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Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Saudi FC - Sunday 14th December 2025 - KO 14:00
- Thread starter RTB
- Start date
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If anyone can school the referee it’s Xhaka …
… he’ll want to leave his stamp on this game in my opinion.
Newcastle may have better players but we’re much more of a team.
I think this will be a very controlled performance from us.
Its getting closer!
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Coming along nicely …
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Weather warning for rain on Sunday, hopefully doesnt affect those travelling from a distance
I guess opinions are everything and especially in this game.
On Fbook there are some truly deluded people and 1 mag in particular churning on about how they are a more successful club because of their cup win, whilst calling me deluded in the same paragraph as I suggested they were the richest club in the world and owned by an oil rich state with horrendous human rights issues. Whilst we were little old Sunderland growing organically and building a lasting legacy deserving of what football should be about.
Maybe I hit a nerve
In truth this ge will be a tight affair as most youtube predictions say but I feel they can be got at and we have the wherewithal to exploit their weaknesses.
The city game after watching it back was not as bad as the scoreline suggested and in truth City were purring in that firs half and we really struggled. But if you listen to Pep he basically said it was the best city have played in a long time(maybe they just clicked on the day) and that he thought Sunderland actually played very well.
Who knows but am sticking with my 4-2 scoreline and hope I am right as I see a few VAR decisions and a few cards and maybe a penalty or 2 in this one. Referee will be vital to proceedings and I wish it was not the case but he will need to be fair and strong as there will be antics in this game.
On Fbook there are some truly deluded people and 1 mag in particular churning on about how they are a more successful club because of their cup win, whilst calling me deluded in the same paragraph as I suggested they were the richest club in the world and owned by an oil rich state with horrendous human rights issues. Whilst we were little old Sunderland growing organically and building a lasting legacy deserving of what football should be about.
Maybe I hit a nerve
In truth this ge will be a tight affair as most youtube predictions say but I feel they can be got at and we have the wherewithal to exploit their weaknesses.
The city game after watching it back was not as bad as the scoreline suggested and in truth City were purring in that firs half and we really struggled. But if you listen to Pep he basically said it was the best city have played in a long time(maybe they just clicked on the day) and that he thought Sunderland actually played very well.
Who knows but am sticking with my 4-2 scoreline and hope I am right as I see a few VAR decisions and a few cards and maybe a penalty or 2 in this one. Referee will be vital to proceedings and I wish it was not the case but he will need to be fair and strong as there will be antics in this game.
I still find a bizarre Newcastle are allowed to travel without a bubble
Good to see other clubs see them
For what they are
Keep checking for returns for re- sales on the ticket site, some maybe still popping up
Press Conference at 13:30 TODAY
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From Leo Pearmans LinkedIn profile.
League position & form go out the window on derby day, but momentum & culture don’t disappear, they’re earned, they’re lived. They're the backbone of everything a successful club eventually becomes. What we’ve been building at Sunderland these past few years is exactly that.On 6th Jan 2024, Newcastle came to the Stadium of Light & taught us an absolute lesson, on & off the pitch. It hurt, it embarrassed us. We shouldn’t shy away from any of it, because that day we drew a line in the sand, we used that pain to define our future.Things didn’t change overnight, but on the 7th Jan 2024 decisions were made. We would never allow ourselves to be in that position again. We would rebuild, reset, redefine what Sunderland AFC stands for.Our fans deserved better. Everything since then, every signing, decision, standard raised, has been part of a strategic, unwavering commitment to success. Win, lose or draw this Sunday, it won’t be for lack of preparation, leadership or culture.We have a team of winners, players who have raised the bar. And the ones who were here 2yrs ago, will walk out on Sunday carrying the memory of what happened that day & make sure nobody forgets what it felt like.This weekend truly matters, for the first time in a generation, we're back where we belong, under the brightest lights, in the loudest moments, with the whole world watching.This fixture is stitched into the history of our city, passed down from grandparents to parents, to kids who learn what this rivalry means before they can even spell it. The Wear & the Tyne have argued, battled & loved football in the same breath for more than a century, neighbours defined not by distance, but by passion.Our city has lived through coal dust, shipyards, heartbreak, hope & everything in between. And yet, every generation has carried this club forward like a torch.Every family has stood in the cold, on terraces & in living rooms, saying the same thing:“One day, we’ll be back.” Well this is what “back” looks like.Derby day is always special. But this one? This one is a reckoning, a reminder, a resurrection of everything Sunderland AFC stands for.So on Sunday, turn up early & sing your hearts out for the lads. Do it for the grandparents who told you stories of Porterfield & Stokoe. Do it for the parents who lifted you onto their shoulders at Roker Park. Do it for the kids who will remember this as the moment they fell in love with football forever.Do it for our City that refuses to bow to anyone, because we're stubborn, proud, loud & unashamed.Win, lose or draw, the future is bright & it’s ours to shape. But if we’re dreaming, then let’s dream properly. A late winner, 40,000 screaming fans, limbs! A roar so fierce it rolls across the river & rattles windows in Roker.And when we walk into St James’ Park on the 21st March, we go not as visitors seeking validation, but as a club restored.A city united.A rivalry renewed.A future finally within reach.A club reborn.
League position & form go out the window on derby day, but momentum & culture don’t disappear, they’re earned, they’re lived. They're the backbone of everything a successful club eventually becomes. What we’ve been building at Sunderland these past few years is exactly that.On 6th Jan 2024, Newcastle came to the Stadium of Light & taught us an absolute lesson, on & off the pitch. It hurt, it embarrassed us. We shouldn’t shy away from any of it, because that day we drew a line in the sand, we used that pain to define our future.Things didn’t change overnight, but on the 7th Jan 2024 decisions were made. We would never allow ourselves to be in that position again. We would rebuild, reset, redefine what Sunderland AFC stands for.Our fans deserved better. Everything since then, every signing, decision, standard raised, has been part of a strategic, unwavering commitment to success. Win, lose or draw this Sunday, it won’t be for lack of preparation, leadership or culture.We have a team of winners, players who have raised the bar. And the ones who were here 2yrs ago, will walk out on Sunday carrying the memory of what happened that day & make sure nobody forgets what it felt like.This weekend truly matters, for the first time in a generation, we're back where we belong, under the brightest lights, in the loudest moments, with the whole world watching.This fixture is stitched into the history of our city, passed down from grandparents to parents, to kids who learn what this rivalry means before they can even spell it. The Wear & the Tyne have argued, battled & loved football in the same breath for more than a century, neighbours defined not by distance, but by passion.Our city has lived through coal dust, shipyards, heartbreak, hope & everything in between. And yet, every generation has carried this club forward like a torch.Every family has stood in the cold, on terraces & in living rooms, saying the same thing:“One day, we’ll be back.” Well this is what “back” looks like.Derby day is always special. But this one? This one is a reckoning, a reminder, a resurrection of everything Sunderland AFC stands for.So on Sunday, turn up early & sing your hearts out for the lads. Do it for the grandparents who told you stories of Porterfield & Stokoe. Do it for the parents who lifted you onto their shoulders at Roker Park. Do it for the kids who will remember this as the moment they fell in love with football forever.Do it for our City that refuses to bow to anyone, because we're stubborn, proud, loud & unashamed.Win, lose or draw, the future is bright & it’s ours to shape. But if we’re dreaming, then let’s dream properly. A late winner, 40,000 screaming fans, limbs! A roar so fierce it rolls across the river & rattles windows in Roker.And when we walk into St James’ Park on the 21st March, we go not as visitors seeking validation, but as a club restored.A city united.A rivalry renewed.A future finally within reach.A club reborn.
I'm calm as **** about this game. These lot mean nothing to me anymore and we have bigger fish to fry this season. I take a defeat in both games if someone promised me a top 10 finish. That's how irrelevant these Saudis are
They’ll always be scum, I’m as nervous as I’ve ever been to play them and I’m sure most feel the same way. It’ll be rocking on Sunday
Best atmosphere was the 2-2 draw, when Super Kev scored twice?
Biggest noise - when Richardson's free kick went in, Borini's rocket or Defoe's volley?
Biggest noise - when Richardson's free kick went in, Borini's rocket or Defoe's volley?
Awesome that day! Phillips got booked for celebrating!! Even though he never left the field! (Not even over the white line) and the crowd came onto the pitch on the NE corner!!
Not sure I agree. I'm not at all calm. Over the last 8 years or so,I haven't seen them as our rivals....how could they be....they were streets ahead of us.
Now,I'm looking forward to seeing how close to them we've become...so we can call ourselves genuine rivals again.
I think we're close....maybe not yet close enough....they're a good team,with some good players,well managed,but we have it in us to take the game to them and win. The atmosphere will be something to behold....could be the best I've experienced in my many years....and I'm not sure many of the 22 players who start this match will have seen anything quite like it. This is who we are,our history,and they are far from irrelevant. I believe we can win this match and set the beginning of a new chapter.