Comfortable run out for the Lads, one or two changes with Cuellar at Right back (Possibly as Gardener misses first game or two through suspension) Roberge alongside O'Shea and the usual suspects filling their normal spots. Westwood - Comfortable and confident. Not called on to do a lot but coped with whatever came his way in descent fashion and no drama's. Colback - Steady as usual and played well for most part but spoiled himself due too two ridiculous challenges which both deserved Yellows for shear stupidity. Roberge - Again steady enough and showed why he is rated by PDC with one or two deft touches, still short of match fitness so a work in progress but nearing completion i think. O'Shea - What a difference a new manager has made... Mr. Reliable at the back he is starting to show glimpses of his former self. Cuellar - Didn't do much wrong but definitely even less convincing as a right back than he is as a centre half, pace is missing and didn't get forward to support A.J Quick enough or often enough. Giacherinni - getting better every time i see him, think he is a future SoL Idol for sure if he keeps this up. Cabral - Done exactly what he should do with a quiet confident composure. he is another one who will improve over time. Larsson - Once again a typical performance from Seb, Never stopped running or complaining for the full 90 minutes and still managed to do sweet f**k All. his corners/free kicks and shooting are getting worse. (Please Wigan he is the perfect partner for Poppy). Johnsson - took the goal really well as expected and is starting to show a little more guile and determination in his play. Sess - Never stopped running and causing a nuisance, some lovely touches and runs with out really showing what he can do on a good day. Altidore - Well I think we have found the NEW Emile Heskey, I hope I am proven wrong but I can not see this guy getting more than 8 - 10 goals a season if he is lucky, I think we have been done here. Diakite ( Diakhite on his shirt?) - looked decent enough but far from match fit. should do well when he is fully up and running. Ba - I like the attitude and comittment this Kid shows, he is full of running and will chase every ball till he gets it. good prospect for the future at only 19. MoreKarlsbergSon - What a Tricksy little winger he is, a great buy in my opinion and if he continues to perform the way he has he will be really pushing AJ for the Jersey Wickham - Looked a real handfull when he came on, think he would cause more problems and have a better chance of scoring with a longer run in the team, would play him up front with Sess untill Fletcher is fit if we don't get anyone else in. Well a 1-0 win against reasonable opposition (They are top of their league at the moment) but nothing to really indicate how things will go this season based on the 3 performances i have watched so far. We do look a lot more interested and motivated than this time last year and in pre-season we have only conceded 2 goals whilst scoring 15 i think, it is just over 1 week to kick off and I think we desperately need 2 fullbacks, 1 midfield maestro and a striker to ease my (not as bad as last season) Nerves. I still think we will go for Peruzzi and hope that we dont just let players leave for peanuts just to clear the books, Vaughan is far better than Larssen in my eyes but I dont Own/Run the club. Well Have a good week until we kick off and hope we are all singing and jumping Come MAY!!!!!!! KTF FTM
I'm sorry mate bit I lost interest at the point where you started to say Altidore is ****e? Nowt like Sunderland fans to create a villain and get on a players back BEFORE he has kicked a bloody ball in anger? FFS?
Personally, I think jozy touch and link up play is phenomenal. I think he has been signed to bring sess, jakey and ah into the game to score for us. However, some of the goals he gets for the us and in the Dutch league were pure striking instinct. It may be lesser opposition but the goal is the same size and in the same place last time I checked. So I have no worries that he knows where to find it.
I think Altidore is a decent signing and looks like a decent option, however I still think Fletcher will be our main forward when fit. I think Fletch can probably play the Sess role so when Sess is injured or suspended Fletch may play off Altidore or Wickham. I still think we will sign a striker too. You need 4 these days and I don't class Sess as a striker.
Well as I said, I hope I am wrong but only time will tell, if I have to eat my words at the end of the season I will be over the moon, but on what i have seen so far I don't think it will come to that.
We are Sunderland and we need a whipping boy.......................................it does my head in.
From watching the game we were excellent at the back, kept a good shape, got men in front of the ball. Can still see the same problems in the final third though.
But he has already been instrumental in 2 or 3 of our goals in pre season and has hardly played 2 hours in total? Its a new club and new team mates and yet you are writing him off before he has even kicked a ball in anger? Its ridiculous mate? At least give him the opportunity to play some games before you crucify him?
Sad to see,but it looks like Seb is the whipping-boy!!Why does anyone need to try to get on a player's back to force them out of the club??It's the start of the season,every player should have a clean-sheet and we should be backing them all!!
I don't think he's a whipping boy. I just don't think he's good enough to play CM. I'd like to see him competing on the right again. There always going to be games we need a right footer on the right. Plus if he's whipping more balls into the box his set pieces should improve too.
I think wickham will go out on loan once Fletch is back and the lower league loan window opens. Ji is a curious one. Been quiet for a while. Will he stay or go?
Seb definitely takes the majority of the stick. He was dropped into a very unfamiliar cm role, players cannot just play in a completely different role immediately they need to get used to their new job etc. He's not the best cm out there but he's certainly not as bad as some make out (in MY opinion) I'm sure we'll see an improved Seb next season
At this point I think he'll stay He has an injury which is why he didn't go with the squad Of course he could have the old transfer injury! So we'll only know if he's staying once the window has shut!
