Sunderland Vs Crystal Palace Official Sunderland Not606 Match Thread please log in to view this image Match Appointments REFEREE: Neil Swarbrick ASST. REF. 1: J Flynn ASST. REF. 2: S Long 4TH OFFICIAL: A Marriner Sunderland Team News Wes Brown, Jozy Altidore and Valentin Roberge are all winning their battle to be available for the vital six point clash against Crystal Place at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. Craig Gardner is struggling and will be assessed in the run up to the game. Keiren Westwood continues his absence with a shoulder injury. Sunderland are also expected to welcome back Vito Mannone, Marcos Alonso, Ki Sung-Yueng, Liam Bridcutt, Adam Johnson and Fabio Borini to the starting line up after being left out of the FA Cup defeat at Hull City. Crystal Palace Team News Palace are without Marouane Chamakh for the visit to the Stadium of light. Apart from him they boast a fully fit squad. Poyet "That's why I am here. If not, I would be gone, I can promise you that. I wouldn't stay here if I was not convinced it was possible," he said. "I am not that type of person that would just lie to myself and lie to people, 'Yes, yes, yes, it's possible'. "Maybe I am making a mistake, who knows? But again, I believe it's possible because these 19 games I have been in charge have proved to me - we have taken 23 points - it's possible. "If we take 13, 14 points [from the remaining 12 games], it's going to be close to that 40, 37, 38, 39 - who knows?" "If you said to me on October 8 when I walked in here at 11.45pm for the first time that I was going to be in this situation with 12 games to go, I would have taken it, I would have," added the former Brighton manager. "I would have for sure because it was looking impossible, so now I am here, I am not going to complain and moan. "I am taking it and making sure we maintain the level of performance that we have had in the last three months and if we maintain that, I think we have got a great chance to stay up." Pulis Last 10 Meetings please log in to view this image EPL Form please log in to view this image What the 'Experts' Say please log in to view this image Lawrenson Crystal Palace have lost a bit of momentum in the last few weeks and one point from their last three games means they are back in trouble a bit at the bottom. I can see the Eagles digging in to make it as difficult as possible for Sunderland and I can just see Tony Pulis's side nicking the win. There are not a lot of goals in this Black Cats side, which is their big problem, especially if Palace sit back and defend, which is what think they will do. This is a crucial time for Gus Poyet and his players. They have got games in hand on the teams around them but have slipped back into the relegation zone while they have been playing in the cups. Sunderland's games in hand are West Brom at home, Manchester City away and Liverpool away. I look at those fixtures and think they would be happy with three points out of nine, which would lift them out of the relegation zone but keep them in trouble. It is going to be touch and go whether they stay up. Lawro's prediction: 0-1 Merson This is a massive game. Crystal Palace need to go there and make sure they don't get beat - because a Sunderland win would see Palace dragged right back into the mire. They have always been in the relegation battle, but they've done really well under Tony Pulis and people have been waxing lyrical about them - but if they lose this game they will be right back in trouble. I actually thought it was a good thing for Sunderland to go out of the FA Cup and not have a backlog of games in the league. I'll just go for Sunderland. PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0 Ex Men Marco Gabbiadini please log in to view this image Marco Gabbiadini is one of Sunderland’s most celebrated goal scorers of modern times, spending four years on Wearside during the late eighties and early nineties and earning legend status at Roker Park. Signed from York City for a mere £80,000, Marco went on to score 87 goals in 185 appearances for Sunderland. He is most fondly remembered for his partnership with Eric Gates, known as ‘G Force’, and the goals they scored in the 2-0 win over Newcastle in the 1990 play-off semi-final at St James’ Park. The now BBC Radio Newcastle pundit scored a six-minute hat-trick against Charlton in his final game for Sunderland before joining Crystal Palace for a then club-record fee as a direct replacement for Ian Wright who had just joined Arsenal. Gabbiadini’s time at Palace was short lived as he managed just five goals in his solitary season at Selhurst Park. Kevin Phillips please log in to view this image The Sunderland legend needs no introduction having scored 130 goals in 235 appearances for the Black Cats as well as becoming the only Englishman to win the European Golden Boot. ‘Super Kev’s’ partnership with Niall Quinn will always be fondly remembered by Sunderland supporters. Having joined the club from Watford, the Hitchin-born striker managed 35 goals in his debut season, including four in an FA Cup win and a run of seven goals in consecutive games. The following season, despite a broken toe, Phillips found the back of the net 25 times – including another four-goal haul against Bury in the league – as Sunderland secured promotion to the Barclays Premier League with a then record 105 points. Showing his pedigree as a goal scorer, Phillps’ form was unflinching despite the step up in level as he bagged 30 goals in 38 games, winning the European Golden Boot whilst on Wearside. Alongside that accolade Phillips won his first of eight England caps while with the Black Cats, including a place in the squad for Euro 2000 where he was an unused substitute. The little and large partnership of Quinn and Phillips helped Sunderland to two consecutive 7th place finishes in the top flight, while the following year he would score the goal that kept Sunderland in the division. Following the club’s relegation in 2003 Phillips left Wearside for Southampton where he spent two years, scoring more than 20 goals. From there Super Kev had more goalscoring success in the Midlands with Aston Villa, West Brom – where he averaged more than a goal every two games – and Birmingham City. A move to Blackpool followed where Phillips signed a one-year deal. He became known as a super-sub, and true to form finished as the club’s top scorer in their 2011-12 Championship season. The following January Phillips was loaned to Crystal Palace, another club at which he would achieve legend status. Stats n Facts Palace have scored just six goals in 13 Premier League away games this season, fewer than any other team in the top tier. The Eagles have won two and lost 18 of their last 26 Premier League away matches (D6). None of the last 10 league meetings (inc. playoffs) between Sunderland and Palace has ended as an away win (eight home wins and two draws). Only Crystal Palace (four times) have been relegated more often than Sunderland from the Premier League (three times). Palace’s total of 23 goals in league and domestic cup this season is lower than any other side in the top four divisions. Sunderland are the joint-lowest home scorers (13) while Palace are the lowest away scorers (6) in the Premier League this season. Sunderland have not lost three successive Premier League games since October 2013. Sunderland have let nine points slip from winning positions at home, more than any other side on their own patch. Palace’s Mile Jedinak is one of only three outfield players to play every minute of every Premier League game this season. Despite losing their last two league games and only playing twice in the last month Sunderland still sit 9th in the form table. Betting please log in to view this image Links http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=246455&part=sports
Sick of hearing about the Palace supporters. They're typical Cockneys ........ loudmouth tossers who are always ready for a punch up providing they have odds of 2-1 or more. Palace have run out of steam and struggle to score goals. They now have 4 of 6 away from home and will lose 3-1 at Sunderland. Haway Lads!!!!!!!!!
I've hated Palace since the play off game down at there place. Being pelted with cans and coins during the game is one thing but at full time I saw the most pathetic thing I've ever seen. A Palace fan ran on the pitch then jumped the barrier just infront of our fans and smacked an old bloke in a wheelchair square in the face. What scum.
This will definitely be Poyet's most interesting team selection. Had it been an away game I think we might have seen the cup final 11 but with it being Palace at home im.sure Gus will know we need to be more attacking. Im sure there'll be a surprise or two when the starting line up is announced. For me id go something like; -------------------Mannone-------------------- Bardsley-----Oshea------Brown-------Alonso ------------Ki----Cattermole---Colback ------- Johnson-----------Borini-------------Giaccherini
One thing is for sure no one say the words "must win game" Every time we have a "must win game" we place get treat to an extremely frustrating game that usually ends goalless or us losing. The players need to be relaxed and not think of this as a cup final. might sound odd but i hope theres a poor turn out (between 35,00-40,000) for me the atmosphere is always better and we seem to play better. When its closer to.sold out its always boos and jeers and criticising which makes the players nervous. Stay away part time boo boys!!!
Head coach sits down with SAFSee - watch now. Gus Poyet says Saturday's game against Crystal Palace is "massive" as he looks for three key points against the Eagles. “You can’t negotiate passion, desire, commitment, giving everything,” he told SAFSee at the club's Academy of Light training HQ. “Then it’s up to us to use our ability and our way of playing football and impose that on the game and the opposition. “This is a typical game where we need to be smart, read the game well, expect everything from the opposition and then go on and win.” Watch the full interview with Gus Poyet on SAFSee above. http://www.safc.com/news/team-news/2014/march/poyets-palace-preview
They're just like any other fans of a recently promoted club. Look at Stoke, look at us for instance. A few seasons in the top flight and the seige mentality disappears, as you expect to stay up rather than having a chance of doing so. A draw wouldn't be terrible.
Oh yes it would, that'd be 2 points dropped and we can't afford to drop points anymore, not against **** teams like Palace.
But it depends on which 2 games are drawn. Winnable and 6-pointer games have to be won. Losable games we're not expecting to pick up points from have to be drawn. We are all running out of games!
Thats on the proviso that other teams will pick up more than us after we make up the two games in hand. Other teams have just as difficult fixtures if not more difficult than ours. Teams will pick up and drop points unexpectedly. But on an level playing field of equal amount of games played (with those 2 drawn and us in 17th) I am confident we will pick up more points than at least 1 of the 3/4 teams around us. Thus a draw not being make or break.
If we do win on Saturday then it will bring a lot of teams back towards that mire. Palace, Hull (probably - although they might beat City with a Euro hangover) Hull home to City - City are favourites but have been beaten away so no chickens counted Cardiff away to Everton - Everton's season appears to be petering out to nothingness sadly - They SHOULD win but who the hell knows Southampton home to Norwich - another team playing only for pride against a battling team! Norwich have been awful most of the time recently and Southampton have some pretty canny players so should win it! Swansea play home to West Brom who have been crap under Mel So three points to us puts us on 27 - and definitely up one place as we go above Palace (Goal Difference) - If WBA and Cardiff lose then we'll be 16th (dizzy heights) 2 points behind Norwich and 3 behind Hull! The big problem with the above is that there is a word which is used an awful lot "IF" - Let's be optomistic and say it will happen... All goes our way. If we lose on Saturday I fear it may be the first nail in the coffin lid for us personally
i will stick my neck out and say that hull because of the two strikers coming in will imo be safe,goals win games in the general way of things also they look quite solid in the midfield area
This is a massive game. Crystal Palace need to go there and make sure they don't get beat - because a Sunderland win would see Palace dragged right back into the mire. They have always been in the relegation battle, but they've done really well under Tony Pulis and people have been waxing lyrical about them - but if they lose this game they will be right back in trouble. I actually thought it was a good thing for Sunderland to go out of the FA Cup and not have a backlog of games in the league. I'll just go for Sunderland. PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0
