Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Fulham FC – FA Cup - Wednesday 8th February 2023 - KO 19:45

I love Sunderland , but today we are not ready for the premiership , but are close. With the recruitment team we have wiwwwwwww
the sky is the limit

as a football supporter I can’t believe what I am seeing it is world class

 

Just a moan Fulham were penalised before half-time why 1 my extra time

 

We have won many friends with our performances over these games against Fulham. we are clearly a little short of being a premier league team, but then again, I don't think anyone was saying this group of players were that quality just yet.....but a lot of them are getting there. The club is growing and given a little more time and we will have a side capable of brushing a side the likes of Fulham

 

Nervy start. Grew into it. Unlucky imo but proud of them. Don't know when they are beat.
I think with game time Ekwah can be the big physical beast we have needed for the middle of the park.
Some good football again but thought we tried to overplay it at times
We will never know but with Ross on the pitch tonight I think we might have won.

 

Pretty good effort all round I'd say.

Clearly got the runaround for the first half an hour when Fulham learned their lesson from the first game and flew out of the traps.

After that , especially considering our injuries, we were pretty decent against a bloody good side with the bit between their teeth. We'll miss an obvious centre forward at times , but we have options for us that some teams will struggle with. Lads put a lot into that

 

They’re a big, quick physical team and overran us in the middle of the park early doors.
Once we got to grips with that and started pressing, there wasn’t much in it. Michut is a v good, tenacious player for his size. Once he adjusts and bulks up a bit, he and Dan look v promising.

Defensively was our weak spot, clearing the box was poor. Mark/watch the man/runners, not the ball caught us out twice (Alese & Ekwah); Roberts needs a lesson in clearing headers.

The ball always seems to drop to them in 50-50s which was just one of them nights.

I’d like to see us try 3 in the middle in some games rest of season. ONien deeper or Ekwah higher up. Ba also an option.

Three up top in any combo of Roberts, Clarke, Diallo, Gelherdt, Lihadji, Benette, Pritchard … should get us goals. chuck Onien or Ballard up there for the last 10!

 

Well I’m away at work on nights didn’t manage to see the game but me Jock m8 watched it and was full of praise for young side couldn’t get away from him singing our praises to get to me bed,onward and upward I say

 

Is the timing of any opposition goal good?

 

Yeah I never get that saying, the only time it’s “not a bad time to concede” imo is in the dying seconds of a game where you have a 3 goal lead!

 

Well my prediction that if we scored 2 goals we would win was unfortunately incorrect.

Nevertheless after a poor start we grew into the game. The ref gave us very little, not even enough extra time when we were pressing.

 

Not sure I’ve ever come away from a game we’ve lost with such a buzz. We absolutely made a premier league team work their arses off to get past us. Very proud of the lads. Frustrated the fück out of me when people stood up and left at 3-1. Those players deserved much more than that. They deserved clapping from the field by everyone who bought a ticket.

I’m glad we didn’t equalise (with hindsight, I’d have gone mental if we had last night and taken it to extra time!!). Extra time would’ve been tough on our lads with such a threadbare squad and a very important game on Saturday.

My obligatory “that ref was a joke” is again appropriate. When you look at the little jiggly fouls he gave every one to them, and none to us. That goal kick where the keeper rolled it to the centre half, who then rolled it back to him, was ridiculous. I get the new rule, but that was taking the piss. Vs Reading away, we got booked on 62 minutes for time wasting at 2-0. They time wasted from 18 minutes and he told them 5 or 6 times to hurry up, but booked nobody then added a piss taking 4 minutes at the end (7 subs at least and 4 goals in the second half)

have to say though, from a “singing songs” perspective, those Fulham fans are pretty much the worst, and stupidest I’ve ever heard at SAFC.

“your support is ****ing ****” when they brought about a quarter of what we took to them and also had more in our ground yesterday than they’ve had at craven cottage since standing was a thing

“Your ground’s too big for you” well, indeed it is, but your ground is also too big for you. The difference is we’d fill your ground every week, you don’t!

“you’re only here for the Fulham”… This is so funny. They obviously don’t realise that this was lower than any league attendance this season. So, technically, we only atayed away for the Fulham. Thick bastards.

“you’re ****ing ****”. Possibly one of the toughest games they’ve had this season… Coupled with the BBC literally saying “the result did not do justice to the verve and vigour of the championship side” I’d take playing that **** every week thanks

 

When their lad goes down after our corner, then says “I don’t need the trainer” why doesn’t the ref say “we’ll get on with it then”? And then book anyone who wastes time? There are so many things the authorities could do to appease fans with stuff like this. Independent time keeper would get rid of the feigning injury to waste time overnight. But no, that’s an easy one so we won’t bother doing that, we’ll bring in some stupid rule where you can put 2 players in the box for a goal kick to allow you to waste more time (I like that rule all in all to be ut the time wasting that goes with it is a joke)

 

It's been said that team isn't ready for the PL.

That's probably right but that team wouldn't be playing.

And we wouldn't be competing in the top half, with the likes of Fulham, we'd be fighting against teams like Southampton.

With Cirkin, Huggins, Stewart, Embleton, Pritchard, Evans, etc, in the squad I think we'd have done better last night. Fulham are clearly a better team than much of the PL and certainly better than us ...

... we needed a bit of luck and a decent referee, we got neither.

 

I think there is a growing groundswell of opinion for an independent timekeeper and we'll see them sooner rather than later...so easy to do...should have been done long ago.

 

A battling performance 2nd half, oh for a CF and leave out Neil weak as piss AGAIN.

 

Been very good of late Bob however, last night he was significantly outclassed on the ball. Fulham made a big attempt to close him down and he couldn't handle the pressure and turned over the ball.

Michut was very composed on the other hand. He is coming on well. Aye with a CF we win last night IMO. Big Danny Baath even made a difference up top.

Seen sleeves Elliot , super kev both day that a striker would have made the difference and even mowbray saying it's difficult without one in the post conference.

Great performance but just lacking in some areas.

I thought Patto was poor for a couple of goals too.

 

With a team where we are you normally only get the one chance to beat a top prem team, and so it was. If only that Rigg goal had stood.

 

Really? So you’d drop him and leave mr universe strongman Michut in?? Christ almighty you must’ve watched a different game to me. He was easily bullied, but he can pick a pass as well as anyone who played last night and was also playing against premier league midfielders.with way more experience. One of whom is a Portuguese international. He’s 21 and never played outside the third tier until this season.

Love how quick some fans are to target a player

 

First I thought he should’ve got round the post. At the match I thought he should’ve got the third but, having watched it back, it was one of those that he likely wouldn’t have got to. Guess we’ll never know!

 

All I can say is, I'm glad you are not in charge of our recruitment, with your views on Neil and Stewart.