Peter Reid:Action Man (Sunderland A.F.C.)

Member Name: fooyoo

Product:	Sunderland A.F.C.
Date:	14/09/02 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Flo and Stewart are proven goal scorers

Disadvantages: Stubborn manager

Stop press!!!!! Sunderland have bought not one but two players before the transfer deadline! I think Bob Murray must have mislaid his cashpoint card and Peter Reid has taken advantage spending £8 million on Tore Andre Flo and Marcus Stewart, with Stewart admittedly being a steal at £1 million. Flo is a proven goal scorer, and looks to be the strength that Sunderland need up front, and even more so now that Phillips is out with a hernia.

For so long, the loyal Sunderland fans (of which I must stress I am not one. Black and white through and through) have stood by the club when chairman Bob Murray paid lip service to their desires for another striker to help out Kevin Phillips, and some other players to strengthen a very average squad. Last season, they sold 36,000 season tickets, so it is clear that the support is there and is strong. The fans need Murray and Reid to prove that their ambitions for the club are as big as the ambitions of the fans, which comes down to one thing.....spending money. I am sure that lack of funds is not the problem, especially as The Stadium of Light is being lined up to host England's Euro 2004 qualifier with Turkey.

The summer did not show this to be the case, as they only signing they made, was Phil Babb on a free transfer from Sporting Lisbon, and he is hardly in his prime. I could not believe that the club would be so blatant is their disregard for the fans

Peter Reid lives in the past because it suits him to keep remembering how he helped the club gain promotion and then finish in the top 10 for 2 seasons. Whilst that is admirable, it counts for nothing on the first day of the new season, because you need a platform to build on, and Sunderland barely have the foundations laid.

I feared that after the 1-0 defeat of Leeds, Reid would say that he did not need to buy if they were capable of beating potential Championship contenders, but if you have to rely on Jason McAteer to score your goals, then
it is going to be a long season, being well beaten by middle of the road teams like Everton.

Only time will tell if these 2 signings have been enough, and with Manchester United only getting a point from Sunderland today, maybe the tide is turning, but I still predict that they will finish the season with less than 40 points.

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