Congratulations Sunderland

[RG30]

I always said Sunderland's outlay on transfer's would be completely justified if they stayed up and survived, and credit due, though how many players would you have welcomed here given the fee's paid?

[Hoop Blah]

I always said Sunderland's outlay on transfer's would be completely justified if they stayed up and survived, and credit due, though how many players would you have welcomed here given the fee's paid?

What I like about the way Sunderland have done things is that they've identified the players they've wanted and been aggressive about getting them. No doubt they've had to pay over the odds for a few of them because their clubs didn't want to sell and everyone knew Sunderland had stacks of cash and needed to spend it.

The main proportion of their spending was on Gordon, Jones, Chopra and Richardson. They were all a little over priced but I think all of them are good enough for this league. I wouldn't have wanted to spend the money they did on them, but if that is the market rate for a decent international keeper and a mobile big unit to stick upfront and cause all sorts of problems to a lot of teams then thats the market you have to play in. If Keane had both Richardson and Edwards available all season I think they'd have been safe a lot sooner than they are.

Some of the other signings, like McShane, Higgingbottom and Etuhu haven't quite paid off but as cmonurz saids, they had to add a lot to their squad following the method of thier promotion last year.

[Dirk Gently]

Plus, I'm reliably informed, Keano will have a transfer budget of over £50M to spend this summer.

[PEARCEY]

Plus, I'm reliably informed, Keano will have a transfer budget of over £50M to spend this summer.

Of which he will try to spend £7 million on Hunt

[Dirk Gently]

Plus, I'm reliably informed, Keano will have a transfer budget of over £50M to spend this summer.

Of which he will try to spend £7 million on Hunt

On Hunty's showing since he signed a new contract - bite their hands off!

[Royal Rother]

Slices of humble pie required for Reading fans if Sunderland stay up >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all the slices of pie in the world.

I'm really sorry - but you're an utter tw*t.

I have to agree. On a ratio of poster's intelligence to post content that has to be one of the worst posts in the history of HNA.

[Royal With Cheese]

What I was aluding to was that if Coppell had spent £20million+ in the summer (looking at the figures in the previous post, it's actually closer to £40m, not including th eJanuary transfer window) and taken us to 13th, especially if he had spent £12m on 2 forwards who have contributed 12 goals in the league, people would be criticising him for pissing the money away on over-priced players. What of Birmingham, a bigger club than us, more glorious history, higher profile ("name" manager, loadmouthed dildo salesman in the boardroom and a dodgy Far Eastern businessman wanting to buy the club, in other words, the classic Pantomime club) spent millions on players that people were clamouring for us to sign at various times (Larsson, Muamba, McFadden) and still 2 points behind us.

Last season was a massive over-achievement for us, achieved by most of the squad playing at the absolute top of their game the majority of the time, but an achievement that expecations are set against, whether realistic or not. In the long run, it may have been better for us to have this sort of season last year and let's be honest, at the start of last season, who wouldn't have been delighted to be in this position with 5 games to go? As supporters, we are far too used to an incremental improvement year on year. We are long overdue a plateauing out or a dip. The experiences of the likes of Charlton, Fulham, Birmingham, Sunderland, Leicester, Wigan even Bolton, have shown that the sort of season we are having is entirely to be expected, a decent first season followed by a perennial struggle as you find your true level. Anyone who genuinely expects us to be challenging for Europe year in, year out, have to acccept that this can only be achieved with a seismic shift in the natural footballing order. Portsmouth are the only club who seemed to have achieved this in the past few seasons and it amazes me how they square up their finances.

For my money, Sunderland were the worst team to come to the Madejski this season. their defence in particular looking a huge weak link in the team. Funny that of their summer signings, 3 have already been shipped out to the Championship. Only Jones and Gordon have been an unqualified success. £10-12m on an average Championship defence (Anderson, McShane, Higginbottom and Halford). As is the wont of football fans, they will be expecting even bigger investment and a challenge for European places next season. Maybe a fairer comparision between them and ourselves can be made this time next year.

Fantastic post.

I would also like to point out that no one was talking about Sundeland in such reverend tones three games ago. This thread is so typical of our fans.

[Hoop Blah]

To be fair I think both cmonurz and myself have been pretty supportive of Keane's transfer policy all season.

They've by no means been as good a side we were last season, but they've been a little unlucky at times and I think they've done well to keep a side that was as poor as it was in the Premiership.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Can't be arsed reading all the posts, but for me any team that spends £50m in a season and has the same budget for next season should be playing in Europe & challenging for CL football next season.

Spending that kind of money just to stay up is a recipe for disaster.

[cmonurz]

Can't be arsed reading all the posts, but for me any team that spends £50m in a season and has the same budget for next season should be playing in Europe & challenging for CL football next season.

Spending that kind of money just to stay up is a recipe for disaster.

Firstly, isn’t it £40m, and not £50m. And secondly, its quite a broad (and laughable) statement to say that Sunderland should be challenging for the CL. You can’t just forget Sunderland’s starting point when arguing whether their spending has been jusitifed. There can’t be much doubt that the team below (Sunderland’s final game line-up in 2006/07) would have ‘done a Derby’ had Sunderland followed the Reading spending plan.

Fulop, Wright, Evans, Collins, Leadbitter, Edwards, Whitehead, Nosworthy, Murphy, Stokes, Yorke.

The additions not just of Gordon and Jones, but Reid, Richardson, the return of Evans, and to less of an extent Chopra, have improved their side. That’s over half of their signings, which imho is a much better hit rate than Coppell has achieved in the transfer market since we were promoted. Sunderland simply were not in a position to consolidate, and throw their Championship-promotees into the Premier League. They have invested, and at the moment it looks like paying off.

I am sure the goal of a similar investment this summer would be a comfortable mid-table finish.

[Royal Rother]

It appears that the skin on their teeth is not quite as thin as ours, but comparing the investment made by the 2 clubs and on the assumption we are both safe, one would have to conclude that we have done better business than Sunderland.

But obviously there are many different ways to look at this and the wisdom of the policies adopted by the 2 clubs can only properly be assessed in the fullness of time.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Can't be arsed reading all the posts, but for me any team that spends £50m in a season and has the same budget for next season should be playing in Europe & challenging for CL football next season.

Spending that kind of money just to stay up is a recipe for disaster.

Firstly, isn’t it £40m, and not £50m. And secondly, its quite a broad (and laughable) statement to say that Sunderland should be challenging for the CL.

Not at all Laughable. £40m or whatever it is for the side they have put together IS laughable!

In Spain Villareal & Seville have acheived success in Europe & the Champions League. In Italy Udinese & Chievo Verona have qualified for the CL. All on a pittance of what Sunderland have spent.

I similar spending policy landed Blackburn the Premiership Title.

Some of the clubs on the receving end of their transfer fees must must be laughing, including us geting our money back on Halford.

Only time will tell, but surely only CL football can justify spending nearly £100m in 2 seasons?

[cmonurz]

You aren’t dealing in facts. Sunderland have spent £40m and this has taken them from the Championship to (at the moment) 13th place in the Premier League. This will guarantee them £60m+ income from TV rights next season (probably more, I don’t remember the exact figures, but don’t Derby get a fair chunk for coming bottom?). Were Villereal or Sevilla in the Spanish second division last season? Completely irrelevant comparison.

Sunderland haven’t spent a penny next season yet, so talk of £100m and CL is ridiculous.

[Mr Optimist]

It appears that the skin on their teeth is not quite as thin as ours, but comparing the investment made by the 2 clubs and on the assumption we are both safe, one would have to conclude that we have done better business than Sunderland.

But obviously there are many different ways to look at this and the wisdom of the policies adopted by the 2 clubs can only properly be assessed in the fullness of time.

I agree. Assuming we win on Saturday we are almost certainly staying up, then you could argue that we have done better business than Man City and West Ham as they have achieved nomore than as us this season, retaining PL status.

City / West Ham spending - (+ cash for higher league position) is still more than Reading spending - (+ cash for 16th/17th place finish).

Problem comes if penny pinching and lack of investment comes home to roost next season and needs to be avoided by buying three or four quality (not necessarily expensive) additions to the squad in the summer.

[Big Ern]

on the assumption we are both safe, one would have to conclude that we have done better business than Sunderland.

Well, it depends on the state of Sunderlands team before they spent all the money. They may have been another Derby had they not spent that money, so we can't really compare them to us, a team that finished in the top half least year.

[Hoop Blah]

Can't be arsed reading all the posts, but for me any team that spends £50m in a season and has the same budget for next season should be playing in Europe & challenging for CL football next season.

Spending that kind of money just to stay up is a recipe for disaster.

Firstly, isn’t it £40m, and not £50m. And secondly, its quite a broad (and laughable) statement to say that Sunderland should be challenging for the CL.

Not at all Laughable. £40m or whatever it is for the side they have put together IS laughable!

In Spain Villareal & Seville have acheived success in Europe & the Champions League. In Italy Udinese & Chievo Verona have qualified for the CL. All on a pittance of what Sunderland have spent.

I similar spending policy landed Blackburn the Premiership Title.

Some of the clubs on the receving end of their transfer fees must must be laughing, including us geting our money back on Halford.

Only time will tell, but surely only CL football can justify spending nearly £100m in 2 seasons?

Sunderlands summer spending was approximately £35m net.

It's all relative though. Look at what the other teams in the league spent. Everton (£34m), Man City (£30m), Pompey (£25m) and Spurs (£29m) all spent about the same amount but were starting from an infinately stronger position. Even Fulham and Birmingham spent £12m and £15m respectively. West Ham spent a further £30m (although clawed back £20m on the likes of Reo-Coker and Benayoun) so it doesn't really put Sunderland that high up the resources table.

I do think they paid over the odds on the likes of Gordon and Chopra, but when you compare Gordon for £9m with the £6m each Liverpool paid for both of Kirkland and Reina a few years back and it doesn't look massively overpriced.

I've no idea how much Villereal or Seville have spent in recent years, but it's a different kettle of fish over there so there is little or no comparison to be made.

[RG30]

Now mathamatically safe, well done Sunderland. They also have an average gate of over 40,000 for the season, great achievement.

[cmonurz]

But obviously there are many different ways to look at this and the wisdom of the policies adopted by the 2 clubs can only properly be assessed in the fullness of time.

Quite.

Looks like 'the assumption that we are both safe' isn't a particularly safe assumption.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Wish we'd spent as much money

[Coppelled Streets]

Wish we'd spent as much money

Wish we'd spent half as much money.