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Should Will Grigg be given another chance to prove himself at Sunderland?

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Mark Carrick says...

There is an argument that players are given short contracts in League One - no more than two years in most cases - as clubs need to move ‘failing’ players on as quickly as possible. In the case of Will Grigg, this seems eminently sensible and the club should move on quickly from this disaster.

Having signed for big money and big wages at this level to replace an emerging and successful Academy product, the move simply hasn’t worked.

Whether it’s the style of play, the managers who don’t fancy him, or the player himself, the signs are things won’t improve. Given the concerns over salary caps and squad sizes that will affect Sunderland perhaps more than any other League One side, we simply can’t afford to carry expensive dead weight.

Sunderland need a team to win promotion. We need a decent striker. We have neither at the moment and tough decisions need to be made with regards a few players who have failed to achieve the stated outcome in two years.

Unfortunately, in the case of Grigg, that isn’t such a tough decision.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Sean Brown says...

If you look up “Will Grigg” in online dictionaries you may find yourself redirected to a video of a lad getting his bollocks smashed with a hammer. That’s arguably a far more rewarding and pleasant viewing experience than watching Grigg wandering around a pitch attempting to work out what that spherical object near his feet actually is, what he’s supposed to do with it, why he’s supposed to do it... and collecting 12 grand a week in the process.

Approximately £48,000 a month on a forward in League One is a hefty wage, and when that forward manages to somehow be one of the worst in the entire division, I think it’s safe to say you could class such an expense as a complete waste of club finances.

I feel like I should say something positive, as the lad is only human after all (so was Thatcher, allegedly) but it’s difficult for me to say anything complimentary or positive about William, so I won’t.

Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

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Matthew Foster says...

Like a relationship that has had some troubling times, we’ve reached a crossroads with Grigg. Do we try and work through it and delay the inevitable break up, or bite the bullet and go our separate ways now?

Whilst this may be a controversial statement, but I like Grigg. He has undoubted talent at this level, and his record backs that up. But in red and white, he has been on fire as much as a candle in the rain, and you could point to a variety of different reasons why that’s been the case.

I feel that the pressure of being a big money signing in this league has lay heavily at Grigg’s door, and the expectation of goals has been all the more burdensome.

Whilst I like him, I do think we need to move him on. It would be better for both club and player, but the other issue would be, in the current climate, how are you going to do that? Who is going to have the wherewithal to take him on?

Plus, you just know that if he moved to another League One club, he’d suddenly find his form and undoubtedly would grab a hatful against us!

Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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Phil Butler says...

Back in October when Jack Ross was relieved of his duties; Sunderland’s owners had a choice to make that effectively decided Will Grigg’s long-term future at the Stadium of Light.

Had they gone all in for a manager who had worked with the forward before and was willing to build a team around to former Wigan man (someone like Paul Cook for example) then it is likely that this question would not even be asked, as Grigg would be our first-choice forward.

However, Phil Parkinson got the job, and since he has arrived Charlie Wyke has been his first choice striker - something which was only challenged when another target man, Lafferty, was brought in during January.

With this being the case, Will Grigg is firmly surplus to requirements at the Stadium of Light, and it’s about time the club cut their losses and replaced Grigg with a striker more suited to Parkinson’s direct style of play.

For Grigg, I think he’d be wise to drop down a level and try to fire a team into the third tier; his confidence is shot and only goals can redeem it, goals which won’t come sitting in the reserves at the Stadium of Light.

Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

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Martin Wanless says...

Sometimes, it’s obvious when a player isn’t going to work out at a club... and Will Grigg isn’t going to work at Sunderland AFC.

It’s partly down to him. It’s partly down to the club. We paid a ridiculous fee for him based on his record alone - with no consideration as to whether he’d fit into our side or not.

Both Ross and Parkinson have failed to get a tune out of him, and unfortunately he’ll be forever remembered for being one of Donald’s biggest mistakes. His signing will be forever associated with this regime, and when things started going wrong.

If he was younger I’d be tempted to stick with him; however, we need to cut our significant losses on this one.

He’s proven he can’t cut it in the Championship, and we need to rebuild for the long term. I’d be happy to see him go for a minimal fee, with hopefully some decent payments in there should he and his new team be successful.

We can only look forward to waving him goodbye, and his inevitable goal for his new club against us at the Stadium of Light next season.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images