Couldn't think - from Dec 2022

OutcastLondoner

Not sure it’s clear they think they’re PL ready but why should they sign a new contract if they’re not going to get game time here? Maybe they’re happier dropping down a league or two and playing than sitting on the bench and playing youth games.

MrsGrey

Grady Diangana is now doing quite well at West Brom. It's taken a few years..
I don't think it's so bad for a youth player to opt for that ' pathway ' if they think it offers more opportunities.

claretandbluesky

I am not sure they imagine themselves Premiership ready but we are in enough competitions to rightly feel that there is an opening for them to begin to be introduced. I would have no trouble if we had centre forwards knocking in goals for fun, but speaking of Premiership ready Danny Ings is showing no signs of being so on current form.

Bazshuayi

Stating the obvious..Ings should be on the bench and Mubaba should be getting his minutes. Wonder if anyone will take a chance on Ings in January...

thornburyiron

Wrong way round. Ings is one of the highest paid players in the squad and should be made to earn his money. He’s scored shed loads of goals in his career, a lot against us, so should be able to do the business

BubblesNeverDies

thornburyiron said:

Wrong way round. Ings is one of the highest paid players in the squad and should be made to earn his money. He’s scored shed loads of goals in his career, a lot against us, so should be able to do the business

Begs the question doesn't it, why is he not doing for us. What formation is he used to, how has he been played in previous teams, has he been the lone striker?
I can't help but look at the Spuds, virtually the same team as last year, but the performances are totally different. Wonder how the Aussie would have us playing.
Time for Moyes to go?

chicagohammer

Where is that can of worms emoji :-)

OutcastLondoner

I don’t think it’s anyone but the fault of Ings that he’s not scoring. He constantly does the wrong thing.

Bazshuayi

If Mubaba gets playing time Ings has had then perhaps both parties will be aware of how far he is down the potential line.

As for Ings, I read he's a big positive in the dressing room. So I dont mind him being there (just not in the team)

Luckily, I think if Jane had stayed then Spurs would've been even better. For a start, Richarlison wouldn't have been on the pitch (Son Kane Kulusefski with Johnson backup when fit and even Solomon over Richarlison). I think Maddison is one of the keys for them. Would've loved to have got him for 40M!

Slacker

BubblesNeverDies said:

thornburyiron said:

Wrong way round. Ings is one of the highest paid players in the squad and should be made to earn his money. He’s scored shed loads of goals in his career, a lot against us, so should be able to do the business

Begs the question doesn't it, why is he not doing for us. What formation is he used to, how has he been played in previous teams, has he been the lone striker?
I can't help but look at the Spuds, virtually the same team as last year, but the performances are totally different. Wonder how the Aussie would have us playing.
Time for Moyes to go?

And there it is,as the clocks go back and the leaves begin to fall ……

Bazshuayi

Rothen calls Messi's ballon aware discraceful. Should've been Haaland. Have to say I agree.

IronHerb

A view from the opposition.

https://twitter.com/MartinBackhouse/status/1720356598629974034

chicagohammer

Football lost a proper fan yesterday, my wife’s cousin John sadly lost his battle against cancer aged just 55, he went home and away with his teenage daughter for years to support Sunderland, rarely missing a match.

We saw them no less than 3 times in “Sunderland till I die” crowd scenes, a proper character and his daughter Beth, will carry with her a lifetime of memories of their time together at home and on the road.

IronHerb

Sad news indeed. RIP

buffybegood

That's no age, that's younger than me. Thoughts go out to his family and friends.

PrestonHammer

RIP

Bazshuayi

Sorry to read such sad news. RIP

buffybegood

I don't agree with this, why shouldn't a player celebrate his birthday just because the team lost?

From the BBC:

Ten Hag said Rashford's behaviour was "unacceptable" but the forward has apologised.

The party last Sunday night was pre-planned, and attending the gathering did not prevent Rashford from arriving on time for training on Monday.

"I am aware of it and I spoke with him about it," said Ten Hag. "It is unacceptable. I told him. He apologised and that is it."

MrsGrey

I think it was more because they all went out to a city centre nightclub/venue.

IronHerb

I agree with buff. ETH is blaming his players at every turn. Blimey, if you can't celebrate your birthday with friends what can you do?

ASLEFshrugged

C&H reckons we'll be "shopping local" in the summer as we're getting short of "homegrown" players

Premier League teams have to have 8 English or Welsh players and we've got exactly eight

Joseph Anang.
Michail Antonio
Jarrod Bowen
Conor Coventry
Aaron Cresswell
Danny Ings
Ben Johnson
James Ward-Prowse

Anang, Antonio, Cresswell and Johnson will all be out of contract in the summer while Ings will probably be allowed to leave.

https://www.claretandhugh.info/big-hammers-squad-problem/

thornburyiron

They don’t have to be English or Welsh. They can be from anywhere in the world or even out of space, they just have to have been registered with a club affiliated to the FA for 3 years before their 21st birthday.
It may well be that those 8 are the only ones who currently qualify but there may be players in the development squad who are or will be over 21 next season who fit the bill.

buffybegood

ASLEFshrugged said:

C&H reckons we'll be "shopping local" in the summer as we're getting short of "homegrown" players

Premier League teams have to have 8 English or Welsh players and we've got exactly eight

Isn't it more that we can't have more than 17 players that don't qualify as Home Grown, so we could have only 4 HG but then the squad would be limited to 21 senior players.

I agree it's a bit of an issue though, another can that has kicked down the road with our transfer policies, and now has to be dealt with at a time when Timmy is on board to unearth gems from around the world before they become mega-expensive.

ASLEFshrugged

buffybegood said:

Isn't it more that we can't have more than 17 players that don't qualify as Home Grown, so we could have only 4 HG but then the squad would be limited to 21 senior players.

Indeed

Squad of 25 players, maximum 17 "foreign" but I don't think any Premier League manager would want a smaller squad especially if they have European ambitions Filling the gaps with U21s only works if we have U21s who can play at the highest level

thornburyiron said:

They don’t have to be English or Welsh. They can be from anywhere in the world or even out of space, they just have to have been registered with a club affiliated to the FA for 3 years before their 21st birthday.
It may well be that those 8 are the only ones who currently qualify but there may be players in the development squad who are or will be over 21 next season who fit the bill.

There's three U21s who will have turned 22 by the start of next season but their contracts expire in the summer and none of them look likely to break into the first team

thornburyiron

This is the squad rule for this season:
The 25-man squads have eight places reserved for homegrown players while the remaining 17 places can be used by either homegrown or foreign players. Those do not count towards the 25-player limit — clubs are able to use as many players under 21 (born on or after January 1, 2002) as they like.

The home grown rule:
A home grown player is defined as one who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).

thornburyiron

At the rate he’s going Kane’s going to be the Budesliga top scorer before very long.