Sunderland pre match chat
Hi, again I enjoyed the banter before the game at our place and thought I would pop in to see how you lot are feeling ahead of the return game, which due to Covid is our next game.
We are back to our early season form if not better, last night against Sheffield Wednesday was our most complete performance for a few years so we will be full of confidence. Injuries had left us a little disjointed but as often happens this has foced changes which resulted in a better shape, getting Prichard, Neil, Embleton and Evans in a midfield four has made us so much stronger, even with a lot of nourishment, Broadhead, McGeady, Luke O9 amongst them.
So how are you lot looking .
Thanks for the invite for a pint before the game, but I will be watching this on Sky. If we both go up this year happy to have a pint with you lot before the game up here next season.
Comments
3-0 to Wycombe
Could be a difficult one for us again, we're not at top form and have been variable at best against the teams up the top so far and have a few next. We've got decent players if it clicks and there will no doubt be a bit of needle. Mehmeti was benched for quite a while after chinning Luke 09 but will be key if he starts and will have something to prove.
Going to be a tough game...probably not a pretty watch and possibly a frustrating (for some people) draw. And that's being optimistic. On the bright side...beating or losing to Sunderland should not define our season.
By half time.
Depends which team and players turn up.
From Ipswich … 2 wing backs more wary of crosses than a B movie vampire. Vokes straining every sinus to get his head on wild punts forward. Hanlan wearing an invisible suit covered with triangles making the ball rebound off him in random and exciting directions. A midfield that kept socially distant from the opposition.
Or
Mehmeti and McCleary offering the kind of football that makes you think how the hell are they in league 1. Vokes rolling back the years with flicks and headers reminiscent of centre forwards of days of old. 2 centre backs cruising regardless of what is thrown at them. A midfield that controls every ball and attack - you know the fella.
We will see.
A 2-3 loss for me
What @TheAndyGrahamFanClub said
Apart from the scoreline !
Please could you just not press our players in your half too much and let us go about our business of creating magic…it will make for a much better game
Our shape and general approach at Ipswich was frustrating. The ball was airborne longer than a transatlantic flight.
We were without one of our regular centre backs and had only one pressing midfielder until Scowen came on during the second half. His arrival and that of rising star, ‘Mehmessi’, made a big difference and we dominated most of the second half. We possibly deserved a draw but we’ve not been sufficiently clinical in the final third in several recent games. I say recent but that was our first game for 18 days! Some disappointed fans blamed ring rustiness. I’m not so sure but if it is a ‘thing’ I hope it afflicts your boys on 8 January ! So much happening these days that I couldn’t possibly venture a score prediction until 7 January.
I’ve just looked back at your opening comments @Safc_in_peace and, much to my embarrassment, I realise that it’s only a 9 day break for Sunderland. Just about perfect. Forget the ringrustiness nonsense!
I think we are going to lose TBH. When I've been able to go to my 'lucky' pre-match pub of The Rose & Crown, we have a PPG of 2.39 per game
When I've had to drive or lockdown caused pub closure, we've lost all three.
Sadly, Sky messing around with the kick-off means that I won't be able to go to the pub.
Cracking bunch of fans BTW, visited the Ship Isis and Times Inn on a non-matchday, made to feel really welcome and we had a good chat
Sorry but if you still play out from the back you will find that our forwards and midfield will be closing you down in your half. It does mean that it can leave us a little exposed at times if you can get the ball forward quickly.
I wasn’t suggesting that we will be ring rusty. If anything it will give us time to get more of the injured players back to give more options from the bench. I can’t see is changing the team after the last couple of games.
All I was saying is that we don’t have another game before we play you.
Wycombe playing out from the back... That'll be the day.
God I hope not. Lower league players doing it is one of the most terrifying things in modern football.
Depends on the coaching / coaches recognising whether they've for the players for it. MK under Martin did it brilliantly - but for every team like that, you have a dozen Brian Barry-Murphy's Rochdales.
I was going to say the same thing ! When have we ever done that ?
Sorry @Safc_in_peace. My reference to rustiness nonsense related to my mistaken impression that Sunderland had “suffered” a break from competitive football of similar duration to ours. I was inadvertently talking nonsense, therefore, and I certainly wasn’t implying that you’d suggested that Sunderland would be ring rusty. On the contrary, on realising my misunderstanding, I immediately commented that a nine day break was just about perfect. The “forget the ring rustiness nonsense” was intended for you to forget my (inadvertent) nonsense.
Phew!!
My prediction is that Scowen will get booked.
And O'Nien will get stick from some sections of the crowd.
Unfortunately not - he's injured
Can't see anything but a win for the mackams! Massively inform and superior squad. We've been pretty poor on the eye all season (I cancelled my season ticket after the Portsmouth game due to this) I think we've had a lot of luck go our way in terms of wins. The endless hoofball and slowing down of the game is tiresome and extremely fucking frustrating... I've lost interest in us.... Never thought I'd say that.
Ha ha ha ??
Imagine how you’d feel if we weren’t having one of the most successful seasons in our history.
It's painfully boring to watch though.... I'd normally be glued to my reading twitter updates when we're playing but that's gone to. The excitement has gone from me. Compare to how we played the second half of last season our style is massively disappointing. Anyway rant over good luck for the season I'm taking up cycling I think.
We can beat Sunderland. On our day we can beat any side in League 1.
Do cheer up pal, think positive!
We are having another great season and I include last season in that.
However our style of play gives us very little hope of making good money in the transfer market and it is tough selling us to new fans who find it difficult to be entertained by our more than often style of play and game management.
It will be interesting to see how we play next Saturday.
I've enjoyed every game at AP this season but I assume my standards are quite low. Not seen a game yet that was particularly easy on the eye so looking forward to the great footballing sides of this league turning up and thrilling me.
How do you think McCleary and Mehmeti have been doing out of interest?
We can play it with the best of them at times with those two.
I still savour that ball playing magic from Forest Green. Across their back 4 they were like Barcelona.