Trial by YouTube
9:42am Friday 25th January 2008
I HAVE much planned for our free weekend. While other teams are scrapping away in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, I'll be sat in front of my computer, swotting up on our new signings.
We know a lot about Phil Bardsley, through his time at Manchester United, Aston Villa and most recently Sheffield United, but mystery surrounds our other signings.
Jean-Yves M'Voto, signed from Paris Saint Germain, and Rade Prica, signed from Aalborg, have shown that we do have a scouting network, and we don't just sign players who Roy Keane has a) played with, b) played against c) are Irish, or d) play for Trinidad and Tobago.
It's good news. The lads that have come in have got good pedigree, on paper at least. M'Voto is working his way up the French international setup and was, before he signed for Sunderland, banging on Paul Le Guen's door for a starting place for PSG in le Championnat.
Gloss over the fact that PSG have been pants this season, and ignore the fact that if he was THAT good, Arsenal would have hoovered him up by now.
Chances are, Arsene Wenger hasn't seen him, he did not see him, he doesn't know what you are talking about.
As for Prica, his scoring record for Aalborg is solid. 28 goals inside 48 appearances in the last two years is a good ratio. He's a Swedish international. He's played in the UEFA Cup.
In the past, we used to trust the newspapers when we signed a player we knew nothing about. Now we have YouTube to see how he looks, and Facebook to see where he lives. Times have changed.
I remember when we signed Jan Erikkson in the 90s. I was naturally excited about it, because, at the time, the only other international player we had on our books was Dariusz Kubicki. Before that, you'd have to look at Marco Gabbiadini as our most continental player. And he was from Nottingham.
Erikkson, we were told, was highly rated, had played for Sweden in Euro 92, scoring two goals, was Sweden's player of the year in 1992. Brilliant stuff.
He barely played.
My excitement at unknown foreigners playing waned soon after that.
But for every Erikkson there was an Eric Roy, for every Bernt Haas there was a Patrice Carteron, for every Nicolas Medina there was a Julio Arca.
YouTube footage showed our latest foreign import Prica scoring an own goal and missing a sitter for Sweden. Not good so far. But there is also footage of the boy spanking in a free-kick from 30 yards out. That's more like it!
Fact is, we can't really trust websites to run the rule on a player. We have to trust the scouting network, trust Roy Keane, and trust the player.
I will judge Prica, and M'Voto, by what they do on the pitch, in the red and white stripes of Sunderland. But if you really want to see what he can do - here you go.
On Tuesday, it will be less of View from the North Stand and more like View from the North Circular, as I will be providing my opinions on the game against Birmingham live on Sky Sports in London for their Fanzone feature.
It's not glamorous, and it's certainly not comfortable when the opposition score and they are taunting you, but it's a great day out.
It's a game we need to be winning, but Alex McLeish has turned City into a tough team to break. It took Chelsea all game to break them down, and there were times when you thought that Brum could have won it.
The goal we gifted Tottenham on Saturday was criminal. Whatever happened to hoofing it into the stands if in doubt?
Paul McShane made a bigger mess of Nyron Nosworthy's indiscretions, and the two would have been hauled over the coals for that.
They say people learn from mistakes. We have shown little sign of that this term. Defeat on Tuesday is unthinkable. I have a feeling that it will go right down to the wire this season, and our mistakes may well come back to haunt us.