Duvel

Why wouldn't Monk want a no2? Why wouldn't Gibson want him to have a no2? Neither situation would make any sense.

Of course Beattie is Monks assistant, maybe due to the Agnew situation we aren't allowed to officially call him an assistant manager but he's definitely the number two.

Not sure what everyone can say after today, I think a large percentage of fans have already given up on Monk. It's probably going to take a lot more than one win to get everyone carried away especially as most reports suggested we didn't really play well. If we play poorly and win the next two games it might start looking like we are turning the corner, if we can match that with good football then perceptions might change. I still think it's going to take quite a big improvement for Monk to win back the critics. We executed our plan superbly. Aitor Karanka would have been proud

Not sure what everyone can say after today, I think a large percentage of fans have already given up on Monk. It's probably going to take a lot more than one win to get everyone carried away especially as most reports suggested we didn't really play well. If we play poorly and win the next two games it might start looking like we are turning the corner, if we can match that with good football then perceptions might change. I still think it's going to take quite a big improvement for Monk to win back the critics. Oh definitely, don't think we can say it's the turning point of our

I've worked in and around Sunderland and the fans who I knew certainly saw it as a derby, it's not THE derby but it is a derby. It's now become their way of putting us down by saying they are not bothered about us, I wouldnt take much notice of it.

Not sure what everyone can say after today, I think a large percentage of fans have already given up on Monk. It's probably going to take a lot more than one win to get everyone carried away especially as most reports suggested we didn't really play well. If we play poorly and win the next two games it might start looking like we are turning the corner, if we can match that with good football then perceptions might change. I still think it's going to take quite a big improvement for Monk to win back the critics.

Nothing brilliant but there was more of a plan for me. We regularly looked to utilise Braithwaite and Britt's pace by knocking the ball in behind. Nice one

Good result, hopefully a step in the right direction. For those who went how did we play? It didn't sound great on the radio but the most important thing was the result today.

Of course we do. But SD's original statement was based on nothing, which is entirely my point. As for the abuse, I apologise if you felt in any way abused by myself, that was never the intention. I just really hate the idea that some fans have that you can solve all your problems by sacking a manager. I'm not saying you're as simple-minded as that btw, just let's at least think about what comes after than just get rid of what we have for the sake of change. If Sanddancer completely wrote Monk off after a couple of games then yeah pull him up on it, I don't know what the exact wordin

Fair play SD but at the end of the day, 4-6 games into a new manager's reign really should never be the judge of how a season will turn out. You don't win or lose a season in the first 6 games. We're at just over double that now before a fair few people have really decided it's game over. I still disagree and fortunately so does the manager and the players when you speak to them. Fans might stop believing it's possible to get promoted and bring in statistics to prove it but if the staff at the club did, then it would 100% be game over. We have a mountain to climb but as long as this manager

I like to see statistics and the snake but unfortunately some seen it as a bad Oman. Not to repeat myself but I had stated at the beginning of the season 4 to 6 games in and we would see where we were headed. Again some took offence and I took abuse. All statistics do is to show what has been achieved and project on the current results the course headed. This will of course change based on return. Bar a miracle we are not going up and even a play off looks doubtful, so for a while now I have hoped to see improvements and the pleasure of more wins. I just hope it come sooner rather than later.

I like to see statistics and the snake but unfortunately some seen it as a bad Oman. Not to repeat myself but I had stated at the beginning of the season 4 to 6 games in and we would see where we were headed. Again some took offence and I took abuse. All statistics do is to show what has been achieved and project on the current results the course headed. This will of course change based on return. Bar a miracle we are not going up and even a play off looks doubtful, so for a while now I have hoped to see improvements and the pleasure of more wins. I just hope it come sooner rather than later.

Here's some comments I've dug up from an old Gibson interview about Strachan. "Gordon walked away from the club with empty hands and it is a measure of the man that he sought no compensation whatsoever,” Gibson said. “That would have surprised me from most football managers but it wouldn’t from Gordon because I know how much he was hurting. “He kept on saying the biggest regret was that he had let the fans down, he had let the club down and me and [chief executive] Keith Lamb down personally and he was quite tortured in the end. He is a man of massive integrity. He is very hard wor

I remember Gibson being interviewed and saying Strachan resigned because he didn't feel like he deserved a pay off. I agree with other the posters on here, whatever you think of Strachan he deserves a bit of respect for that.

I like to see statistics and the snake but unfortunately some seen it as a bad Oman. Not to repeat myself but I had stated at the beginning of the season 4 to 6 games in and we would see where we were headed. Again some took offence and I took abuse. All statistics do is to show what has been achieved and project on the current results the course headed. This will of course change based on return. Bar a miracle we are not going up and even a play off looks doubtful, so for a while now I have hoped to see improvements and the pleasure of more wins. I just hope it come sooner rather than later.

That’s my thoughts in a nut shell too. True, but we have to get used to it, enjoy every win and every last minute equaliser, bemoan every loss and bad decision. Laugh, cry, shout....that’s football and we are lucky enough to follow a reasonable team. We have no god given right to be at the top of the league. Clubs like Derby, Forrest, Portsmouth, Leedd, Charlton, Bolton and Birmingham City Have all enjoyed top flight football, they all seem realistic about their plight, sure they’d love a great cup run or a season where everything clicks and they go on a good run and are in with a sho

Not reading too much into the Ben Gibson signing, I wouldn't actually be surprised if he's sold in January if this run continues.

Swap Traore for Braithwaite in your team maybe, then put Adama on the right? I actually agree with that theirs no way braithwaite shouldn't be starting, but the problem is then i think im not alone in not trusting troare in defending. The only thing monk could do is say to troare "you are allowed to run up and down the wing as much as you want and cut in when it comes to their box but dont enter our box", leave him up at corners and bring Britt back to defend instead for corners if necessary. I actually think we could get some success out of that anyway his pace vs 2 terrified defenders i

Swap Traore for Braithwaite in your team maybe, then put Adama on the right? I actually agree with that theirs no way braithwaite shouldn't be starting, but the problem is then i think im not alone in not trusting troare in defending. The only thing monk could do is say to troare "you are allowed to run up and down the wing as much as you want and cut in when it comes to their box but dont enter our box", leave him up at corners and bring Britt back to defend instead for corners if necessary. I actually think we could get some success out of that anyway his pace vs 2 terrified defenders i

^this^

To be fair he probably needs a run of games like every other player. If he'd started every game this season I'm confident he'd have scored as many as Britt.

Swap Traore for Braithwaite in your team maybe, then put Adama on the right?

When did we last win at Reading was it under Strachan? Here's an interesting fact for you if we lose our next 2 games then Monk's start will be exactly the same as Strachan's first 15 games. :)

I can't see that happening. Gibson has never sacked a manager that quickly ( don't forget Southgate had already had a few seasons in charge) it's just not the way Gibson works. I disagree this time but overall is probably better than being too trigger happy If Gibson isn't at least thinking of a contingency plan then it's bonkers, ok we might win the next 3 games and everything might seem positive again but it wouldn't surprise you if we lost the next 3 either. You're then starting to look over your shoulders at the bottom 3, surely he won't accept just accept it if we keep losing games t

All reading have to do is score first by starting faster than us and i think that crowd will turn on them players or the manager, tonight they were against a premiership team so monk had a free shot at saving himself without crowd piling more pressure on him its a different story on Saturday if he loses. Monk is lucky we are away the next two games, the pressure at Reading will be nothing compared to Sunderland at home. Rarely agree with you recently but I think it's a bit of a godsend that we're away from home for the next two. The Riverside is a cauldron of anxiety at the moment. T