Don't Mackem me go

"I don’t care about Sunderland. Even if the newspapers said Chelsea, I wouldn’t care. I worry for my team – I love the city, I love the club and I don’t care about signing for another team."

Allow me to translate for Jose Enrique here: "Please, please, please don't send me to t'dark place". Little chance of him swapping Tyneside for Wearside in January, I'd say, and a good thing, too - after Kevin Nolan and Alan Smith, he's been arguably our best and most consistent performer this campaign. All of them were thoroughly rotten last season - what's changed?! It can't just be the level we're playing at, can it?

On the subject of the reopening of the transfer window in the new year, Steve Claridge - "the BBC's Football League expert", no less - believes we won't sell anyone. Is it tempting fate to agree with his logic (such as it is)? Probably, and I do dispute his contention that we haven't got anyone who would bring in a decent return (Enrique, Nolan, Fabricio Coloccini, Steven Taylor and Spiderman just for starters), but I hope he's right. Even with one of the largest and strongest squads in the Championship, it's investment and recruitment we'll need if the promotion push is to stay on track.