Well with Carlisle bringing 6,000, I would certainly expect the crowd to be more than 15 thousand..As for the FA Cup losing its magic, it is surely the stay away fans who now seem to think that the Premiership is the be all and end all who are to blame for this..
The reason the crowd will be low is because of the Man Utd game just two days after. Now that I have a wife child and house my money isn't just mine to spend on.what I want. I had to choose between the two,.I chose the Man Utd game which I imagine anyone would faced with the same choice.
NEW signing Marcos Alonso is in line for his Sunderland debut this weekend as Gus Poyet looks to juggle his squad in a crowded fixture list. The head coach has signalled his desire to win both of Sunderland’s up-and-coming cup ties and will send out teams he feels can do the club justice in both the FA Cup third round clash against Carlisle on Sunday and the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester United on Tuesday. But changes in the team look to be inevitable with so many games coming thick and fast. And with the game against League One opposition this weekend offering Poyet greatest scope for experimentation, on-loan Fiorentina left-back Alonso stands by to start. The 23-year-old, who has tasted life in the Premier League previously with Bolton Wanderers, was unavailable for Sunderland’s game against Aston Villa on New Year’s Day. But he is eligible for this weekend’s game and should he play, it will be the second time in consecutive seasons he has appeared in an FA Cup tie involving the Black Cats. He starred as Bolton beat Sunderland in the FA Cup third round a year ago – the Spaniard playing in both the 2-2 draw at the Reebok and the replay, which Bolton won 2-0 at the Stadium of Light. The defender said: “The stadium is great and also the fans – when we played here last year the atmosphere was incredible.” Should Alonso play, he is likely to be one of a number of changes on a team-sheet which will eagerly anticipated by the club’s fringe players. Cabral and El-Hadji Ba have been on the bench in recent games, though neither have got any first-team minutes under their belt. And another summer signing, Swedish Under-19 winger David Moberg Karlsson will also hope for an opportunity. Poyet will face a decision over whether to retain the erratic central defensive partnership of Modibo Diakite and Valentin Roberge, or whether to restore Wes Brown to the side after the completion of his three-game ban. Seb Larsson and Craig Gardner have been in and out of Sunderland’s side in recent weeks and will be hoping to have the opportunity to start. And Ji Dong-won, who did not make a single Gus Poyet squad prior to the New Year’s Day game against Aston Villa, will be hoping to make it two starts in a row this weekend. http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport...ht-in-for-sunderland-s-carlisle-tie-1-6349192
CARLISLE United captain Paul Thirlwell looks set to be denied an emotional playing return to Sunderland this weekend. The 34-year-old would love to involved in Sunday’s FA Cup third round tie against the club he started his career with and supported as a boy. But a calf injury picked up in Carlisle’s 2-1 defeat to Crewe on New Year’s Day is set to end his hopes of a swansong appearance at the Stadium of Light Washington-born Thirlwell limped off in the first half and it is unlikely the injury will heal in time for Sunday’s 2pm kick-off. Carlisle manager Graham Kavanagh, himself a former Black Cat of course, said: “We’re not sure what the outcome is, but he looks very much doubtful for the weekend.” Thirlwell was at Sunderland from 1997-2004, most memorably playing in the famous 4-1 rout of Chelsea in December 1999, and also had spells at Swindon, Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County before joining Carlisle in 2006, where he established himself as an influential player. He has played more than 200 times for the Cumbrians and would loved to have given a good account of himself in this weekend’s cup tie. But he is not Carlisle’s only injury concern – ex-Hibs and MK Dons centre-half Sean O’Hanlon is also doubtful after missing the Crewe game with knee trouble. “Sean had a tight glute and then he came up with some swelling on his knee and was struggling to push off from it,” Kavanagh said. “That’s a worry if it is a knee problem. I don’t know if he will be fit for the weekend and he is a massive loss. “We are looking closer to being down to the bare bones – it can happen very quickly.” The Cumbrians will look to the cup game against Sunderland to give them a lift after 2014 started with a defeat. The defeat to Crewe leaves them in 15th in the League One table, only three points above the drop zone. They last won away from Brunton Park in October, when they beat MK Dons, so the cup tie against Sunderland represents a massive challenge but also a glamour game and an enjoyable day out for Carlisle’s 5,500-strong travelling support.
Gotta pretty much pick too different teams but it could be a good thing for the rest of the season as some players could get some much needed game time and confidence. Against Carlisle id like to see something like; (if available) my knowledge of the u21's is limited to say the least. ------------------Pickford-------------------- Gardner------U21-----Roberge----Alonso Johnson--------Ba--Cabral--------Mavrias -------------Altidore-- Watmore-----------
Head coach determined to progress against Carlisle. Gus Poyet has called on his side to produce a professional performance on Sunday as they look to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup with Budweiser. Sunderland take on League One side Carlisle at the Stadium of Light with Unied boss Graham Kavanagh returning to his former club. “It's the game of the season for Carlisle so far,” Poyet said. “What an opportunity for them. “I want to see my team be professional and do the right things. That's down to the players.” Poyet is keen to progress in a competition which he has had a long-standing relationship with – dating back to before his arrival as a player in England. Having watched Wembley action from afar, he lifted the famous trophy himself in 1999-00 as a member of the Chelsea side which beat Aston Villa. “It's a fantastic competition – I love it,” he said. “Before I came to England I watched Chelsea win the cup in 1997. “I saw the build-up to the game, the red carpet, and I thought how lucky I would be if I got there one day. “I was that lucky – I played in the last FA Cup final at Wembley and what a day it was.” Now Poyet will launch another cup challenge – this time from the dug-out – and the Uruguayan is determined to ensure his side progress successfully to the fourth round by seeing off their League One opponents. “I remember one of my first games in the FA Cup with Chelsea, I saw many people taking pictures and I asked 'what is going on today?'' “They told me that they were looking for the one [team] who was going to be in the newspapers the next day because they lost to a lower-league side. “I said 'I'm not going to be there, I don't want to be in that picture. I will make sure we win this game.' “I think that's the mentality we want to have here. We don't want to be the negative surprise of the round.”
yes mate but we also need the win for confidence, browns back for manu, if were winning well we have loads of subs to choose from, but we need to see what the guys i've picked can do and now's the time
What the 'Experts' Say please log in to view this image Lawrenson Carlisle have been struggling away from home in League One, with only two wins out of 12 games on the road, and I cannot see them improving that record at the Stadium of Light. I do not think Sunderland need any more games to go with their battle to stay in the Premier League and their two-legged semi-final with Manchester United in the Capital One Cup, but they are going to get at least one more in the FA Cup. Lawro's prediction: 2-0 Merson The fat, ugly, alcoholic, coke snorting bastard has taken the week off.
