Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v West Ham - Saturday 16th August 2025 - KO 15:00

All 5 defenders and the keeper were excellent yesterday. Solid as a rock.

 

Bit of balance on the MOTD analysis. Shearer said he didn’t want to do it and for the neutral it makes sense. Who’s better to analyse Sunderland than an ex manager who beat us last season or an utter disaster of a caretaker manager who get humped by us what must be a decade ago? Seeing Shearer have to say good things would be an utter delight but I can wait for next week when we take another 3 points off Burnley.

 

Oddschecker

The second most backed Premier League bet placed in the last 24 hours is Sunderland to stay up (6/5).

 

We were all supposed to be terrified of Bowen and which defenders he'd annihilate.

Turns out we had more attempts on goal and Diarra had the best of those missed.

In reality Bowen's attempt on goal was never going in but Isidor's header, that Roefs brilliantly turned over, was flying.

Other than that a clearance by Ballard was about all they could manage ...

... if Sunderland really have problems up front, as is claimed, I'd say West Ham have a crisis.

But, it was our midfield that won the game and that's the reason we'll stay up.

 

Watched the match 4 times now and can't get enough of the action, along with the goals that went in, i could feel the hairs stand up and tingle, the crowd noise was brilliant, can't wait for Burnley, I'm especially looking forward to the same recipe again.Haway the lads. Have the wife's two brothers are over from Kenya Friday evening, and they can't wait to sample the atmosphere anarl.

 

My only target is 11 points from the first 10 games. No promoted team achieving that mark has ever gone down according to one of the YouTubers I watched.

 

G Neville is impressed.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...ualities-of-achieving-premier-league-survival

Our midfield destroyed their midfield.

Has to be said re Bowen though, he is clearly a very good player. He was their only bright spark on Saturday. Think his ability to carry the ball forward in possession is very good. It’s like a premier league version of Jack Clarke.

 

Some of his touches in tight spaces were superb, quality player. West Ham deep in the **** if he gets injured.

 

It's the way he creates space that's so special, we will come up against lots of players that can do that. We had a plan for him though which is great, we stopped the ball getting to him in the 2nd half and we crowded him out at times. He's one of my favourite players and should really be playing for a club competing for CL spots.

Outside of that there's not many if any players from that West Ham I'd of taken for us - probably AWB (Hume was better than him on Saturday tho) and Kilman (Alderete played better than him). Shows what a great window we've had so far - could get even better as well!

A few have mentioned on here last season that if RLB got us promoted his football and tactics are probably more suited to the PL - we know how to play without the ball which is key in the top flight. Our CM gives us a cracking chance of staying up, the fact Le Fee is probably 4th choice CM is mental. That CM 3 is probably a mid table CM 3 and will only get better as the season goes on - Sadiki and Diarra could be beasts this season

 

we were *checks notes* awful

 

They all seemed to have come in quietly and out of nowhere. The transfer business has been much better this season doing it that way, compared with those muppets chasing after Will Grigg like used car salesmen.

 

They’re all complimentary about us until they get beat.

 

this will happen alot this season

 

Well thanks for that becs. Just when I thought I had excised those scenes from my near memory you had to go and remind me ​

 

Doesn't matter what you play unless we get a new PA system

 

Sorry for the Echo link, but this is a brilliant article

https://www.sunderlandecho.com/spor...erland-west-ham-united-premier-league-5275382

 

The speed he shifts the ball and the weight he puts on them is superb.

Just the little gives are so fast. He is genuinely a brilliant footballer.

 

https://www.youtube.com/live/IbrR7ov3p4I?si=CXY71-XBW_iq6pqH

 

for your early morning reading

 

We need to aim for more, imo. I doubt any of those promoted teams have had as easy of a start as we have this year