Our next game in Sky is the Friday before Christmas, so it would be good if we could have a bit of a crowd together for some festive cheering on of the Lads.

Please put on a comment on this thread if you're planning on coming along... we were nearly outnumbered by Wolves fans last time around, which is never a good feeling.

The few of us who managed to make it to Scallywags for the Wolves game witnessed the Lads come away with a point that they barely deserved, but after an inconsistent couple of months (results wise), it looks like we might finally have learnt how to win ugly...

After the point at Moulineux, Sunderland took all three points in what was a much better display at Loftus Road (and a rare win in the capital) and followed that up with a home win against Norwich - it sounded like the result could have gone either way, but in the end a Daryl Murphy goal was enough to take all 3 points.
Unfortunately, with results going the way they did, we didn't move up the table at all, remaining in 13th place, but only 5 points away from a play-off place.  With another home game, against Luton, next weekend, hopefully we can make a move up the table then.

Sorry for the lack of updates, but its been a funny couple of months....

Seems at the moment that Keane is still finding his feet with the team (and club).  Plenty of players have left on loans... remains to be seen how many of them come back or stay at their adopted homes come January.

Result wise, it's very much a case of two steps forward, two steps back.  Win a couple, lose a couple.... however, it looks like its still the same old problem affecting us - a lack of craft or guile in the middle of the park and then a lack of someone to convert the few chances we do create.  Norwich at the weekend seemed to be a case in point - we had 13 shots on goal to their one.  Net result, lose 1-0.

Still, while we may be looking mid-table mediocrity in the face, I take no delight in the fact that the Mags lost at home to the Blades or that they are 2nd bottom.  As if....

The game at Molyneux against Wolves, scheduled for 25th November, has been moved forward for Sky and will now be an 8pm k.o. (UK) on Friday 24th November.

With it being on Sky, it will almost certainly be on Setanta over here.  As it is likely to be our only game on TV before Christmas, I'd encourage as many people as possible to make the effort to get to Scallywags to watch the game, either live or recorded (providing we can persuade Jeff, the Landlord).

Hope to see you all there.

So, the UK transfer window closed this evening at 7pm Eastern....

And for a change , we didn't sign one player.  Or two.  Or three.... we signed six!!!!!

2 Defenders - Stan Varga and Ross Wallace (both Celtic); 2 Midfielders - Graham Kavanagh (Wigan) and Liam Miller (ManUtd); 2 Forwards - Dwight Yorke (Sydney FC) and David Connolly (Wigan).

Of that lot, Kavanagh looks like the sort of player who will bring a bit of experience and steel to the midfield, while all the others will provide us with some much needed quality competition for places, throughout the team.

Interesting times ahead.

2-0 against everyone favourites for promotion, West Brom... I'd have taken that.
Despite it being quite good, but somehow not our best footballing performance in the past 10 years (), some of us still came away from Scallywags not quite being sure whether we we had turned the corner, or if West Brom had come to one.
Anyway... it would be churlish to complain.  New lad Hysen looked to be a canny player on the left, Chris Brown had a tidy game up front, and the midfield and defence looked sorted as well.
Roll on Derby and Sir Royston's proper first game in charge...

SAFC.com has this afternoon confirmed that the club has agreed terms with Roy Keane, for him to take over as manager:
"Roy Keane visited Sunderland today where he met with players and officials from the club.
Keane and the club have agreed terms on him being appointed as manager, and it is envisaged that he will sign a formal contract immediately after Sunderland's game against West Brom tomorrow."

Fingers crossed...

WHAT THE F&%#!? 

...was pretty much my reaction to that news that broke yesterday that the management position would be offered to Roy Keane some time in the next couple of days... although some stories now seem to be indicating that it might be as late as next Tuesday (lets hope that the West Brom game doesn't put him off!).

Story is that Brian Kidd, ex of ManU, will be coming in as his assistant... which would be a good appointment to help out a (totally) inexperienced manager.

There's no doubting that Keane was an excellent player but he would seem to be some way off the "world class manager".  But, if nothing else, the profile of the club is being raised and should we return to the Premiership with Sir Royston still at the helm, you can't imagine him having trouble attracting players like Reid and McCarthy seemed to...

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of days....

After notching a grand total of Nul points in our previous 3 games, we travelled to Roots Hall looking to get a result against a team that had been promoted as Champions from League 1.
The team were steady, if unspectacular, until just before half-time when they switched off as a set-piece broke down, the ball was punted up to our end and, lo-and-behold, we had conceded the opener.  It went downhill from then, as we again conceded from a free-kick, and then before you could say "Christ, we're shit", we were 3-0 down.
A consolation from Stead in injury time was far from that, as the players left to cries of "You're not fit to wear the shirt" and "What a load of rubbish"....

After the game, an emotional Quinny came out to apologise for the performance and to come public that he had had to tell a number of players that they were simply not good enough.  I think we'd worked that out for ourselves.

So, the next big game saw us take on Bury, the bottom side in League 2, who shared our crap record of 4 game, 4 losses.  Something had to give.... new signing Arnau Riera lasted barely 3 minutes, as he was dismissed for use of an elbow.  The team struggled for the next 80 minutes against the 11 men, although, to be honest, neither side looked great.  And then another set-piece, another goal... and then another, as we lost 2-0 to the worst team in (English) professional football.

Another emtional post-match conference from the Big Man, as he promised a "world class" manager was 70% likely join the club before the West Brom... and how he is needed!

Transfer business:  Kevin Phillips didn't join the club, as promised, instead choosing to make the shortish journey across the Midlands to Monday's opponents, West Brom - I'm sure that he's assured himself of a good welcome.
Players coming in, though, were Swedish International left winger, Tobias Hysen (son of ex-Liverpool player, Glen Hysen) and French right winger William Mocquet.  Also likely to come in are Senegalese forward, Moussa N'Diaye, and Luxembourg defender, Jeff Strasser.
Going the other way, it looks like Kevin Kyle will be leaving the club and moving to Coventry in a 600k transfer.

Well, wasn't that grand?  Lose 3-2 at home to Plymouth, with each and every one of the visitors goals coming from basic errors, and then round it off with a 3-1 defeat at Southend...
The club sits bottom of the league, with no points and seemingly no clue.  Quinny has come out after today's game and said that he has had to tell players that they are simply not good enough.  About time!!
Supposedly, we have concrete bids in for 5 players and hopefully something will be done before the next game against WestBrom... from listening to all the game so far, it seems obvious that last season was not a one-off and we need to be shifting players wholesale and shaking things up.
The biggest question is who is going to come with the club in the state that it is in!?