Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Sheffield United – Championship Play-off Final - Saturday 24th May 2025 - KO 15:00

It's become a very strange situation whereby the 'boxers' go from bantamweight to heavyweight ...

... I'm looking forward to a great weekend, seeing some magic from the Lads and trusting the club to plan for whichever league we're in.

When you see the likes of Leicester, West Brom, Sheff Utd etc, in debt or docked points it makes you pleased we have an owner like KLD.

Sheff Utd fans seem half hearted about Wembley, or promotion.

No surprising after the battering they took in the PL and the team looks no better now imo.

 

That's the big thing, now we have a plan. No matter what league there is a plan and structure in place.
Massive challenge to stay up if we go up but truly believe we'd have a good chance of staying up because of what has been put in place over the last 3-4 years rather than a scatter gun approach which we've had in the past.

 

I’ve said all year Wilder is the person who may balls it up for them. He’s a lunatic. Their strength of squad/subs should do it and would do it beyond 90 in my view but it wouldn’t surprise me if he over stimulates them and they don’t perform’ lose discipline or get a man walking. Le Bris is the manager I’d want in this situation.

 

Watching this on You Tube with Don Goodman and Curtis Davis giving their input

According to them, we were in 4th from week 14 of the championship

 

Perhaps I'm being naive but I genuinely believe the players mean what they say when they're interviewed about their connection to the club.

The team spirit seems very high which can't be bought ...

... doing a 'Burnley' and bringing in a dozen new players every season doesn't appeal tbh, theirs couldn't wait to get away when they were relegated.

 

VAR isn't good for people like Wilder.

Wycombe, in the full glare of TV, etc, couldn't play their normal spoiling game at Wembley and looked quite tame.

Sheff Utd play attritional football which is difficult when a referee is being watched by millions imo.

 

Listening to the Echo Podcast, the Sheffield reporter is ridiculously confident. You can tell he's trying to keep a lid on it for professionalism sake, but some of the **** he's come out with - parachute payments aren't relevant because they sold some players before buying a player from Plymouth; Sheff Utd players will have the advantage because a couple of them have played at Wembley before; had Moore not missed that penalty then they would have won 1-0 at the SOL, Sheff Utd finished 16pts (it was 14) pts ahead of us so are clearly better than us etc etc

I really hope this arrogance is shared by Wilder and the players

 

Turned it off half way through yesterday. Was looking forward to listening to their perspective from a grounded point and hearing their strengths and weaknesses. As soon as started saying that its nonsense they have tried to buy promotion, I couldnt be arsed to listen anymore. Literally spent £13m on a striker in January who doesnt even start.

 

Exactly. I turned off when Copley & asked him about the games in the regular season and he said they would have won because of their defensive record and we were gifted a goal. Aye, ok mate.

 

I swear every fanbase who concede a goal think its gifted. We do the same on here often, always looking for a mistake or something to blame. Often goals are just good goals and you have to hold your hands up but for some reason in this era we all microanalyse every action.

 

Curtis Davis came out with roughly the same kind of argument. They have players who have played big games in the Premier League - pity they got their arses handed to them in those big games. He also said we spent to much emotional energy defending and the reaction when Ballard scored could go against us! Plus we only won cos of mistakes in the 2 games.

I think those 2 games against Coventry and the way we defended against them could stand us in good stead plus as Goodman stated in the video, our front 3 frightened the crap out of their defense and that has to play a part in the mind games

 

99% of goals are scored due to mistakes.

 

let them believe it,
similar to Fat Frank and Coventry, they had the tie won before KO,

this suits us,

 

If it's a pinpoint cross and a towering header people will say the mistake was allowing the cross to come in

 

Yep. Even in your scenario here, fans will blame

a) giving away the possession in the first place ;
b) letting the cross come in ;
c) not marking closely enough ;
d) not challenging well enough ;
e) poor starting position from the keeper ;
f) poor save attempt from the keeper ;
g) poor team selection in the first place.

There's always an excuse and a way to apportion blame.

 

Traveling from Sydney for a match, I doft my hat

https://www.safc.com/news/2025/may/...U_7mQ9ShnBTl32yPDA_aem_OxcTk5IxywavG8-g-oU93A

 

Yeah doesn't feel like the token weekly battle cry we used to get from John OShea. Feels like something special at the club at the minute

 

I suddenly had a thought yesterday of us winning on penalties.

I thought we would get promoted before the season started and I've been pretty relaxed all year.
Slightly less relaxed after the run of losses at the end.

I'm going to be fooking right on edge for this, unless we go 3 up

Sheffield will be favourites and fair do's they finished above us.
But I think we'll sneak this one.

 

An old friend who used to run things at the Foundation of Light, left a couple of years ago but is still very close with the people there. I can't say his name for obvious reasons.

 

Hard to pronounce?