With the weekend approaching I find myself getting nervous, I try to tell myself that Saturday is unimportant, we wont go down so does it matter if we finish 8th or 14th, its the cup that counts. I try to convince myself but of course it matters, they league and cup both matter and after the hard work of the past few months it would be a great shame to let it slide, I'm sure MON is saying the same. So Saturday matters and we again meet a team fighting for their premiership lives. Add in the return of Cissi, however its spelt, and Hughes who was heavily tipped for our manager so may feel he has something to prove and the nerves are there. Still, on the positive side of life, Sess is back, we are playing well at home, it would be unusual to have two horror shows on the trot and I'm not having a bet. The negative side is whatever happens I know by Sunday my nerves will be in overdrive with Tuesdays game coming. And I want us to add Europe in next season, must be mad.
I like Sunderland to win every game, I would love us to finish 8th. HOWEVER I cannot look past our FA Cup match was is more history changing than finising 8th. I am normally old fashioned and don't change a team around, but players must be protected. Playing Saturday then Tuesday will effect players physically. I would happily finish 14th in the league, but get to the final of the FA Cup. Saying that I would be gutted to lose to QPR, I feel even a weakened team should beat them at home. I would also give players who have came back a run out, like Gordon, Killa, Richo & Wickham.
QPR see's a return for Cisse, Ferdinand, and Onuoha...Plus everyone's favourite Barton (wish Catts was playing). Make no mistake a partnership of Cisse and Zamora has potential...They will be on a high after bearing Liverpool... The cup run is a added bonus....but unless we win it, that's all it is... How many remember last year 1/4 or1/2 finalists, let alone Stoke being in the final. But both Everton and then Liverpool are beatable...so who knows.... It certainly keeps the club buzzing...
yeah...being a supporter sucks. Why can't we just win every match? Then again if we did you would be out of work here on Not606, nobody to bitch about! I do think he will make changes though!
I have been a supporter for 65+ yrs. I have hope of something good in the near or distant future. Still take each game as it comes but with MON in charge I have never felt this good since Reid.
I think all focus should be on the cup now. Our league position will sort itself out over the next 9 games and a top 10 place is definitely the target. However, we won't finish in the top 6 imo and top 8 would be a bonus. Mon took over with more than a third of the season gone and top 6, 7 or 8 is a target too far. If and it's a massive if still, we beat Everton and Liverpool in the cup, we are virtually guaranteed European football. Spurs and chelsea will finish top 5 and one will get champions league and the other Europa. If we can get into European competition it will mean more revenue, exposure and international profile, making player recruitment easier and better. The cup could effectively change the course of our future and should, at this stage, be the absolute focus of our season now.
No doubt I'll be pissing on everyones chips here but, the PL is the most important so we should be focusing on that first. The cup run is nice and if we do get as far as the final Europe beckons but, there again you have another problem if the squad isn't strengthened. Still maintain that the next game is the most important and, watching Tuesdays effortless display from a very tired team we could struggle on Saturday. Tuesday being a cup game anything could happen however, play like we did against Blackburn who with no disrespect were no great shakes themselves and we will struggle again. All part and parcel of being a Sunderland fan I suppose roll on.
Oh bugger, now I'm all confused again. The fear is an obvious one, take it easy on Saturday to concentrate on the cup, lose on Tuesday and it could be end of season so Saturday is a must win, well maybe not a must win, see, it's confusion all round.
A bit of success and we start to panic syd as we aren't used to it not for the last few years anyway and, any crap games like Tuesdays and the panic sets in, so win and we panic lose and we panic weird but true. Don't get me wrong here the cup run is great but, where is the money these days? that is what we have to aim for at present as we are a long way off being a team who can do well in Europa league. Some may point at Fulhams good showing the other year that's fine but, still think we need MON to build for a couple of years yet before we even attempt anything European.
Yes but I'v done a route planner to Wembley and checked on parking charges, easy to get to mind but I'm not counting chickens, honest I'm not.
Distance: 265.0 miles (show in km) Time: 4 hr 43 min A181 0.00 Start out on Gilesgate A690 0.11 At Gilesgate roundabout take the 4th exit onto the A690 Sunderland 0.98 Continue forward onto the A690 Sunderland A1(M) 1.97 At roundabout take the 3rd exit, then join the A1(M) motorway The South 6.58 Durham Service Area (ROAD CHEF) 28.61 Scotch Corner Service Area 20% off for AA Members A1 28.66 At Scotch Corner continue forward onto the A1 38.47 Warning: Speed Cameras along the A1 40.11 Leeming Bar Service Area A1(M) 51.49 Continue forward onto the A1(M) The South, Wetherby 66.67 Wetherby Service Area 20% off for AA Members 76.35 At Junction 43 branch left, then join the A1(M) motorway The South A1 87.00 Continue forward onto the A1 91.76 Barnsdale Bar Service Area A1(M) 94.80 At Red House Junction continue forward onto the A1(M) The South M18 102.51 Leave the A1(M) at junction 35, then at roundabout take the 3rd exit, then join the M18 motorway Sheffield M1, Rotherham M1 112.05 Keep in right hand lanes then continue forward onto the M1 The South 116.75 Woodall Service Area (WELCOME BREAK) 129.60 Tibshelf Service Area (ROAD CHEF) 134.15 Warning: Speed Cameras along the M1 143.57 Trowell Service Area 20% off for AA Members 144.07 Warning: Speed Cameras along the M1 152.24 Donington Park Service Area 162.77 Travelodge and Leicester Markfield Services (Jct 22) 20% off for AA Members 169.93 Leicester Forest East Service Area (WELCOME BREAK) 184.51 Warning: Speed Cameras along the M1 192.55 Watford Gap Service Area (ROAD CHEF) 202.98 Northampton Service Area (ROAD CHEF) 215.46 Newport Pagnell Service Area (WELCOME BREAK) 221.77 Warning: Speed Cameras along the M1 230.10 Toddington Service Area 20% off for AA Members 239.19 Warning: Speed Cameras along the M1 247.09 Continue forward at junction 6a London 256.34 London Gateway Service Area (WELCOME BREAK) 261.16 Continue forward, then merge onto the M1 A406 261.29 At roundabout take the 4th exit onto the A406 Harrow, Kilburn A5, North Circular West 261.65 At roundabout take the 2nd exit onto the A406 N. Circular (W), Wembley 261.71 Bear left onto unnamed road A406 261.75 Continue forward onto the A406 261.96 Continue forward, then merge onto the North Circular Road 262.40 Warning: Speed Cameras along the A406 B4557 263.45 Branch left onto Great Central Way - B4557 Wembley Stadium 263.57 At roundabout take the 1st exit onto Great Central Way - B4557 Wembley Stadium 263.92 Turn right onto Great Central Way - B4557 Wembley Stadium, Industrial Estate 264.54 Continue forward (one-way) 264.86 Keep in left hand lane then bear left 264.97 Show Map | Hotels | Restaurants Arrive on South Way Section time 4:43, Total time 4:43
It is a difficult one, we do not have avery big 1st team squad, we have strikers that are not prolific in scoring, a decent midfield and a decent defence, however I would like us to get to 40 + league points asap. I think the poor performance on tuesday was due to tiredness and mentally thinking about the cup game, so the question is do we rest key players on Saturday for tuesdays cup game. Well Sess can play two games in 4 days, but I would rest Larsson and Gardner and only give McClean half a game, play one up front probably Bendtner and then sub with Campbell. Leave the defence alone, the Greek did not impress on his first outing but against Zamora we may need a big lad and somebody quick on Cisse.
