Just got back from the game. First half was poor but I thought we had the best chances with a few blocked shots. Their goal was a worldy - that's what you get for spending £18M on Boufal. We had a few good chances, McNair hit the post just after the goal and Defoe was put through by Watmore and fired straight at the keeper. Anichebe looked to be tripped from where I was but I may have had my SAFC specs on. A great turn out from the North East / South east Sunderland fans who sang their hearts out for the lads. Good to see about 6 players take their shirts off and give them to the travelling fans at the end Keep The Faith
Fair summary mate and yeah you def shoulda had pen. Great support in numbers & noise loved your response to "you're ****ing ****"
That was funny I liked the "You're nothing special - We lose every week" and the "One nil and you still don't sing" It was pretty quiet from your end. Anyway - Good luck at the Emirates.
The ball was booted out of defence and then Conte just booted it back, Boufal controlled it with ease then curled it into the top corner. I'm not really seeing what could have been done to stop that.
Good write up from Wood Green Mackem http://www.readytogo.net/smb/threads/an-evening-at-st-marys-with-big-vic-and-the-gang.1290388/ In life we are always faced with choices. Most decisions we take are obvious ones whilst others less so. Then there are the real conundrums. The two hundred pound all-inclusive 4 star fortnight holiday in Tunisia advertised in the travel agent window or the woman from the office making it clear she wants something more after the work Xmas party and offering an Uber to the nearby Premier Inn. Both have their attractions, both bring risk. As does travelling to watch the midweek away fixture hundreds of miles away (well 125 in this case) with the prospect of Victor Anichebe leading the line, and possibly watching Sunderland finally turn their shambolic form around. The chance to say you went to every round of the League Cup at Wembley in a few months’ time. The chance to lose your mobile phone and wallet as you hurdle the seats to get to the lads as they celebrate a winning goal. What’s the worst that could happen for the price of a tank of petrol and £14 ticket? The choice is made. The evening weather is mild around St Mary’s which like the Stadium of Light boasts a £1 sweet table outside - but without the accompanying rave music. A bus full of young Sunderland fans approaches the stadium at a snail’s pace, a lone man in a camouflage cap and body warmer starts singing 'going down' on his own like the unfortunate souls who get caught out singing an extra chorus line while the surrounding fans all go quiet. He starts to shake both thumbs down violently as he sings, realising the windows block his voice. He looks like the kind of guy who looks for roadkill on country roads to cook for food. It is hard to feel anything but sympathy for him, knowing he will be roasting a badger later when he gets home. The away turnstiles are buzzing with noise. For some the long journey has been eased with booze. A Billy Jones chant has already started with gusto, many cans must have been supped on that long trek down from the North East. Walking past the debris of half-drunk pints and up through the concourse, a glance back turns into a stare. The away enclosure is packed and the travelling support are amassed like an awaiting army stood waiting for the teams to come out. Why have so many made the trip? It defies logic. Straight from kick off Sunderland show they like to keep to tradition by punting the ball towards the wing and out for a throw in. If only it was rugby! Dressed in white the visitors allow Southampton fifteen minutes to all get a touch of the ball, which is handy as many of their team are reserve players and are probably a little nervous. Finally the visitors get the ball, before star signing Ndong sprays the ball out wide under no pressure and straight out for a throw in. Manager Moyes has ditched the pyjamas he wore at QPR for a blue tracksuit. He looks less relaxed than at QPR, maybe he should have stuck with the PJs. It doesn’t take much for Sunderland fans to adopt a cult hero and it takes a powerful header from Anichebe to rouse them into song. Not a header towards goal unfortunately but a clearance on the near post from a Southampton corner. ‘Is he fat or just muscly’ asks a woman nearby as Big Vic mops his brow with his shirt exposing a chunk of flesh. No one answered, perhaps no one knew for sure, but the white shorts did his backside no favours. The referee ends 45 minutes of quite dire football and the sprinklers come on. The half time entertainment has that rare quality that rouses the crowd now and then – much like the deckchair challenge at Hartlepool all those years ago. A relay race round the perimeter of the pitch by two teams of kids holding a ball as a baton culminates in a shot into the empty goal by both the Southampton dog mascot (unnamed) and a Help for Heroes mascot complete with leg cast. Whoever designed the latter deserves credit for the detail. The kids all put in 100 per cent with shoulder barges and hurdling sprinklers all ending with a fixed win for the Help for Heroes mascot. The kids look disappointed that their efforts have been in vain. Maybe there was a prize? Probably for the first time in history both mascots walk past the away support without anyone giving them the bird or telling them to f*ck off. 'Did we just clap the mascots' said a voice nearby in a surprised tone. Meanwhile a late trip to the concourse for a Balti Pie is mired in controversy as two teenage fans, who look like they have consumed a crate of beer each, decide to put a 'Wearside' sticker on the kiosk touchscreen till. They think it’s hilarious but the woman behind the counter is fuming. She could easily be the angriest person in the stadium as she tries to peel it off. She also looks like the woman Goldie Lookin Chain sang about who can snap an arm with her thigh. Back to the match and Sunderland are enjoying more possession. Southampton are pushed back, but the men in white are frozen. They have no outlets, no one is running into space, they lack ideas and confidence. The Sunderland fans enjoy their team having the ball, it’s a rare sight this season and they turn up the volume. Then, typically Southampton score. It’s their record £16m signing Sofiane Boufal who the manager said before the game probably wouldn’t play, who pops up in the box and scores a worldy, helped by sloppy defending in the build-up. The home fans cheer, the Sunderland fans try and muster some noise. Down at the other end McNair hits the post with a close range header, the fans are getting lairy with each other at the back of the stand, stewards are massing in neon lead by a guy who is probably ‘Gold Leader’ or ‘Match Commander’. Basically old as the hills and ordering students around like some master tactician. Defoe comes on and immediately it’s all Sunderland and even better, Big Vic is still on the pitch and the crowd are singing his new song. He looks half decent, strong and with a reasonable touch but is blowing after each passage in play. Defoe goes through on goal... the crowd inhale… the keeper saves. Sunderland are on top, still lacking in confidence but pushing forward. This is it, the comeback is on, and the ball breaks to Rodwell on the edge of the box all alone. This is his moment, this is his chance to ram the stats back down everyone’s throats, and he steadies himself, the crowd wait… call NASA its miles over the bar. ‘You’re f*cking ****, you’re f*cking ****’ sing the Southampton fans at the back pointing at the Sunderland fans across the mesh. ‘We’re f*cking ****, we’re f*cking ****’ comes the response to cheers. Only one moment of real drama remains as Big Vic steams into the box and is blatantly tripped. He slides onto the turf, everyone looks at the ref, he looks blankly, everyone looks at the linesman, and he isn’t brave enough to call it. Moyes is going crazy, and when the referee goes across to the fourth official its obvious what’s coming. St Mary's erupts cheering and laughing. The Sunderland fans take consolation in the fact that Dave will have more time to carefully consider his post-game email that they all enjoy reading. The final whistle blows and there will be no Wembley, at least not in this competition. Still at least no one got gunned down by ISIS or got the clap from this choice. Just a reminder that the team is devoid of any confidence and likely to slide out of the Premier League. The problem all of the Sunderland fans trooping out into the dark have is that they will all make the same choice next week and the week after. The team don’t deserve it. Match ratings: Big Vic 7/10 Atmosphere 6/10 Ticket price 8/10 Help for Heroes mascot costume design 10/10 Balti Pie 6/10 was so hot it melted the fork
Yeah it was very quiet... they only opened 2 stands to begin with - to your left and opposite. Meaning a lot of the singers were all split up across the ground by the time the Northam opened up (main singing part). Half of the Northam was sat down which if you've visited before you'll know normally isn't the case!!
Jones is out of positin and not paying attention, it's his man in his position(we zonal marked last night that was Jones; man) and he was punished trying to over correct his mistake. I have said this. You disagree fair enough but I'm not doing the conversation again, just read my posts.
I've read your comments Bri, just saying that it was great control or just lucky for Boufal that he controlled that ball. It almost had snow on it by the time it came down. Then it just spun in the right direction for him to beat Jones. It was just our bad luck that he then hit it into the top corner. Sunderland had a number of long shots and they all ended up in the stands.
I've seen it. I've posted the goal already from multipule angles you don't need to keep posting it. I've taken nothing away from the goal scorer, but He was unmarked and had to much time on the ball because his mark was caught out of position so could deal with a simple straight direct ball into the box. Jones I in the wrong place. He's always in the wrong place. Rose tinted specs mate. There was lots that could have been done to prevent that. Got better things to do than repeat conversations and go round in circles. You don't agree, fine, I don't care. Why is it so important to change my mind?
Key is in your first line though, our best 11 available at the minute. Not our best 11. And we probably had as many "reserves" as you call them (or fringe players when everyone is fit) as they did so I don't understand your point unless it's that we are ravaged by injuries? We had 4 on the bench who'd start for me (and Borini) and they had the luxury of resting players. I.e. We didn't exactly "put out a strong side"
I didn't see the game against Southampton but from watching the clips on here, the same thing that I saw us do against West Ham seems to be happening. In short, players aren't getting tight enough and the oppo are having too much time on the ball. I've previously said that I thought Moyes was a poor man manager but good tactically. I'm changing my mind on that. His tactics were wrong against West Ham, especially when it became apparent they were getting edgy, and the lack of pressing, tight marking, and the use of zonal marking tip the balance for me. For all the lack of investment and injuries, Moyes tactical approach is what's making the situation worse.
I surpose the point i was making was looking at the team sheet prior to the game i thought that our team looked like we were taking it seriously and resembled our current 1st 11. on the other hand they fielded basically a reserve team and still beat us, which i view as a pretty sorry state of affairs but not at all surprising. Yes we have injury problems which is always going to be likely with injury prone players like cats, kirchoff and borini key parts of our first 11. but players get injured and we cant use it as an excuse, others teams will get injuries and cope better throughout the season. The 4 players on the bench may well have played if it had been a league game, though barring defoe and possibly pienar who came on anyway i'm not sure that they are any better than the lads that played tbh.
Chelsea were missing John Terry and the oress were saying how weak they were without him. 1 player. We have, I reckon, 7 that would start ahead of those that played yesterday (3 injured and 4 on the bench not including Mannone) Very few teams can say that. Or have said that and will say we're playongva strong 11
