Well boys and girls, itâs Monday morning and Osca and I had our morning stroll through the park at 5.15, he was in a stuborn mood and decided it was his pace or none, we had a domestic. I love that early morning peace, it gives you time to think in the quiet with just the sound of birds in the trees and the world waking up. My thoughts, as always, are never far from Sunderland, the game just gone and the one to come and I must admit that a nervous, excited calm is with me, a contradiction I know but it kind of sums it up for me. The great thing about the Liverpool game, for me, was not how good we played but how poor we were compared to the potential we have, OâShea, Vaughan,Gardner,Wickham,Turner,Bramble,Campbell,Meylar,Gordon Ji all non starters then the good crop of kids behind them. Yes we played well at Liverpool but I get the feeling it could just get a lot better. Don get me wrong, we still have problems to solve and I wont even say what the problems are, if you donât know by now and all that. What gives me so much hope is calm authority being shown, Brown, everyones worst buy of the window, if he is the worst I cant wait for the good ones! Anton, still heart in mouth but TBF he was good and maybe Brown is giving him that confidence back. Bardo, on his way out to superstar in 12 months. Cats and Colback looking assured and in Cats case looking like his head is finaly using its brain. Larssen, forget the goal if you can because even without it did he look a class act. Elmo, still learning and by no means a regular starter for me but looking better all the time. Sess looking like one of us and can only get better. Ji little glimpse of what might just be the buy of the season, just got that feeling, raw and lots to learn but I just think he may learn fast. We now look forward to Saturday and again I approach the day full of hope and confidence but full of fear and nervous tension, its like that on derby week because you know how it can all blow up in your face. At least, at the very least, I just cant see us freezing like last year, a big game for us but a low key one for Brown and OâShea and what they have been used to. Keep our heads, play the way we can and it could be a good week next week, it just might be. Fingers crossed boys and girls, a think another coffee is in order now.
The nervous tension is kicking in right now & will get worse as the week goes on. By Friday I will have severe PMT. Will be on auto pilot all week at work. Still, as long as I don't fall head first into a ****ing lathe or summat equally nasty. Always the same on the build up to the derby. By the weekend I will feel physically ill. Heres hoping for three points. Couldn't give a ****e if it's a 91st minute goal deflected in by the refs knob. Would still be great to batter them though.
I'm really looking forward to it, the banter with my Geordie 'friends' has started this week (abusive texts - all good crack though) I think we will improve and if Brown is as good as he was last weekend and with O'Shea coming in I can see us being really strong at the back. I've a gut feeling Wickham will get a chance on Saturday from the bench. Roll on 12 on Saturday, nerves and all!!
The draw at liverpool would have done the team a lot of good, calming the nerves and settling the new players in. Another week of training, and I have high hope for the derby. Not wanting to predict any scores though, as we all know what happened last season. If Gyan is injured: Mig Elmo, Brown, Ferdinand, Bardo (if O'shea is not 100% fit) Larsson, Catts, Colback, Ricco Sess Ji Why Richardson at LW? Simply because Bardo and Ricco were on the left last season when we tore Chelsea a new one, and they overlapped nicely that day.
Richardson gets loads of abuse on here and TBH I can see why but I lik the lad and think he gets a hard time for the wrong reasons. He gets it for not being the best LB but I dont think he thinks he is a left back, Bruce does. On the left wing he is better and TBH without changing the team around, I woul do, he is the best we have. Me, well I would go 4-4-2 for this one and we could then use Sess on the wing and Ji/Wickham up front. If O'Shea is fit it would be.. MIG BARDO..BROWN..ANTON..O'SHEA LARSSEN..CATTS..COLBACK..SESS GYAN..JI Wickham on second half and for me that would be a good team. If Gyan is out then Wickham and Ji up front, raw, untested but what the ****, they are strikers so lets play strikers not midfielders. Larssen and Sess putting alls in for those 2, come on they must score.
that team looks good as well, as long as both gyan and Shea are fit. Thats the best thing this season imo, we can put out several different team combinations are still look strong on paper.
As has been stated on another thread, O'Shea was rusty as **** in Germany. Even if he's fit he wont be match fit. Is this really the game to play someone so far off the pace? Not that I have all the answers like lads.
