Shelvey

[Ragatino]

I was optimistic before kick off.

Spuds were not at the races at all. Toon were stagnant.

Shelvey is not the man round whom a team can be built.

Gayle is not a Premier League striker.

Houghton's Brighton & Huddersfield both played with more passion and conviction yesterday.

Spuds or not Prem matches are won and lost by single moments. I see nothing that convinces the team can produce those moments.

The few decent players we have will be drowned by the incompetence Championship fodder currently strangling the club wage bill.

We will be lucky to achieve 18th place.

Without a new striker in, of Perez-esque quality & a decent CMF partner for Merino NUFC could be looking to challenge for Sunderland's record low performance last season!

Very Very concerned!

[ashingtoon62]

Why does he deserve another chance? How many times have we been here before with him? Captain today, and he still acts like that. We have other central midfielders and they aren't the risk that Shelvey is. The rewards aren't there even when he does stay on the pitch - 5 goals and 8 assists last season in the Championship. He isn't good enough. His hollywood passes look great when they come off, but how many times does he just give the ball away? Plus the virtually guaranteed miscontrol in front of the back four in each game (did it AGAIN today). Sorry, but for me, he is not someone we should be picking the rest of the team around.

Well said.

[Ragatino]

If I were Rafa, I'd give C*ntley an ultimatum 'Cash or I resign.'

He should really consider his reputation.

Why destroy a life's work?

Rafa could do 4-6 months worth of Punditry for Spanish broadcasters on the Prem, live at home, see his family everyday & then take a job when clubs start firing managers in November.

I hear Conte is already on the edge

[waalsendmick]

merino will replace Shelvey.

Diame and De Jong are ready in the wings to sit on the bench or play alongside him (should Hayden falter).

Shelvey will sit out 3 games, then he will find it difficult to get his place back.

meanwhile, Harry Kane gets off Scot free while our new (and best) defender, could be out for sometime. I seriously worry about Lascelles as a premier league defender.

[Jammy89]

I'm really annoyed about Kane as well. Any other player would of been done for that, it's just because he's a current media darling.

[ghostrider]

He's a good player and we need him. It's as simple as that, at the minute.
He's been a right bell end, we all agree on that.
He's going to pay the price for being a right bell end but the player he is with the position he plays and the temperament he has, it's going to happen every now and again.

I don't like it and nor do any fan of this club but it is what it is and he will not be the first nor the last player of any club to suffer the consequences of his actions on a few occasions.

He takes his punishment on the chin and the simple warning from Rafa has to be something like this.

"Jonjo, you are paid by this club to play for this club and to lead by example. Your primary goal is to do positive things in order to propel this club forward. I expect you to make this your last silly red card offence by getting involved in off the ball incidents and if you fail to heed it, you will be omitted from the squad and placed on the transfer list."

That's it.
From that point on it's down to Shelvey, who has the opportunity to aid us in a reasonable finish to the league this season, with the squad he has around him.

Could I make a case for him?
The answer is no but I will say this much. We weren't going to get anything from Mariner anyway and Dele Alli is a wind up merchant and a petulant little git, which still doesn't get Shelvey any respite but I just felt like getting it off my chest.

[Zippity]

The answer is no but I will say this much. We weren't going to get anything from Mariner anyway and Dele Alli is a wind up merchant and a petulant little git, which still doesn't get Shelvey any respite but I just felt like getting it off my chest.

Aye, this...especially the bit about Mariner.

What really fucks me off is Kane. Ali was being a knob but Shelvey was a bigger knob. Kane, on the other hand, was a dirty twat and having seen Cahill's sending off yesterday this was easily a red too.

[toonviking]

Looking forward to the matches without Shelvey. Can't stand the fecker... last person I would name captain.

Overrated shoite player. If he was from scandinavia, he would be no where near a PL-team. I know people that can hit a 70yard pass perfectly - it dont make them a good footballer.

Stupid man. Stupid player. Get rid.

[waalsendmick]

he may have been a bell end today, but to call him Shiite is way wide of the mark.

[toonviking]

Not only today. Hes mood cost us many points in the relegation season, as well as last season.

On hes day hes good, but one good in 10 is not enough.