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Steve Bruce‘s dismissal of stories that he has put a £20m price tag on the head of Jordan Henderson is timely and wise.

One sure result of publicly stating such a value would be to announce to the world that Jordan was for sale.

And another would be to fix the quoted sum as the highly negotiable starting point, with one of the Manchester clubs, Chelsea or maybe even ‘appy ‘arry coming in with a joke offer of rather than less than half. For a player we very much want to stay at Sunderland anyway.

Fortunately, Bruce is now quoted by ESPN and Sky Sports as saying: “I haven’t put any price tag on anything. The only thing know is that Jordan is an exceptional footballer and has got the world talking about him since he scored for the Under-21s in front of the England manager.

“The speculation that he is going to be in the next England squad has had everybody talking about Jordan.

“We have known about him for about 18 months now. He is a fantastic player.

“I haven’t put any price on his head at all, that would be ridiculous of me.”

If – when – the subject crops up again, the sharks of Manchester united, Manchester City, Chelsea and anyone else impressed by Jordan’s skills should reflect on the following, much more realistic and intentionally “hands off” valuation:

Fantasy football: Man City ahead of United in Hendo chase

Monsieur Salut

Behind the belligerence and the bombast, Sir Alex Ferguson reputedly has a sense of humour. Just as well; he’s going to need it …

Sir Alex Ferguson withdrew “with heavy heart” last night from the race for Jordan Henderson’s signature after Sunderland flatly rejected a Wayne Rooney+cash bid for the exciting young midfielder.

Sir Alex was at the Blackburn Rovers v Sunderland match on Monday evening, among a posse of top managers anxious to check up on the £100m-rated (by Salut! Sunderland) Henderson, who started well before fading in a disappointing team performance.

At one point the United boss was overheard telling Everton’s David Moyes: “I’m through with Rooney, his hookers, his sponsorships, his seaside family snaps, his arrogance. But I’ll bet old Brucey would take him on.”

And today, SAF announced to the world that Rooney indeed wished to leave the corporate stink that is Manchester United.

It is believed Sir Alex was on the point of adding his intention to sign Henderson on the tried-and-trusted basis that United are frankly entitled to entice whoever they want to Old Trafford.

But Bruce had already decided that if Henderson had to leave, he would invoke the Bordeaux/Chamakh rule: there was no way he would be allowed to go to the smaller of the Manchester clubs.

So by the time United’s formal bid was received – Rooney plus £20m plus any two others from the United squad – Sunderland had made up their minds. And Ferguson had to accept that further bids on his part would be doomed to failure.

It remains to be seen whether City will now attach greater immediate importance to a mischief-making pitch for Rooney (the dust is already said to have been brushed off those “welcome to Manchester” posters used when Tevez signed) than to bidding for Henderson.

Sources at Eastlands hinted that if Rooney were to be signed, the best City would feel able to offer for Henderson would be £25m plus Adam Johnson. This would fall some way beneath Sunderland’s valuation.

A spokesman for Proper Clubs, Proper Fans, Proper Football said: “Of course, they could alternatively just f***off and leave Sunderland to continue nurturing their own player.”

This story was especially made up by the Redknapp Committee of managers, players’ agents and Fleet St/Sky hacks in the hope that it would unsettle the lad and make a transfer more likely.

Moneybags

At long last, Sunderland are showing signs of being the useful team we thought Steve Bruce had assembled when we were beating Arsenal and Liverpool and getting so close to victory at Old Trafford. Pete Sixsmith awards warm praise where it’s due, but wishes we could have kept those signs evident for 94 minutes, not just 45 …

If you had been a Martian visiting our planet and been told there was a football match taking place between the richest club on Earth and a team struggling at the wrong end of the table, and the person telling you had forgotten to mention which team was which, you would have assumed yesterday that the one in Red and White stripes represented Croesus and the Blues were the strugglers.

You would have revelled in a performance of the Red and Whites’ centre forward who won everything in the air, caused untold problems for the poor Blues’ centre half (clearly a bargain plucked from the lower divisions) and who scored a quite superb goal.

The two centre halves of the Red and Whites would have astonished you with their ability to think and react quicker than the blues forwards, particularly the one with Mensah written on his back, while the defender called Hutton impressed you with his speed and firm tackling.

In the central areas of the game, that little fellow exhaling a cloud of scented smoke, Malbranque, burrowed his way into the heart of the relegation threatened visitors and the youngster known as Meyler won all the battles he had with his opponents.

As you went to the executive lounge for your three cups of tea and three plates of sandwiches (one for each head), you would have been astonished to hear that it was the Blue team who were rolling in oil money and were looking for a place in the Champions’ League.

Well, that’s how it seemed to me at half time. We produced a 45-minute spell as good as anything seen at the Stadium since Reid’s team were consistent winners in the early days of this century. It was a performance of commitment and intelligence, with the players named above outstanding.

Jones was awesome and if he leaves in the summer, a huge fee needs to be negotiated – which probably rules out Liverpool. Mensah was superb at the back with his ability to think quickly and move into the space where his brain tells him to go. He has a good balance with Turner who captained the side well. His short ball to Meyler, who had hardly had a touch in the opening phase of the game set up the goal.

However, only one goal to show and there was a feeling in the Gents that City had to improve in the second half. Bent and Campbell had spurned decent chances after Jones’s opener and you have to take them.

Mancini had obviously given his side a severe talking-to at half time and they came out with a completely different attitude and approach. Over the 45 minutes, they probably deserved a point, but I was disappointed with them, not just for their play but for their attitude.

Bellamy, Tevez, SWP (surely the only player to have the same initials as a political party, unless I have missed Barry Norman-Pratt) , De Jong, Santa Cruz and Richards all twisted and moaned and tried to put pressure on Chris Foy. Richards could have had a red for a shocking tackle on Steeeed, while SWP showed all the negative character traits passed on by his father and none of the determination he showed when things were going badly.

When he went off and Johnson came on, I thought that this would all end in tears and it did. He took his goal well and he looks a genuine prospect for South Africa. Pity Bruce didn’t sign him.

At the end of the game, there was a feeling we had thrown points away, but as we walked back to the car, that disappointment was tempered with the feeling that we had matched a team that has genuine hopes of Champions’ League football. They spent the equivalent of our last season’s losses on Joleon Lescott, who was not a patch on the excellent Mensah.

Craig Gordon silenced any doubters with as good a display of goalkeeping as you will see. He is a top notch keeper and his calming influence on the back four is very important. Puts to bed for ever the “debate” about whether it should be Gordon or Fulop between the sticks.

What of City? Not quite “Champions’ League, you’re having a laugh” but they don’t look anywhere near the finished article. Mancini is prepared to change things and it was a smart move to replace Bridge with Santa Cruz; it wasn’t the managers fault that Santa Cruz was ineffective.

I was disappointed with their support. They did not sell out their allocation and they were very, very quiet until the closing stages when their team began to turn the screw. Maybe they are not entirely convinced about the direction they are going in. I would be interested to hear their responses.

Birmingham up next and we are without Kenwyne, who looks as if he could be out for a while. Hopefully Benjani will seize his opportunity and fire us up the league. I think we are looking up instead of looking down.

Over the past few days, there have been some good exchanges between Sunderland and Man City supporters, especially – in the case of City – from the Bluemoon fans’ site.

Pete Sixsmith’s reminiscences on the day he took his Dad to see SAFC v City at Roker Park (a treat for a football fan, but Dad didn’t care for football) were rightly admired. City fans may challenge Pete’s observations on the match itself.

Now, Blues fans are, for obvious reasons, voicing their great hopes for Adam Johnson*, who returned to his native Sunderland to score the last-gasp equaliser. It was, in all honesty, deserved but broke our hearts all the same.

Last night, I posed the question as to whether his true intention was to shoot or cross the ball.

On balance, most people – many Sunderland fans included – seem to think it was indeed the “sublime” strike or “wonder goal” that pundits have called it.

A little attention has been paid to Johnson’s muted celebration after scoring. He grabbed his City badge, but – doubtless mindful of friends and family in the home areas of the Stadium of Light, certainly mindful of Mancini’s exhortations (to go and and seek a winner) – ran quickly back for the restart.

This is what City fans have been saying at Bluemoon:

* Loved it!!!!

He is quickly turning into one of my favourite players alongside Bellers and Carlos.

When he scored what I would class as a wondergoal he ran off and grabbed the badge and showed he was proud to play for city which is exacly what you want to see from your players when they celebrate

As its been covered already on here we all know we have a star in the making and let it continue Johno because your performances are a joy to behold!!

** i dont think he knew what do with himself. he looked very excited. he also seemed to put his hand out in apology to the sunderland fans. after all he was a mackem growing up.

*** This is what I mean mate. He was a Sunderland supporter growing up so it must be a mixed bag of feelings when you score against them but he seems really proud that he is a city player and I think he will be massive here!!

**** yeh i think he wanted to run off like mad then realised, then put his hand up then kind of ran off and celebrated but nothing like in the manner he wanted to, any other team apart from sunderland he would of celebrated a lot more in front of our travelling lot.

***** to me he plays good every game. even vs chelsea he looked dangerous and got us some free kicks in good spots…give him the armband.

****** Those who say he did’nt know what to do after scoring. Well your dead right his prem scoring record is terrible. But I hope now he is playing with Bellamy & Tevez. His work rate will be like theirs & he can score & create goals. He will have no problem gettin in the team playing with both feet. SWP can’t play with one.

******* I doubt it. Mancini was going mad at them all, telling them to get back to the halfway line and win the game.

******* For a second I thought he was going to kiss the badge but then clocked that it wouldn’t go down well as a Sunderland fan, He’s not like Rooney kissing the Yoonited badge claiming to be an Everton fan???

*********
Absolutely fantastic goal and prospect!

He is going to become a great player.

So dangerous on the ball defenders have not got a clue what he is going to do!

********** Great seeing this lad come on,you just knew something was going to change in the game,he takes people on and gets the crowd going.Bit like SWP used to.

And this came from Sunderland fans (at the Blackcats loop):

*********** Great finish by Adam Johnson but I’m not convinced he meant to put it there. Think he was just bending it into the mix and got a bit lucky.

************ He meant it. And it was deserved. Some on RTG say he kissed the badge. He didn’t. He grabbed it. But as someone who’s spent his football life away from Sunderland it was understandable.

Colin Randall

* Anyone but us? Adam pictured during his Middlesbrough days, flanked by Boro fans, for the website of the Middlesbrough Football Club Study Support Centre

]]> http://salutsunderland.FootballUNITED.com/2010/03/man-city-fans-hail-sunderland-born-adam-johnson/feed/ 2 http://salutsunderland.FootballUNITED.com/2010/03/safc-1-man-city-1-early-thoughts/ http://salutsunderland.FootballUNITED.com/2010/03/safc-1-man-city-1-early-thoughts/#comments Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:22:28 +0000 salutsunderland http://salutsunderland.FootballUNITED.com/?p=7562

Come back for Pete Sixsmith’s more considered view from the East Stand. This is how it seemed based on a mixture of radio commentary and Sky …

Craig Gordon, John Mensah and, until forced off by injury at half time, Kenwyne Jones did not deserve to be in a non-winning team.

In the end the relentless pressure of Man City may have made a draw a fair result, though we were better in the first half and might have had a two-goal cushion to show for it.

But how close Gordon’s outstanding second-half goalkeeping, surely his best performance in a Sunderland shirt, and Mensah’s towering efforts throughout came to securing victory.

I said I would settle for a draw provided we beat Birningham City in a week’s time. So I refuse to look on the lost two points today as a defeat and at last begin to view the remainder of the season with a little confidence.

One question: was it a “wonder goal” by Adam Johnson that brought the stoppage time equaliser? Or was it a fluky cross that should have been headed off the line?

Colin Randall

SAFC v Man City has produced some highly readable material at Salut! Sunderland: do yourself a favour and read, if you haven’t already, Dan Wild’s blue-tinted thoughts and Pete Sixsmith’s charming slice of nostalia. On the eve of the match, Colin Randall remembers the weekend life changed for ever for City …

The last time we played Man City at home was the day after I marked an unwelcome milestone with a party at the Stadium of Light, whose staff – I should say – made it an evening to remember.

My footballing birthday present was one I’d rather forget: a terrible 3-0 defeat, followed by a severe drenching as I made my way back to the station.

I was due next day on a flight back to the job I then had in Abu Dhabi. By then, I knew of the megabucks Abu Dhabi takeover of City. I was returning to an extension of the Blues’ catchment area.

Working for The National, the UAE capital’s new daily paper, I had the occasional inside steer on what was going on.

The emphasis was always on the long game, the prudence that would be shown in the transfer market and the – then – security of Mark Hughes’s position. Well, we know what happened to Hughes – coinciding with City 4 SAFC 3 at Eastlands, including a red card for Michael Turner that even Andre Marriner’s mum thought harsh – and we can make up our own minds on whether City have been prudent or spendthrift.

As for the long game, City are on track. There is ample competition for fourth place, but they could easily snatch it. And as for tomorrow, I’d settle for a draw provided we can grab three points against Birmingham City, again at home, a week later.

That would give us eight points from the four home games in succession, not great but an improvement on my minimum wishlist of seven and actually quite good for a team in our position, emerging from our recent run of defeats and draws.

But back to City and Abu Dhabi. Did I go back to the Gulf resenting this artificial re-ordering of the English elite? Not really. I realised that what was happening was not so much more than what Sunderland had experienced on a smaller scale: for our Irish millions, read their Emirati billions.

And in case anyone is interested, this is how I put it in a piece written for The National soon after my return to Abu Dhabi. Nothing that has happened since, which must include our own transition from Irish to Irish-American millions, has changed my view:

Among the birthday gifts handed to me a few evenings ago, at a party in the stadium of the English Premier League football club I support, was a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Against Modern Football”.

The “e” in modern had been replaced by the pound sterling symbol. I instinctively warmed to the theme, smug in the knowledge that my club – Sunderland – stood on the uppermost terrace of sport’s moral ground, clinging high-mindedly to “real club, real supporter” principles in defiance of the market forces turning association football clubs into multinational brands.

But I was also aware of the spectacular hypocrisy of my stance. In common with virtually all my fellow supporters, I would dearly love to see Sunderland rejoin football’s elite after 70 years of exclusion.

A day after the party, I watched dejectedly as the moderately expensive side assembled in the red and white stripes of my team was brushed aside with embarrassing ease by costlier opponents in sky blue.

Those opponents were Manchester City. And the huge injection of funds likely to flow from City’s subsequently announced takeover by the privately owned Abu Dhabi United Group for Development (ADUG) means that the gulf between the two teams will probably be wider still when next they meet, in March.

On my train after Sunday’s game, a Man City fan was holding court in the buffet carriage, humouring disconsolate Sunderland supporters with thoughts on how similar our two clubs were. Both, he said, had once been mighty; both had been condemned by decades of mismanagement and lack of resources to perpetual underachievement. Beyond their own armies of loyal support, both were perceived to be living in the shadows of grander neighbours (Man Utd and, painful as this is to write, Newcastle). Sunderland had last won a major trophy – the FA Cup – in 1973, while Man City had seen no silverware of significance since collecting the lesser League Cup in 1976.

Suddenly, with the arrival of ADUG and promises of hefty financial clout, Man City fans are no longer wondering whether they can reasonably hope for a place in next season’s European Champions League (the highest target of most Premier League clubs at the start of each new season). They are now encouraged to believe that winning the competition is a viable short-term goal.

In a Man City internet chatroom, a supporter posed the question: “Will we now become as hated as Chelsea?” The answer, of course, is that yes, they will indeed be heartily detested by some. For the fans of clubs not profiting from similar largesse, the temptation to cry foul will be irresistible. But such is the universal appeal of sporting excellence that if the football at Eastlands quickly becomes as successful as that played at Old Trafford, City will also win legions of new admirers.

The days when a boy did not so much choose which club to support as have it dictated to him (by birthplace, family attachment or where his father first took him to see a game) are long gone. Boys and, rather more than in the past, girls now pledge allegiance to teams from cities – Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Munich, as well as London and Manchester – they may never even visit.

Wherever they live, these fans know that in most major football leagues, no more than two or three clubs have realistic prospects of winning titles that matter. And in this respect, ADUG’s purchase of Man City can be seen as a healthy development, since it offers the possibility of glory to an unfamiliar new contender.

Clearly, there is no more justification for challenging this deal than there was for protesting when the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich acquired Chelsea, or the American billionaires, the Glazer family, got their hands on Man Utd, or the Egyptian owner of Harrods, Mohamed al Fayed, took over Fulham.

Manchester City should not be deprived of investment any more than those clubs and the source of that investment has as much right to be the UAE as anywhere else. Was the period of success bought by Jack Walker for the deeply unfashionable Blackburn Rovers really any more noble because he was born in the town and made his money as a steel industrialist there? Is it not the plain truth that all football clubs, and their fans, long for men or institutions of substance to appear as saviours and guide them towards a higher level?

None of this will silence complaints about the Man City take-over, or overcome the inverted snobbery of those supporting the teams left behind in the money-fuelled quest for greatness. If plenty of people have long wondered whether football has brains, more will now express certainty that it has finally lost its soul.

But commerce does not have to drive all romance, or element of chance, out of the Beautiful Game. From the history books, I can even introduce a note of caution for supporters of Manchester City now contemplating a future dominated by the finest players money can buy, and the trophies and titles their brilliance will ensure.

Between the late 1940s and the late 1950s, Sunderland were known as the Bank of England Club because the men then in control were able to splash out large sums on the best footballers around.

A glance at the records offers no sign of resulting championships, cup final victories or European triumphs. The period began with a humiliating early exit from the FA Cup on the sloping pitch of the non-League Yeovil Town; it ended, in the spring of 1958, with the first relegation in the club’s 79-year history.

It was in Tian’anmen Square or on the Great Wall that the seeds of the latest contribution to Who Are You? were sown. The Thomas Cook top sort of gave it away that Dan Wild* was a Manchester City fan. He may be the first classics and ancient history graduate to visit China with a tour group and leave without seeing the terracotta warriors (it was an additional part of the itinerary, not included in the holiday he and his wife, Lesley-Ann, had won). Dan offers a bowdlerised version of Niall Quinn’s Disco Pants, thinks it’ll be 2-1 to City or 4-0 to us on Sunday and welcomes the Eastlands revolution and all those dirhams …

So, are Citeh the truly Manchester club or does everyone overdo the idea that most United fans couldn’t even place it on a map?  

I don’t think people overdo the idea. There are, obviously, a heck of a lot of United fans in Manchester, but (owing, alas, to their success) the vast majority of fans come from far and wide and most of whom without a doubt will never have seen a live game, many of whom probably won’t even have been to England! City lack the global fan base, hence us regarding ourselves as the ‘local club’ where most fans will have been to games live close to the city. 

What were your immediate thoughts when the Abu Dhabi takeover materialised, and what do think about it 19 months on? 

My immediate thought was “GET IN!” and 19 months on, into our most successful season in my lifetime, my thoughts remain the same. I see a Blue Moon rising! 

You were always considered, certainly by a lot of Sunderland supporters, a proper club with proper fans. Does all that money just make you another brand? 

Not yet, and hopefully it won’t ever. However if the money does bring massive success then I fear we may end up being everything we hate about United – a globally supported brand based on success and glory hunters. Whilst those who have always supported the club will remain the backbone of the loyal fan base there is now, I suppose, a danger that we could become a club supported by many who simply see the riches and potential for success. Huge success and retaining the ‘true’ fans is potentially something that may prove impossible. But for now, like Sunderland, we remain a proper club with proper fans in my opinion. 

Do you have any anecdotes, handed down or first hand, concerning the players and staff associated with both our clubs? Tony Coton, Niall Quinn, Dennis Tueart, Tony Towers, Dave Watson and Peter Reid spring to mind but I’ll have overlooked some. 

Tueart, Towers and Watson were before my time (though my dad often refers to the wing wizardry of Tueart!), but the others I know well. Peter Reid represented for me the most stable and successful manager City had since the early 70s and I will always wonder why he got the boot after a poor start to a season when he had done so well previously. As for Coton – safe hands but now coaching outside Manchester in Stretford for those dirty reds… Niall Quinn is a legend! I always wish Sunderland well (apart from against us of course!) owing to the Niall Quinn connection. We used to sing about his disco pants from the old Kippax stand: “Niall Quinn’s disco pants are the best, they go up from his feet to his vest, they are better than Adam and the Ants, Niall Quinn’s disco pants!” (I believe he was spotted sporting some funky disco pants at some point). You’re in safe hands with him at the helm – a true footballing gent no doubt…. (it’s arse to chest, not feet to vest, Dan – ed)

Memories, good or bad, of past games between us? 

Our last game was a bit of a thriller, Hughes’s last, 4-3 and end to end all game, neither team could defend which always makes for a thriller. We have tended to do fairly well against you in recent seasons (sorry…) so most memories are fairly positive for me! 

Did you laugh when Newcastle went down? 

Didn’t everyone? 

What were your expectations at the start of the season and where did you think we’d finish? Have you been surprised at our poor form? 

I desperately hoped for top four, but expected top six. We’ve done better in the cups than usual too so that was a bonus. As for the Black Cats, I expected a lot more after a positive start to the campaign and with Bent banging them in. You should be a top 8-10 team with that squad so yes, very surprised by the poor form! 

Would anything less than top four this season seem like failure, and what are your expectations for next season? 

Yes, to be frank. If we don’t finish 4th I can’t see Mancini being retained. Next season I would expect top 4 again but would love to see us win something – anything! It’s been so long! 

And did you feel Mark Hughes had done all he was going to do for the club or should he have had more time? 

To be honest I felt he should have gone in the previous season when we were flirting with the bottom of the table at Christmas. Having stuck with him through that I was shocked when he was sacked mid way through a successful campaign. We were in our first semi-final in my lifetime and on track for a top 4-6 finish. Plus we played some awesome football which has been sadly lacking under Mancini. Really we should have stuck with him to the summer and seen where we ended up. 

Greatest City figures you’ve ever seen, great signings you want to make and any players you wish you’d never seen? 

Andy Morrisson – centre back supreme in our Division Two days. Gio Kinkladze – legend. Ali Benarbia and Eyal Berkovic were playmakers of the top drawer too, wonderful to watch. Shaun Goater – complete lack of co-ordination but everything he touched hit the back of the net. And more recently of course Carlos Tevez looks like becoming a City great if he sticks around. Signings I’d love to see – Gerrard and Torres pinched from the Scousers, Messi of course but I doubt that will ever happen no matter how good we get, maybe Anton Ferdinand…  

Club vs country: rooting for England in S Africa or too concerned about your club? 

Club first every time for me, but of course when the World Cup comes around I’ll be cheering on England and hoping for that bit of luck you need to go all the way! 

Was Wayne Bridge right to exclude himself from international selection and to refuse to shake John Terry’s hand? 

No and yes. I can understand his reasons but it’s the World Cup Wayne, get on the damn plane! 


 
The Eduardo question: a blatant dive, unseen by the referee, wins you the penalty and the winner in the last second of the last game of the season and you’ve clinched a top four place. You take it gladly, you take it guiltily or you feel so ashamed you almost wish you hadn’t won? 

You take it gladly. Everyone else goes mental at you but what do you care – it’s forgotten about after a while and it’s you in the Champions League. Only person to really blame is the ref for not spotting it! I do believe a blatant dive should be a straight red though, but to enforce it properly you would need the 4th official to be able to look at the replay I think. 

Will you be at our match and if not, how will you keep tabs? 

Alas no, too far to travel and too much money. I’m a seasoncard holder here and am yet to see us lose at home this season but away games are few and far between. It will take me a while to get over the last time I went away… Was at Old Trafford when we were knocked out of the cup. Nightmare. 

What will be the score? 

2-1 City, Tevez double, Bent to grab one for you. Tense finish… but we often fluff our lines away so it could be 4-0 Sunderland just as easily! 

* Dan Wild, pictured on a slowish boat in China (Shanghai to be precise), on Dan Wild:
I’m 25, live in the city centre in Manchester. City seasoncard holder and have been (though in the past thanks to my dad!) since 1996 – strangely I started going regularly after we got relegated from the Premiership! Been a blue all my life and don’t regret it one bit, we’ll get one over our neighbours one of these days. I’m a primary schoolteacher by day, and a married soap watching couch potato by night. Best City fans’ site for me is www.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk
 
Good luck for the rest of the season (after our game of course!).

Colin Randall