season ticket holder says there owner after the Nice manager / Assistant

 

[71Blade]

Still leaves either us or Sunderland....

Good point