Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Coventry City – Play-off Semi Final 2nd leg Tuesday 13th May 2025 - KO 20:00

again

never forgiven for the penalty miss in 98, even his under the cosh podcast was awful,

I bet you he'll be all over wanting tickets for this

 

Has this one been posted?

https://youtube.com/shorts/6Bjgj7bIf2k?si=cVDw4-rBTweIwSUe

 

Seriously hope we can keep this lad whatever happens. Superb player.

 

Don't mind him missing a penalty, anyone could do that.

But it's his aching desperation to be one of the media clique that makes you sick. He doesn't even know which accent to use most of the time, a sure sign of a phony that.

 

98 was my first game... so i hold a grudge

but agreed with the latter part

 

Aye it is probably true, work colleague is always selling his BUT doesn’t rip anyone off

 

Saw it last time round and it was great. Think I was mourning the end of the season at the time.

 

'Biggest noise I've ever heard' - Sky Sports pundit blown away by celebrations vs Coventry City

https://www.sunderlandecho.com/spor...jobi-mcanuff-sunderland-coventry-city-5132420

Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff has delivered his verdict on Sunderland’s dramatic late goal against Coventry City on Tuesday evening, suggesting that the subsequent celebrations were “one of the best experiences” he has ever felt in a football stadium. The Black Cats struck in the final minute of added time at the end of extra time, with Dan Ballard rising highest to convert an Enzo Le Fée corner. In the immediate aftermath, the Stadium of Light erupted into scenes of wild celebration, with the festivities carrying on well after the final whistle....

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, the pundit said: “When you think about, you know, 46,000 people screaming at the top of their lungs, I mean, you can't quite get your head around it. I think it was just a sudden impact, because the game was drifting. It was a bit of a lull. Everyone felt like it was going to be penalties. And then out of nowhere, it literally was just the biggest explosion of noise that I think I've ever heard in a single moment.

“And it's what the play-offs is about. We talk about it every season. There's nothing like it, I don't think, in world football where the tension, the drama could all be rolled up into one minute. And it was just a release because there was so much anxiety in the stadium over the game, because of the performance.

“Again, it was just incredible. One of the best experiences I've ever felt in a football stadium. I've got no skin in the game. I'm completely neutral, but you couldn't help but just be carried away by the emotion and the noise of the night.”

(... then Mickey Gray saying blah blah)

 

..
Jobi is right. Even Mrs Rowley, as disinterested as you can get really, has insisted I put it on for her a few times!

But there's another thing here. These scenes are not seen now, rarely though they ever were. But they aren't seen now because in the Premier League, there is the dead hand of VAR. It lies there, waiting to find a reason to disallow a goal or otherwise interfere, sometimes correctly, other times bafflingly incorrectly.

But the net affect is that it takes away the manic, elemental instant of the wildest joy when a goal goes in. Any goal really, but especially a last second goal, after three and a half hours of football, in a huge game in front of a huge crowd. A goal like that should never be tainted by the deliberations of a couple of blokes looking at a few 32inch TVs a hundred or more miles away.

 

Felt a bit for the Coventry players the other night watching them crying into their shirts but after coming across this they've lost all respect from me the self entitled twats.

(I know the little **** shouldn't have been on the pitch)

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1AvSNFCVFB/

 

Haven’t seen that marra, I’ll try and dig it up

 

​

 

Can understand that marra, my son lives in the greater Manchester area and for years he’s been saying what a prick he is,when on local and national media it’s all Man U this and Man U that

 

https://safc.sjv.io/nXAKKa

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Do they club not realise how expensive this month is?

Brilliant from them

And one has been ordered.

I'm going to have to sell a non vital organ at this rate

 

Please please let this happen

 

If we'd lost this game I dread to think what vitriol would've been thrown at our manager, some wanted him out before it even kicked off.

But he's made his choices, subs, tactics, etc and got us to Wembley in his first season ...

... whatever happens next is irrelevant, that's a massive achievement.

He didn't play Watson in the second leg, playing Mundle instead.

He dropped many people's player of the season and put Ballard in, which didn't please some.

He played O'Nien who some wanted dropped, but he was phenomenal in both games.

Hic tactics were strange, but he's at Wembley while Lampard, Carrick, Mowbray etc, will be sitting at home ...

... that's three English managers who are supposed to know everything about English football and the Championship.

We already know Wilder's line up, tactics and subs, but with RLB we've absolutely no idea.

 

Whoever done this missed a trick by not putting Lampard on the floor.

 

In my humble opinion he took all the emotion out of his decisions and to an extent the build up and game and brought tactics and a team to do the job.

He knows its important to connect with the fans, but he also knows the best way to connect is to win.

He's very under rated imo

 

Decent, free to read Athletic article. Just have to create an account. Used my Google one.

Sunderland. Dan Ballard. Bedlam.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/63...land-dan-ballard-play-off-final/?redirected=1