Has the age of the football mercenary reached its peak?

My club will suffer in January. I am a Sunderland fan so I am used ti the suffering but it feels now like it is getting out of hand. It feels to me like the age of the football mercenary is reaching its peak.I know that for a long time the players have seen the game as a way of making huge sums of money while they still can. Their career is short and the rewards for moving clubs always seem bigger then the rewards for staying put. Add agents into the mix that like to make a deal then you have a mix that puts players in total power over clubs and fans sit at the lowest level of the pecking order. You see in football, showing loyalty means you can be exploited. The club knows that you are not suddenly going to up sticks and support the next closest team. Loyalty means that you will show up week after week, but the merchandise and out up with whatever is thrown at you.

This January transfer window will show that the club have little power against players,and it is the fans that suffer. This is highlighted by two players. The dealings of Yann M'Vila and Lamine Kone show that football has reached a new level of player power. It shows that the mercenaries are in control.

Yann M'Vila
Yann is quite simply the best midfielder Sunderland have had on their books for a very long time. He was absolute quality at the end of last season and had signed a pre-contract agreement with us to begin on the 1st January 2017.

Something happened on deadline day at the end of the Summer 2016 transfer window as Yann M'Vila arrived in England only to post a cryptic social media message that Sunderland had broken his heart. This is a man with a track record for playing clubs off against each other for his own gain.

It has been announced this week that he is now going to join Sunderland in January, The club stated that they only want players that really wanted to play for the club. Our best midfielder in many years was staying in Russia, with a club that he had fallen out with completely only a matter of months ago.

This is the type of mercenary behaviour that gives footballers a bad name. I understand where the club is coming from and if he isn't committed to the cause then he won't be an asset. He looked highly motivated when playing for Sam Allardyce in the second half of last season and if he wasn't going to be that motivated again then maybe he wouldn't have been the same player. It is the player that concerns me.

Lamine Kone
Another player that really concerns me is Kone. He was a revelation towards the end of last season as he defended brilliantly and scored goals as we stayed up. Obviously his transfer stock rose and he was in demand. But the club is looking upwards and want to keep their best players. He had only signed in January 2016 and really owed us at least one full season.

Kone did not see it that way. He wanted a transfer to Everton and it looked as though he was going to force this earlier in the year. he missed training, suggested he might refuse to play and fell out with the club completely.

In the end the deal was not done. The performances of Kone this season have not lived up to the promise he showed last and there is a very strong possibility that he will get his move to Everton in the January window. Another mercenary and his agent work the system their way until he gets the deal he wants. he has shown no loyalty to the club at all. We signed him from the relative obscurity of Ligue 1 and he wants more.

Sunderland
What do the club do? I think that we need a strategy as a club ti determine the way we are going to deal with players. For all the flaws of Steve Brice, he went to the big clubs and brought in their up and coming players on loan. We helped the career of Danny Wellbeck, Danny Rose and others with this way of working.

Southampton look from the outside like they tell their players once they have given two years service then they will not stand in their way of an offer from a big club.They have made huge profits on the likes of Lallana, Clyne and Wanyama while getting at least two quality seasons out of them.

Sunderland don't seem to have a strategy for attracting the best players, or for retaining those players if another offer comes along. I understand from players point of view that they don't want to stay with a club fighting relegation to the last few games of the season year after year. We need to grow and the way to do this is to have a strategy. Ellis Short seems to be content with just avoiding relegation every year. His players are not and neither are the fans.

What Sunderland need on deadline day

It's here again. With the mess over Big Sam and David Moyes taking some time to get going it has been a tough transfer window for Sunderland. They have bought a few for the future and plugged a couple of gaps so far but there is a lot of work to do this afternoon. Here is what Sunderland still need to do this deadline day-

Goalkeeper

Whichever way you look at it we need a goalie. Whether you want to keep Pickford as number one or as backup every Premier League team needs three keepers. Missing out on Joe Hart is a blessing as far as I'm concerned but to go in to the rest of the season with only 2 goalkeepers and both being young and untested is a real risk. This has to be a priority.

Centre Back 

Whether Lamine Koné stays or goes we need to get cover here. With an injury to O'Shea we are short here as well. Rodwell and McNair can do a job here but to stay in the league we need more cover. I like Koné and I think Djilobodji will turn into a good player but we ultimately need more.

Centre midfield

This is probably the least pressing of these needs with some quality and experience to come back from injury but this won't happen soon. The players we have been linked with seem to have turned is down in one way or another. Back to the drawing board on the last day of the window isn't a good place to be.

Striker

Although the formation we have will mean that we only play one striker we still need a quality backup in this position. Borini doesn't score enough goals to be relied on. There will be games where we want to throw on another striker or where Defoe is injured. Because of this we need a player who will step in and bag a few. This is another high priority today.

Big Sam the England manager - what next for England and Sunderland?

The worst kept secret in football has been converted from secret to fact with the appointment of Big Sam as England manager. It was closely followed by the second worst kept secret in football when David Moyes was appointed the new boss of Sunderland. There are many facets to this story and I'll use this blog to take a look at some of the more interesting ones.

Are Sunderland unlucky?

The fact is that the club have finally found a manager who is a great fit for them - and lost him. Sam Allardyce has been fantastic for the club. His tactical awareness and transfer dealings have transformed the club. We were looking forward to a season without a relegation battle for the first time in a long time. I honestly think that the three promoted teams, Bournemouth, Watford, Swansea and maybe a few others will finish below us in the Premier Lessgue - LINK. If we were able to operate in the transfer market and add a quality right back, a back up centre half, midfield creativity and some help for Jermain Defoe then I saw really positive things for the club. To lose a manager just before the season starts (as a pose to our usual method of losing one half way through) is really unfortunate. The club needs decisive action, but that hasn't been our strong suit of late.

The future for England

There will be thousands upon thousands of words written about this. In my view England always appoint a manager as a reaction to what the previous manager was lacking of perceived to be lacking-

• Sven wasn't English enough so we went for Steve McLaren.
• McLaren hasn't enough discipline so we went for Fabio Capello.
• Capello wasn't English either (I don't know why it took us years and millions of pounds to realise this) so we went English again and plumped for Roy.
• Roy was tactically inept and defensively poor so we've gone for the man who isn't that. We've got Big Sam.

I think that the success of Wales, Iceland and to a degree the two Ireland's will have also turned the FA's heads. Success with limited players (we have to admit that this is us) can be achieved by being organised and picking the right team rather than shoehorning the best players onto a formation that doesn't work. France left out some big players for varying reasons and were rewarded with a place in the Euro 16 final. England need to work in the same way and Sam Allardyce is the best fit to achieve this.

Choose any 3 from 4 in the relegation battle

After the weekend fixtures it now looks like relegation from the Premier League will be three team from the current bottom four. Swansea had a great win away to Arsenal in midweek. Bournemouth won comfortably away to Newcastle on Saturday so the bottom four are now sit in a group 8 points adrift of the rest of the table, smooth looks nigh on impossible to catch the rest up with only 9 games left for most of the table.

So who will go down?

Aston Villa

This has been the season that has finally caught up with the Randy Lerner administration of Villa. There has been chronic underinvestment in the club for years and the manager Remi Garde looks to have been brought in to work in the Championship rather than the Premier League.

They have been poor all season from front to back. They don't score enough goals and leak far too many. It also looks like many of the team have given up.

Finish = 20th

Norwich City

They started with a lot of character but in a similar manner to Burnley last year they just don't have enough quality. Goals have been a real problem and with Cameron Jerome leading the line they don't have the firepower to remedy this.

Their home form isn't good enough to suggest that they can find enough points to survive.

Finish = 19th

The North East teams

The derby between Newcastle and Sunderland on in two weeks time is huge. If Leicester beat Newcastle next Monday then a win for Sunderland in the derby would give them a 4 point lead over their rivals - this would be a massive gap at this stage of the season. But a win for Newcastle would restore some confidence and keep the battle going for a few weeks more.

Newcastle look leaderless both on and off the pitch. Steve McClaren has proven himself as a great coach but has failed more often than not as a manager. Mile Ashley disappears when the going gets tough and this time is no exception to that.

Any team that has to rely on Coloccini and Steven Taylor in defence will struggle.

Sunderland have shown more promise recently but don't seem to be able to convert good performances into points. They don't keep clean sheets and really seem to be incapable of putting chances in the back of the net.

Newcastle finish = 18th

Sunderland finish = 17th

Twists and turns at the bottom of the table this week - who will go down?

There were some interesting twists and turns at the bottom end of the Premier League this weekend. With Manchester City and Arsenal (and possibly Leicester City tonight) swapping the lead there seems to be more definitive action in the relegation battle. Let's have a look at how the teams fighting relegation are looking going into the Christmas period-

Aston Villa look absolutely doomed. If 40 points is the magic figure the they still need 34. An almost impossible target for what looks like a very poor team. Experience at the back in Guzan, Lescott and Richards hasn't shored up the defence. The midfield is too lightweight and there's nowhere near enough goals in the team.

My team Sunderland also look in trouble. Their Christmas fixtures are really tough and they'll go into the new year looking for something like 1.5 points per game. Big Sam has been there and done it all before but this one looks tough. He keeps saying that there's goals in this team, and it agree, but conceding like they did against Watford will put them onthe back foot too often. They may just escape on the back of Watmore and Defoe.

Norwich got a draw against in-form Everton but they look a poor team. I can't see them picking up enough points to survive.

I really like the way Bournemouth play their football. Losing key players to big injuries would set anyone back but they've just kept playing their football. Pace frightens defenders and they've given Chelsea and Manchester United a beating in consecutive games. I think they'll stay up and I hope they'll stay up.

Newcastle United have had more false dawns than any other club on this list. Back to back wins don't guarantee that a corner has been turned but the outlook is better than a week ago. Goals will be their problem but they may have enough to survive.

Swansea have been dragged into it by virtue of their awful recent form. The key to their survival may be the new manager. I can't see anyone currently out of a job that is prime candidate. Gus Poyet is the bookies favourite but I've seen first hand what he can do to a team - the good and the bad.

My bottom three will be Aston Villa, Norwich City and Swansea. Watch this space.

Who will be the big movers in the January transfer window?

We are edging towards the January transfer window and clubs will have already set budgets, discussed targets and made init enquiries about how they wish to recruit. With a few "big" clubs underachieving and untold riches available for staying in the Premier League, I expect a considerable amount of money to be spent. Here I take a look at the major recruiters in January and where I expect them to splash the cash.

Chelsea

The champions have has a dreadful start to the season, and Jose Mourinho is no stranger to spending his club owners money. They have looked weak in defence and long-term replacements for John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic are needed. With Diego Costa looking injury-prone and neither Loic Remy nor Radamel Falcao cutting the mustard I can see a move for a striker - especially of they can offload Falcao back to Monaco.

Newcastle

Although Steve McClaren has stated that he's happy with the current squad, the loss of Tim Krul is a massive blow. A quality keeper is worth 10 points per season, and this could be the difference between survival and relegation this year. I'd expect them to look for a short-term option, someone like Victor Valdes, as Krul will be number one choice again when he's fit.

Sunderland

After another terrible start to a season and another managerial change I would expect some Big Sam wheeling and dealing in the transfer window. There will undoubtedly by some players leaving and others coming in, but the true nature of who comes in is dependent on who leaves. Expect some of the older players such as Wes Brown and Jermain Defoe to leave and some defenders to come in.

Aston Villa

Another big club with a new manager and an awful season to date. Villa haven't spent much for a long time now and, like Sunderland, I can't see loads of players coming in unless loads of players leave. But they have to improve immediately if they are to have any hope of statyng up.

These won't be the only teams that need strengthening in January but are the ones that stand out to me as the most likely at the moment. But all it takes is an injury for a team to suddenly see a gaping hole where that they think needs filling with an expensive player.

Watch this space!

After 12 games of the season it's my part-season progress report

When Arsenal v Tottenham and Liverpool v Crystal Palace finish their games today, we will be at the 12-game mark in this season's Premier League. The international break is next so it's a good time to look at where things are and what might transpire between now and the end of the current campaign. The league table looks like this-

Premier League

Pos.	Team	P	GD	Pts.
1No movement	Man City	12	17	26
2No movement	Arsenal	11	13	25
3No movement	Leicester	12	5	25
4No movement	Man Utd	12	9	24
5No movement	West Ham	12	7	21
6No movement	Tottenham	11	10	20
7No movement	Southampton	12	6	20
8No movement	Everton	12	4	17
9No movement	Liverpool	11	0	17
10No movement	Crystal Palace	11	1	16
11No movement	Watford	12	-1	16
12No movement	Stoke	12	-2	16
13No movement	West Brom	12	-6	14
14No movement	Swansea	12	-4	13
15No movement	Norwich	12	-7	12
16No movement	Chelsea	12	-7	11
17No movement	Newcastle	12	-9	10
18No movement	Bournemouth	12	-13	8
19No movement	Sunderland	12	-13	6
20No movement	Aston Villa	12	-10	5

I'll start here with my awards for so far this season and my predictions for the end of the season.

Over achievers 

This is a close-run thing but I think that by virtue of having four more points, I'll give this to Leicester City over West Ham United. Mahrez and Vardy in particular have been great going forward but the thing that has put Leicester in their lofty position is their spirit. They just don't know when they are beaten.

Under achievers

This isn't a close-run thing at all. To go from comfortable champions to 16th place is terrible. It's never happened before. I put the blame squarely at the manager's feet. He has undermined the staff, upset the players, blamed everyone except for himself and disrupted a team that looked so unified last season.

Player of the (part) season

The exploits of Jamie Vardy have been remarkable but the stand-out player in the matches I've watched has been Dimitri Payet. His skill, running and vision have been a delight to watch and have transformed West Ham from average to very good.

Relegation candidates

I said at the start of the season that I thought Sunderland, Newcastle and Aston Villa would be relegated. I stand by two of these but I think that Newcastle United have shown enough progress under Steve McClaren to survive. Bournemouth have has a rotten run of injuries and I think that losing Callum Wilson is a blow they can't recover from.

Champions (and Champuons League)

I think that there many be a new face in next season's Champions League as I think Spurs can make the top four this year. In my opinion they will be joined by the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal. I think that Chelsea have left themselves too much to do, even at this relatively early stage. My tip for champions is Manchester City again, but I think that Arsenal and Manchester United will run them close and make it a fight right up until the last couple of fixtures. Sergio Aguero remaining fit will be the deciding factor as neither of the other clubs have a goalscorer that can compete with him.

Let's see how things go!