I believe our poster may have been tongue-in-cheek on the local climate front. You've got to admit though, for us soft southerners, it's wrap-up-well country up there.
Bad feeling about this game, the worst on the calendar for me! We never win up there I'll go for 1-1 and a red card for someone. (Please not Oriol!)
A meltdown inducing 2-2 for me. JWP should start, gives us more dead ball options and I think both his tackling and distribution have improved since last year. Mane will either be out of the game by half time or been awarded 2 pens.
With who? I reckon Clasie will start again and I'd see them 2 as too lightweight for me against what will be a very physical Sunderland team. Most of the side picks itself at the moment anyway - The back 5 and the front 4. Just with Vics suspension there 2 MF places to be had. I would definitely have Romeu in one of them, then a shootout between JWP/Clasie.
JWP& Clasie as starters with Romeu coming on as required ? 60mins or when the first yellow looks like it could attract another. Of course one of Ron's many advantages is he sees them in training and will take that into account. FWIW in one of many footy related dreams recently we played 5 at the back with Yoshi in this game, my dream camera wouldn't focus on midfield though.
That was against Newcastle though so doesn't count, those points were already totted up when the fixture lists were released!
Mate, for those of us living in the North West Sunderland is another continent. And they don't speak English, unlike scousers who are renowned for their philological sophistication. (?!)
Well there you go then. I think our Sunderland friend was a little quick with the twerp comment, don't you.? I think he took it all [Archer's observation] far too literally.
Get a grip. We're coming into this game on a terrific run against a team that might as well not have a back four for all the effect they have. They are averaging half a point a game, with half of their current huge tally of six points from eleven games coming from a derby match that typically tends to confound form. Our morale is as high as a kite, theirs is at the bottom of the North Sea. We.Will.Stuff.Them. Vin
Romeu is going to start, I think it highly unlikely that Koeman would field a team without a recognized defensive midfielder. It's a battle between Clasie and JWP for the other spot. I'd back JWP. Clasie did nothing wrong, but he's not 100% fit yet and I think his energy could be better used coming from bench in the second half.
I'm going up with a Sunderland fan and he's worried about the cold. I told him to man up and dress down like the locals he'll be sat next to
You mean the ones with the waist up naked fat cover that wouldn't be out of place on an elephant seal..? It's usually the amount of alcohol coursing through them that helps them not to notice. I bet they pay for it the next day. Back around Winter 2002, I was right down the front in the Itchen stand and the cold angled rain was saturating my jeans and inadequate coat [it was way colder than forecast]. Next to me was a woman of perhaps 30-35 who was also in the same predicament. Her friend was very vocal and active and didn't seem to notice her. She kept getting nearer to me for radiated warmth because her friend was well away with the match while she was freezing, as was I. Funny how you remember these little things. Oh, Birmingham City were the opposition. 2-0, I think, Beatts with both. See, I actually remembered the reason why I went.
