Genuine survey Questions for the maKems ......( As I don't lurk on RTG), What do you and what proportion of Sunderland fans think that :-

1 Reid has taken the club as far as he can, and must go.

2 Reid must buy 4 or 5 QUALITY players NOW, not just talk about buying big

3 Sunderland might struggle in the wrong half of the table this season.

4 Newcastle will finish higher than Sunderland this season

5 Sunderland will get relegated if changes in players/ manager aren't made.

Makems only please!

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Answers

Interesting question Rik. I was reading the MSN footie community board on Sunday and a few of their fans were basically saying:

1 yes

2 yes

3 yes

they din't comment on 4 but I would imagine yes

5 yes

I wonder what Sooper has to say.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

I would have thought If I were a Sunderland fan the questions 1 - 4 would be Yes , but five would be a no.

Personally I hope that they don't get relegated. We need the lercall Derby games. Win Lose or draw, we look forward to them more than any other games of the season.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Sorry 5 I meant no.

Rik are you a mackem in disguise?

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Nah, I just feel a bit sorry for their fans. All the false promises that they get from Reeeeeeedy must piss them off a bit.

Think I'm going a bit soft in my old age?

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

That's what you're missus says.....;-)

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Stop spoiling my threads Screacher, You do it all the time and I'm sick of it. Here's me trying to start thought provoking stuff and you come along with your toilet humour and spoil it.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

out of the wrong side of bed this morning rik?

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

lost at golf? new bag chewed again? yes to all, btw

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Didn't only lose. I was totaly aniahalated. My Nephew tried to cheer me up by getting a 12 on the last hole, but I still came in last of the 4. Cheered myself up by buying a new club on Ebay. Wife was a bit pissed off with me cos I was spending money on me rather than putting it towards her birthday pressie next week.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

tell her love costs nothing, even j.lennon thought that

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

They were asking for quotations on Radio 5 from popular culture for the new edition of the dictionary of phrase and fable and someone came out with a Joe Mangel classic from Neighbours:

"We've got the one thing money can't buy: poverty."

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Thanks for getting the thread back on course softie.

I think Sunderlands problem might not be money. It's the fact that they've no glamour about them. Can you imagine Reedy trying to persude some foreign star to come to Sunderland?

"Wey, we're not in Europe, but we've got some great players that you must have heard of that are gonna get us there this season. Kevin Philips, Tommy Sorensson, erm.....Nial Quinn, big nial, you must have heard of him cracking player, cracking team , you'll do well here Mr Bierhoff you really will"

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

I hate to p*ss on this bonfire but the Makems had an awful start to last season, too. In fairness their superiority over us amounted to very few points and more luck with injuries but nonetheless it's a long season, Brian, and I don't think they'll finish too far away from us....

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Nice to see nobody kicking our less fortunate cousins whilst they are a bit down

What a civilised bunch of vicars we are.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Just don't want to tempt fate. It would be extremely pleasing to reach the final of the WC as it would mean the SoS game being postponed to that end of the season where it could make a real difference. Stuff of dreams, eh?

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

You'll not get many genuine Mackem answers posting it on a password protected NUFC site, but I'll bite...

1. For all we know Bob Murray might have told him he needs to sell to buy, so I give him the benefit of the doubt.

2. Disagree. 2 or 3 would be more than enough.

3. B*ll*cks

4. Possibly but I doubt it

5. B*ll*cks

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

These were the kind of points raised after the game on Metro radio.

I can see problems for Reeeeeeedy if he fails to spend big and ther'e no improvement in performance.

Some of the makem fans were also pissed off at the fact that wonderboy Medina was sitting on the bench for the first time but was unused. A lot of the fans are now questioining his tactics, how long till the Reid out minority become the majority?

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

For a team that's not playing well they are not in a bad position in the league. Personally I think they are just going through a bad patch. Reid is bound to sign someone who will lift the club a bit.

They are not a bad team just need a bit more quality i think. Top half finish and no relegation battle I expect.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Personally, I'd be delighted if they got rid of Reidy as he's a good manager. The mackems would be crazy to drive him out. They should stop and think for a few moments of the alternatives - 'arry Redknapp, George Graham, TSM, Huge Gullit!.

They won't get relegated, or go anywhere near.

I reckon they'll probably sign Jason McAteer soon. That would be fine by me - he's nee good.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Rik, it's too simplistic to break it down into "Reid in", "Reid out" ("Reid shake it all about?") factions. The majority of Sunderland fans believe Peter Reid is a class act but would like him to spend more of their money to (attempt to) meet their (albeit overly high) expectations.

Bob will never bankroll an attempt on the title, even if we were not a PLC and he had the capital. His emphasis is investing in infrastructure, namely the SoL and Academy of Light with a long-term view of building a premiership winning side. But the sticking point for fans is the balance between present day success and investing in a prospective title winning youth cohort. Bob seems to think every last penny should go on the academy, fans would rather see the money invested in talent on the pitch. The right approach is no doubt somewhere in between.

The quality of football is not so much a reflection of Reid's tactical nous as the quality of players available. The long-ball is a good trick to have in your armoury, but too often we have poor players (eg Williams) on the pitch for whom it is an alternative to passing football. We need a couple of class players to give the team balance, to get them passing it

The pundits often say, the mark of a good team is being able to win when you're playing badly. For a team playing as awfully as us, 9 points from 12 games is not shoddy. Compare this with NUFC playing pretty well and having 14 from 8.

ML3

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

d'oh. That should read "12 points from 9 games".

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Isn't part of the Makem problem the same as we had a couple of seasons ago? Both had a successful start to their time in the EPL, setting high expectations. It looks like Ipswich are going thru a similar phase. IMHO, if the Makems don't invest in more players, they will settle into mid-table, with the possibility of flirting with relegation if results/injuries/suspensions go against them - a bit like we did.

I do think we also had a bigger problem in that we bought too much dross, so to that extent, Peyter is perhaps to be congratulated for not buying so much - tho he has his share ;-) YBR is slowly but surely getting rid of the dross and seems to be making some good purchases (Bellamy, Robert and O'Brien for starters and possibly Distin for the future).

IMHO, one of Reid's major challenges is to find a replacement for Quinn (would he like wors??). The partnership with KP has been a phenomenal success but can't continue for much longer - which part will give up first? Niall's body or KP's mind?? But he also needs more quality in depth (like we have with Acuna, Bassedas etc.....er, hang on).

Not a lot of difference - tho I fell being a bigger club (!) we have a slightly better chance of pulling it off.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

The pundits are often wrong, too, ML. Remember Blackburn being too good to go down? As it happens, I think most of SAFC's problems are in their heads.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

......sort of a lack of brain cells leyk, dougal? Is that what you mean?

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

1) Most safc fans have never been any further so what do they know? 2) I do not think that we can attract them-geography and lack of european history. 3)Too many bad teams in this league. 4)It will be close.We are yet to start this season,certainly luck wise,where as you are enjoying all the luck at the minute. 5) No ,we will not get relegated.

Whats the panic? We always start slow.Never write us off.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Normally SAFC's season is Nov to early January - about 8 straight wins - so I'm expecting them to rally.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

The BIG threat to Sunderland is the 'hope' they get some key injuries. They have had afew but never the ridicoulous situation we had, or Spurs as another example have had. It's easy to imagine Quinn's back going again, imagine the mess they'd be in if SK got any sort of injury that took him out for three months say.

Saturday they clearly missed Thome. They have the nonsense of wingers playing on the wrong wing, what if Hoolio was injured. Suddenly a very thin looking squad.

And we know it is possible to get these amounts of injuries. Cort was never injured, Dyer was never injured and we spent the most of last season without them, never mind Shearer and Dabizas.

As well as Sunderland's traditional run through November up to their Xmas party, they have a disasterous January - March, they need to get the ball rolling soon or the crowd will start to remember the post Xmas blues rather than the pre-Xmas points shopping.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

When the pitches get muddy and slow and route one wins games. It's that simple. Or is that way too simple. I've not many hard feelings against Sunderland. I never think about them, ever.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001