Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Tottenham Hotspur FC – Sunday 12th April 2026 - KO 14:00

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Love hearing Regis being cautious but dropping in ‘the players talking about Europe’.

First time we’ve heard him state top 10 and Regis will always lowball his aims.

The lads are up for it. Wasn’t even our best team today and the rookie aren’t quite match sharp. We gonna be pretty fresh for the run in.

Meant to mention earlier but Rei & Noah were superb today. Having Roefs back is so calming as well (the young keeps will be decent but he isn’t super RR).

Reasons to be cheerful innit.
 
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Essayyeffcee said:
Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi speaking to BBC Match of the Day: “Sorry because we didn’t deserve to lose the game. We played a good game, maybe not enough to win but we were unlucky in a few situations in the first half.

“I cannot say anything to players because they gave their best in terms of attitude and spirit. We can play better for sure and you can feel better. We have to work on that. My work is not so much on the pitch because they are good guys and I am sorry for them. I want to give them confidence in what they need.

“Tactically, we played a good first half. With the ball and without the ball. We don’t have confidence to play great football but we did what we have been working on this week. The players can play better if they are feeling confident.”

On keeping spirits high: “I can be a big brother, father, they don’t need a coach. They don’t need to improve football. They can play better and they will play better once we reach a different level of confidence.”

On looking forward to the challenge: “Absolutely, I’m sure if we are able to win a game then everything will change.”



Sunderland boss Regis le Bris speaking to BBC Match of the Day: “It’s the Premier League and we expected a tough opponent in difficult situations. It was a must-win for them and we did well with good energy. It was really important to have our principles and we found a way to score which was still important.”

On Sunderland’s goals: “We want to improve our style of play, we still want to enforce our ideas and we still have room for improvement in the final third. Top 10 is a good aim and we have to be consistent. The most important is the improvement.”

On next season: “We will prepare next season with the way we play now. After three weeks it was a difficult game and I was a bit worried because you never know what can happen. The lads were consistent and for me that is the next layer.”

Regis le Bris speaking to Sky Sports: “I liked the win most! In this industry you have to win so find a way. New coach for Tottenham and the lads did well because we had to adapt but still be proactive. We didn’t create many chances but lots of opportunities close to the box. Their positional play is unpredictable, we know the ideas and they found one or two passes in the first half but after that it was about key moments.”

On how Spurs played: “It wasn’t so different, small details but at that level this makes a difference. After three defeats at home, it was important to rebuild our fortress. I appreciated the energy of the group.”

On the energy at home: “The lads are ambitious. They want to win. We don’t know what we can achieve. The first goal of staying in the league is done but after that we never know. It is all about standards. This one was tough. Even though Tottenham are struggling in the league, it was still difficult.”

On pushing for Europe: “Not me directly but I know the players are talking behind me! We want to be a top-10 team and we want to achieve that consistency. We still have a lot to do and we want to enjoy this period.”
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There's only 1 coach talking in that conversation and it ain't De Zebri. He's on about being their mate and saying they don't need a coach?

Whereas Le Bris is on about fine details, adaptability and the energy to get the win. I know who I want in charge of my team.
 
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Citizen Kane. said:
I'm not fan of his but I think Romero felt something go and understood that he will miss the World Cup as a result.

We've always said that he cares more about Argentina for Spurs, so I think that's what the tears were for.

I feel for him if that's the case, it's a huge blow to miss the biggest stage of them all, even if it is being hosted by a giant orange lunatic.
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Aye, feel for the lad if it’s that. Last World Cup with Messi is massive to the Argentinians, even his fellow players utterly idolise him.

Shame for the lad, shame for anyone who loses anything significant.
 
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Nads said:
The amount is f them is incredible. Meta are a shambles.

In the age of AI that they massively behind they can’t filter that ****?

****s.
Click to expand...
Tends to come from unhappy betting syndicates abroad, which makes it impossible for our authorities to deal with.

Meta know the sort of pictures and words that are used for this sort of thing. It should be straightforward blocking them.
 
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Absolutely loved that today. Referee wasn’t bad but if he’d pulled up the foul on Brobbey when he should have, BB wouldn’t have reacted and picked up his yelllow card. BB must ache like **** after every game, he gets kicked and pulled all over the place but keeps on going.

We could’ve been more comfortable with a better final ball on a few occasions but looking at Regis’ after match comments, we are working on improvements in our attacking work.

Spurs seem like a team of players ready for the drop. They’ll get a massive shock at the level of match theyll get in the championship when they’re everyone’s cup final week in week out.

I’d be worried for the future if I was a spuds fan right now
 
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Smug in Boots said:
Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Sorry because we didn't deserve to lose the game. We played a good game, maybe not enough to win but we were unlucky in a few situations in the first half.

"I cannot say anything to players because they gave their best in terms of attitude and spirit.”

Easily pleased isn’t he …
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Score line says other. Getting fed up of how Sunderland winning is an issue these days, but it's also funny as f**k.
 
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young2077 said:
Not a good sign if he genuinely thinks that ****e!
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He won't be thinking that mind. He's a sharp enough guy to know he has a bunch of fragile egos, and that he needs to squeeze maybe nine or ten points out of them.

There aren't many in that side who will survive his whirlwind of they stay up. He's a crazy demanding guy, and they look too feeble for him in my eyes.
 
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rowley said:
He won't be thinking that mind. He's a sharp enough guy to know he has a bunch of fragile egos, and that he needs to squeeze maybe nine or ten points out of them.

There aren't many in that side who will survive his whirlwind of they stay up. He's a crazy demanding guy, and they look too feeble for him in my eyes.
Click to expand...

I did think there was a big chance he was saying what he needed to say as to not upset the kids early on!
 
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I think I've sobered up enough now to post my thoughts!

I enjoyed the game today, even if it was a bit strange. To me the atmosphere was "ok", it felt a bit like an "end of season, nothing to play for game" type atmosphere at times from us, not flat but subdued at times. As has been said Spurs were ****e, only three songs and the funeral dirge rendition of "when the Spurs go marching in" is pathetic. Leonard Cohen covering "Girlfriend in a coma" would sound upbeat and happy compared to that.

We played some nice stuff at times but also seemed a bit slack at others, again a bit like a nothing to play for game. I think the wind had something to do with that, there were a lot of strong gusts rather than persistent high winds that made it difficult to judge passes at times. A few times you saw high balls being held up by the wind or passes over or under hit. Overall I thought we were the better team though our final ball let us done too often. They showed some glimpses of threat, but seriously look shot. Udogie was regularly leaving his foot in for snidey fouls and got away with a few, Connor Gallagher is a player I used to rate but other than his fouls today he was anonymous. And on that showing if Solanke is an England centre forward then so is my brothers' Labrador. Kolo Muani spent more time diving than Tom Daley and his play acting "injured" in the first half was laughable, only topped by his blatant dive for the over turned penalty. Richarlison is a twisty, petulant twat. As a player he has skill, but he's a luxury player and not suited for a relegation fight. In fact he's more of a liability in that situation. I can say hand on heart that there's no one on that showing I'd pick from their side ahead of anyone in ours. They look like they've taken players back over

I think we edged the first half, mostly because we didn't work their keeper enough, though Brobbey was unlucky just before half time when the keeper made a good save and the rebound was blocked. Other than a half chance in the first few minutes and a chance for Solanke from a mistake just before halftime they didn't really look like scoring but did look like they could carry a threat if we weren't careful.

Second half we were better again but still didn't work their keeper enough due to some poor final passes or decisions, but even though the goal took a deflection it was deserved. I did think we had a good shout for a penalty ourselves late on for a shirt pull but if anyone looked like scoring it was us. That said Roefs did make a class save late on to prevent what would have been a stunning equalizer. Overall we deserved it and a win by a couple of goals would have been fair

Personally I thought the referee was poor, but poor to both teams. The penalty was a strange decision rightly over turned, he let a lot of fouls go especially on Brobbey but did try to play advantage. I'd say he was more inconsistent than anything else but after the **** refereeing we've had recently it was a pleasant change.

And finally it was nice to meet a few from here in the museum earlier. Smug was a gentleman introducing me to gordon, Snaggey, DK, Marcus, RTB and others (sorry I've forgotten some names!), it was really nice to meet you all and hopefully we'll do it again soon.
 
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C Montgomery Burns said:
I think I've sobered up enough now to post my thoughts!
I enjoyed the game today, even if it was a bit strange. To me the atmosphere was "ok", it felt a bit like an "end of season, nothing to play for game" type atmosphere at times from us, not flat but subdued at times. As has been said Spurs were ****e, only three songs and the funeral dirge rendition of "when the Spurs go marching in" is pathetic. Leonard Cohen covering "Girlfriend in a coma" would sound upbeat and happy compared to that.

We played some nice stuff at times but also seemed a bit slack at others, again a bit like a nothing to play for game. I think the wind had something to do with that, there were a lot of strong gusts rather than persistent high winds that made it difficult to judge passes at times. A few times you saw high balls being held up by the wind or passes over or under hit. Overall I thought we were the better team though our final ball let us done too often. They showed some glimpses of threat, but seriously look shot. Udogie was regularly leaving his foot in for snidey fouls and got away with a few, Connor Gallagher is a player I used to rate but other than his fouls today he was anonymous. And on that showing if Solanke is an England centre forward then so is my brothers' Labrador. Kolo Muani spent more time diving than Tom Daley and his play acting "injured" in the first half was laughable, only topped by his blatant dive for the over turned penalty. Richarlison is a twisty, petulant twat. As a player he has skill, but he's a luxury player and not suited for a relegation fight. In fact he's more of a liability in that situation. I can say hand on heart that there's no one on that showing I'd pick from their side ahead of anyone in ours. They look like they've taken players back over

I think we edged the first half, mostly because we didn't work their keeper enough, though Brobbey was unlucky just before half time when the keeper made a good save and the rebound was blocked. Other than a half chance in the first few minutes and a chance for Solanke from a mistake just before halftime they didn't really look like scoring but did look like they could carry a threat if we weren't careful.

Second half we were better again but still didn't work their keeper enough due to some poor final passes or decisions, but even though the goal took a deflection it was deserved. I did think we had a good shout for a penalty ourselves late on for a shirt pull but if anyone looked like scoring it was us. That said Roefs did make a class save late on to prevent what would have been a stunning equalizer. Overall we deserved it and a win by a couple of goals would have been fair

Personally I thought the referee was poor, but poor to both teams. The penalty was a strange decision rightly over turned, he let a lot of fouls go especially on Brobbey but did try to play advantage. I'd say he was more inconsistent than anything else but after the **** refereeing we've had recently it was a pleasant change.

And finally it was nice to meet a few from here in the museum earlier. Smug was a gentleman introducing me to gordon, Snaggey, DK, Marcus, RTB and others (sorry I've forgotten some names!), it was really nice to meet you all and hopefully we'll do it again soon.
Click to expand...

<cheers>

Have to agree mate, it was a cracking day meeting up with a decent bunch of people you've mentioned plus Dave and his mate, PRS, Becs +1, Isoe +1, Kirk, Faraway, C Monty, Hetton, etc ...

... also, for me personally, Scotty from Sheffield and Eddie from Carlisle who I stood on the Fulwell with from the 70's.

And thanks to @Vincemac for taking the time to seek me out, for a pint, for a bit help I’d given him … top man.

What stood out, for me, was just how much we clearly deserved to be in the PL ...

... nothing outstanding, just a good team of players working hard and picking up the points.

Much like the supporters <cheers>
 
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Do not think we were at our best today but the signs are also there to see the improvements are coming.
Rigg was solid again, thought Diarra had his best game since his injury, and the way our 3 central midfielders interacted with each other was very good.
Our creativity has improved and you can see we are gradually building at the top end of the pitch whilst not losing the solidity at the back which is encouraging
If we can just start to find that final pass or that clinical finish then I think the future is looking very good.
 
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If Spurs are relegated, the success of Sunderland will be partly to blame​

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Granit Xhaka celebrates Nordi Mukiele's winner against Spurs George Wood/Getty Images
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By Michael Walker
April 13, 2026 5:13 am GMT+1


If Tottenham Hotspur are relegated next month, to the list of internal reasons the club will provide for their demise should be added an unexpected external factor: Sunderland.

One year ago the Wearsiders were beaten at home by Swansea City in the Championship on the way to finishing fourth and entering the play-offs against Coventry City, then Sheffield United. Sunderland won those dramatically, but by the skin of their teeth. No one in the Premier League watching was thinking Sunderland would be a serious presence in the division this season.

The general feeling was Sunderland would follow the recent pattern of clubs promoted via the play-offs going straight back down. Remember that angst about the status of newly-promoted clubs and the debate surrounding a lack of sporting competitiveness? The existing Premier League clubs felt locked in, with Spurs’ ability to coast through the end of the their domestic season as they focused on the Europa League an example of imbalance. Spurs had already won a European trophy as Sunderland prepared for the play-off final.

Southampton’s dismal experience last season was fresh in the mind. Thus, even when Sunderland’s players and staff celebrated downstairs at Wembley in May in their ‘We Are Back’ T-shirts, they were being asked skeptically about being ‘Premier League-ready’.

If that sounded harsh, more pessimism was encountered when majority shareholder Kyril Louis-Dreyfus turned up for the club’s first Premier League meeting the following month. As he told The Athletic in December: “At the start of the season everyone thought we were going to finish last. I went to the Premier League meeting in June and that was the consensus.”

But here they are, two points off Chelsea in sixth, having just beaten two teams, in Newcastle United and Tottenham, who were playing knockout Champions League football a few weeks ago.

Sunderland have won 12 and drawn 10 of 32 league games. Their three-game losing streak in February is the only time they have suffered consecutive defeats. Only Fulham have done the double over them (though Manchester United still can do that when they visit the Stadium of Light). There have been stirring comebacks against Bournemouth and Arsenal. Unlike Spurs, for example, Sunderland are more than the sum of their parts. Unlike Spurs yesterday, teamwork, attitude and commitment have been conspicuous.

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Nordi Mukiele celebrates scoring the only goal of the game against Spurs Andy Buchanan/Images


These consecutive victories over Newcastle and Tottenham, however, may still not alter the fact Regis Le Bris’ rising team are flying under the radar. At Sunderland’s training ground last Friday, Le Bris was asked whether a comparative lack of national appreciation for this season bothered him at all. Sunderland’s win at Newcastle after all had been warped into a referendum on Eddie Howe and his situation at St James’ Park; now Sunderland were about to face Tottenham and all the noise was about their new coach Roberto De Zerbi and the trials of Spurs.

Le Bris, not a man for verbal jousting, replied: “I think we have our own journey, so the noise can be the noise, no problem.

All season Le Bris’ mantra had been “40 points”. Sunderland reached the target with a 1-0 win at Leeds United at the beginning of March. Leeds, too, can change perceptions of promoted clubs. They did finish 24 points above Sunderland in last season’s Championship, though, and were in the Premier League three seasons ago.

After Elland Road, Le Bris called a meeting with his squad to discuss what comes next.

“They expected something new,” he said, “because this is their future and they always need something to achieve. It was important to design the right objective, but it’s not always easy to say ‘now we’ve achieved 40 points, let’s go for 60.’ You never know, you lose your first three games and that target is over.

“It’s more about the vision and this is connected with daily standards. You can achieve a big target if you’re working hard every day. We have to enjoy what we are doing, it’s not always easy when you lose, it’s different. But when you win, you can grow.”

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Sunderland fans have thoroughly enjoyed their Premier League return Stu Forster/Getty Images

Having a growth mindset was a Tony Mowbray phrase while at the club; Le Bris has talked more often about Sunderland’s “underdog mindset”.

Both will continue in parallel over the next six games, which will determine whether Sunderland play European football for the first time since 1973.

Le Bris dealt with that question yesterday with the dexterity of Enzo Le Fee — “for me it’s not on my mind at the minute because we are 10th.

“The main objective was to stay in the league… the ambition is to be a top-10 club.”

A European place would be remarkable, though, given there were 14 new signings on top of that late May play-off. It is why, even when the likes of Granit Xhaka and Habib Diarra were signed, there was a belief Sunderland would stumble, then struggle.


The euphoric opening day win at home against ‘Graham Potter’s West Ham’ set a tone, but when players left for AFCON in December it was thought this was the moment of subsidence. Then, without the likes of Noah Sadiki, Sunderland beat Newcastle, drew at Brighton & Hove Albion and at home against Manchester City.

Nordi Mukiele’s deflected winner against Spurs means Le Bris’ side have taken 29 points at home. Last season Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton accumulated 28 points between them in home games.

It is not all perfect at the club, there has been a disconcerting level of churn off the field as well as on it, but had Sunderland been the weakest link as anticipated, Tottenham would be fourth-bottom and most definitely not as concerned about relegation as their new coach De Zerbi was here.

At the Stadium of Light Sunderland have beaten West Ham, Wolves, Burnley and Spurs, with Forest next to come here. They have shaken complacency, bucked a worrisome trend and done the Premier League a sporting favour. Sunderland have made a bit of noise.

www.nytimes.com

If Spurs are relegated, the success of Sunderland will be partly to blame

Sunderland defying expectations and not crumbling after promotion is one of the reasons Spurs are now in the bottom three instead
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/michael-walker/
 
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