No no no. Please God no. Why? No, no. No.
Aside from being Michael Scott's outburst when Toby returned in 'The Office', that is what any Irish fan who came across an article in The Telegraph linking Shane Long and Robbie Brady with a move would likely have thought, as apparently Sunderland are in for both men.
Without wanting to be too disrespectful, moving to a relegation threatened club, a VERY relegation threatened club, is not what either player needs.
Here's what Luke Edwards, who broke the story, is saying:
Sunderland are weighing up a bid for Republic of Ireland international Robbie Brady in the January transfer window as manager David Moyes looks to add players with a proven track record in English football.
Brady dropped out of the Premier League when he was relegated with Norwich City back in May, but excelled for Ireland at the European Championships in France, scoring the dramatic winning goal against Italy that took Martin O’Neill’s side into the knockout stage of the competition.
The Black Cats are also monitoring another Ireland international, Southampton striker Shane Long. The 29-year-old would add some much-needed pace and energy to Sunderland’s front line, which is far too reliant on the 34-year-old Jermain Defoe for goals.
Long has not scored for Southampton this season, although it remains to be seen if he is willing to leave the south coast.
Now, for Sunderland, this would represent outstanding business as both players would improve the club's chances of staying up dramatically. Brady in front of Van Aanholt would be an extremely tasty left-flank, while Shane Long would be huge in terms of doing Jermaine Defoe's running for him and giving the goalkeeper an outlet ball when under pressure.
But for both players it would appear to be an extremely risky move.
Brady decided to stay put with Norwich in the hopes of returning to the top-flight for next season, and after 13 games they are on track to do so. Keep in mind that Robbie Brady has relegated in back to back seasons, the last thing he needs is to jump-ship midway through the season and try to keep another club up.
While Shane Long hasn't hit the ground running under Claude Puel, he is still an important member of that squad, not least because his versatility and skill set can facilitate playing up front with Charlie Austin.
For Irish fans, we want to see our boys playing regularly first and foremost, but also happy at their clubs and playing in environments that ensure they turn up to duty for Martin O'Neill in good spirits. Just look at the improvement in Stephen Ward's form thanks to the stability at Burnley.
Thankfully, this interest at the moment is only coming from Sunderland, and we imagine Brady is happy to try and achieve promotion with Norwich, and Shane Long is absolutely loving life in Southampton judging by the TV3 show that gave us a look inside his personal life last month.
Still.. It's a bit scary.
[via The Telegraph]
