Sunderland Vs Southampton Official Sunderland Not606 Match Thread please log in to view this image Stadium Of Light please log in to view this image Match Appointments Referee: Chris Foy Assistants: P Kirkup,A Garratt Forth Official: M Jones Sunderland have shown marked improvement under new manager Gus Poyet and will be hoping to continue their excellent recent run this weekend. The Black Cats host Southampton in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off and a win would take Sunderland out the Premier League relegation zone. That scenario looked extremely unlikely under former manager Paulo Di Canio, after such a wretched start to the season, but Sunderland are playing with confidence again under their Uruguayan boss and it is three wins on the bounce now in all competitions. Sunderland were terrific when out-playing Fulham at Craven Cottage last weekend, thrashing the Londoners 4-1 thanks to Adam Johnson's hat-trick, and it came on the back of an unexpected Capital One Cup semi-final first leg triumph over Manchester United at the Stadium of Light. Picking up three more points this weekend on home soil will be a very realistic target for Poyet against a Southampton team that have failed to hit the heights of their early season form in recent weeks Southampton beat West Bromwich Albion last time out, Adam Lallana with the only goal of the game, but that was just their second win in ten top flight matches and the South Coast club do tend to struggle on the road. Mauricio Pochettino's side have been impressive more often than not this term but there are problems in the Southampton boardroom and perhaps this is a good time to face the Saints. It is another crucial weekend in the battle at the bottom but Sunderland are one of the few sides currently with any sort of momentum in the lower half of the Premier League and the odds compilers seem to have underestimated their chances. Sunderland Team News Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Southampton. The Black Cats will head into the game at the Stadium of Light looking for a fourth successive win in all competitions and a second in the league with a relatively clean bill of health, but with striker Ji Dong-won having left the club for German side Augsburg. Goalkeeper Keiren Westwood has undergone shoulder surgery and will begin his rehabilitation next week, while defender Carlos Cuellar is around 10 days away from a return after a long-term hip injury. Southampton Team News Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama is not expected to be involved this weekend as he continues to recover from a hairline fracture to his leg he suffered against Aston Villa in early December. Artur Boruc returned after six weeks on the sidelines with a broken hand in last week's 1-0 win over West Brom and the Poland international goalkeeper will again start. Guly do Prado also featured as a late substitute against West Brom after two months out with a knee injury and he could again be on the bench. Poyet “I’m delighted with the Fulham result but I want to win at home now,” he said. “Our away fans have been fantastic and we have not lost away from home in five so they are delighted. “But our home fans have suffered more in the league and I want to end that now.” “I played a certain way at Brighton and I have brought a lot of that to Sunderland but we are not a slave to one style of playing,” he said. “We have a chance to play different ways at Sunderland and I’m enjoying working on that and feel as though we are making progress. “I’m not a fan of rotation for the sake of it. “I like a settled side and I think we are starting to get that. “We have seven or eight places that are are sorted, leaving only two or three places up for grabs. “On top of that, the players have been training well and that is important when it comes to matches. “So I think we are in a better situation than we were and I hope soon, we will be in a better situation than we are now.” Pochettino One To Watch Ki Sung-Yueng please log in to view this image Lets face it, he's ****ing awesome! He passes, he moves, he passes, he moves. He's a bloody nightmare to pick up! Makes you wonder how he can be stopped? We're playing him further up the pitch at the moment and isn't he just loving it? More goals and assists to come? I think so. please log in to view this image Last 4 Meetings [table="width: 500, class: grid, align: center"] [tr] [td]Season[/td] [td]Date[/td] [td]Home[/td] [td]Score[/td] [td]Away[/td] [td]Competition[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]2013/2014[/td] [td]Wed 06 Nov[/td] [td]Sunderland[/td] [td]2-1[/td] [td]Southampton[/td] [td]Capital Cup[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]2013/2014[/td] [td]Sat 24 Aug[/td] [td]Southampton[/td] [td]1-1[/td] [td]Sunderland[/td] [td]Premier League[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]2012/2013[/td] [td]Sun 12 May[/td] [td]Sunderland[/td] [td]1-1[/td] [td]Southampton[/td] [td]Premier League[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]2012/2013[/td] [td]Sat 22 Dec[/td] [td]Southampton[/td] [td]0-1[/td] [td]Sunderland[/td] [td]Premier League[/td] [/tr] [/table] What the 'Experts' Say please log in to view this image Lawrenson The news that chairman Nicola Cortese has left Southampton was a surprise because he was doing such a good job and it appeared Saints were an extremely well-run club. Now all of a sudden there is a lot of uncertainty around St Mary's because we don't know how this will impact on the long-term future of manager Mauricio Pochettino, or the Southampton players. I am hearing that some of them might put a transfer request in but I don't think that is necessarily the case. Pochettino's situation might be different, but we can only wait and see. If the manager stays, as he says he will, then it will probably not make a great deal of difference to the players that Cortese has gone. This is a tough game for Saints because Sunderland will be buoyed by last week's big win at Fulham. Adam Johnson scored a hat-trick at Craven Cottage and was outstanding for them but he needs to reproduce that sort of form on a regular basis, because he has got the ability. It's very difficult to know whether the Cortese news is going to affect the Saints players - or provoke a response from them - because Pochettino is still there, so I am going to go for a draw. Lawro's prediction: 1-1 Merson Southampton have been in disarray this week. The manager has said all the off-field issues won't affect them, but I think it will. Who would have predicted Sunderland's result at Fulham? That was a great result for them and they really need to win this one because otherwise last week becomes a waste of time. However, they've been really struggling for wins at home. Maybe Gus Poyet should tell them that this is a cup game and then they'll be okay! I'm going for a draw because Southampton are dangerous. PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 What the Phallus says Tough game this, Southampton are have a very good squad this year, I couldn't complain with a draw. But who am I to doubt our form? With all that in mind I'm tipping us to nick it 2-1 in a close entertaining game that will surely be won and lost in the midfield. Stats n Facts Southampton have not beaten Sunderland since 28th of January 2003, Over a decade ago where they beat the Black Cats 0-1 at the stadium of light. Southampton are unbeaten in their last 5 league trips to the Stadium of Light (W1 D4). Saints have scored exactly 1 goal in each of their last 5 trips to the Stadium of Light in all competitions. Sunderland have won fewer points at home in the Premier League this season than any other side (7). Sunderland have scored first in their last 3 matches against Southampton. Betting please log in to view this image Links please log in to view this image
I always believe we're capable of winning home games. I can't believe Southampton will be as fresh as us on Saturday after that journey, I assume they'll fly up on Friday and stay locally. The manager's position won't do them a great deal of harm but it won't do them again good. Southampton's form is erratic and we beat them here in the league cup, I'll go for the same score again.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Southampton future is looking increasingly uncertain following the news that chairman Nicola Cortese has left the club. Cortese, who controversially sacked Nigel Adkins to bring Pochettino to St Mary’s, left the club on Wednesday in a blaze of speculation. The news reportedly stunned Pochettino, with the Daily Mail suggesting he was on the cusp of resigning, only to be persuaded to stay put. However, while he looks set to be in the charge for the weekend’s clash with Sunderland, the bookmakers have slashed their odds on his exit. William Hill says it has received a huge surge of bets on Pochettino leaving Southampton, while the company is currently listing him as the favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post. A spokesman said: ‘The odds suggest that Mauro Pochettino could be leaving his role imminently.’ Pochettino has been linked with several jobs in Spain and Italy in recent days. http://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/next-manager-to-leave-post
Some Southampton supporters seem to think this is serious! http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/245740-OFFICIAL-STATEMENT-Cortese-leaves-Southampton/page15 The salad dodging owner looks fresh from the Jeremy Kyle show.
Please don't agree with anything I say! I reckon this has all the hallmarks of a match that could either send us into delirium or despair. This isn't the worst time to play Southampton in my view ..... their form is poor by their standards, it's a rotten journey for a daft o'clock start and there won't be much away support. Together with the managerial uncertainty it all adds up to a chance to get at them and shake their confidence. After Fulham I'm sure confidence, with the players & supporters, is high ........... it would be a real blow if we lost this one, after all the hard work, and would make Wednesday that bit harder. It's a while since I felt nervous, about a match, but this could be heaven or hell!
Not surprising mate, this is far more serious than the ticket office manager walking out. I've just read this off the BBC website and it's a little unnerving when you consider the way football is going. "The players bought into his vision, wholeheartedly. So much so, that at least one leading Southampton player has a clause in his contract that links his own future to Cortese's. The worst case scenario for the club is that manager follows chairman and players follow manager." Dunno bowt you but it makes me long for the 'good old days' ........ a clause in the players contracts ffs
Southampton are staying at the Radisson Blu Durham Friday night if anyone has an air horn & fancies breaching the peace. Delighted that Osvaldo is suspended, I love this lad, have tracked his whole career as Fiorentina are my second team, he kinda ****ed it there by being a tit, and after scoring in the big derby v Juventus, he proceeded to pretend to gun down the home fans, wasn't well received, frankly. Beast of a player though, he will start scoring. Saints are very impressive, quick moving side with a lot of players with great feet & touch, we need to be tight at the back, and we can do them on the break. I don't rate any of their CB's, I do massively rate Clyne & Shaw, but their attacking tendencies may favour us. Colback tight on Llallana, & a solid show from our back 5, and we can nick this, a nervy, horrible, but massive 1-0 for me. Fancy Borini to get the winner. Losing Cortese is a huge deal, but won't affect them this season, it's a longer term issue, as the Liebherr family are keen to sell the club, Cortese was the glue.
Funny thing mate, it's a massive rivalry, in the main due to a huge Juve population in Florence, the lad really should have aimed at the Juve fans, but chose to go for his own. I'll try & find a You Tube video of it.
An excellent time to play them - no doubt they will be distracted by recent events. 3-1 to us, i reckon.
As I mentioned, the Liebherr family have no real interest in keeping the club, Cortese was the man pushing to keep them involved, and it seems maybe him walking is a sign of their continued lack of any real commitment. That said, it's a great club with a good stadium & assets galore on the park, I doubt that they'll hit too much trouble finding a buyer,the big challenge if it comes to that is finding one that will continue to back the club. It's not realistically going to impact on the team this Saturday.
Its no different to when Murray left, or more significantly Quinny for that matter and clubs do survive these kinds of takeovers and changes as they happen all the time. What would worry me as a Saints fan though is the speed at which this has all happened. It seems that the club have gone from strength to strength since Adkins was sacked and a huge amount of money spent in the period after. Everyone has Southampton on their lips as the club to watch and Pochettino the manager on the way up but then this has suddenly come crashing around their feet in a matter of a few days? With Quinny we all knew that he was leaving and a long term strategy bringing Short in etc put well in place before it was handed over. This has all the potential to be a disaster for Southampton unless the owners have a strategy in place already of course. If they haven't then the house of cards may well tumble quicker than anyone can foresee with any certainty.
