Guardian Prediction

http://www.theguardian.com/football...-league-2014-15-preview-sunderland?CMP=twt_gu

Premier League 2014-15 preview No16: Sunderland
After last season’s remarkable escape act, does Gus Poyet’s side have the firepower to avoid such drama this time around?

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 12th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 14th

Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker): 5,000-1

There are two Sunderlands. Off the field there is the commercially savvy, socially responsible, club which has just announced a trans-Atlantic partnership with Washington’s DC United and is carefully cultivating a fanbase in southern and west Africa featuring Nigeria as its latest expansion zone.

Back on the pitch, the other Sunderland currently looks a little less sure-footed, not quite as dynamic and a whole lot more complex and contradictory. Take the peculiarities of last season. Courtesy of a late winning streak, featuring victories at Chelsea and Manchester United, Gus Poyet’s side ended it by staying up with a game to spare after being seven points adrift of safety with six matches to go.

Along the way Poyet – who succeeded the unlamented Paolo Di Canio in October – led Sunderland to a League Cup final defeat against Manchester City but, at times, became increasingly depressed as his players spent the vast majority of his tenure mired in the bottom three. Rarely have football teams proved greater chameleons than this “when we’re good we’re very good but when we’re bad we’re frightful” Wearside ensemble.

Sunderland fans swiftly became resigned to seeing a team capable of doing a brilliant double against Newcastle United last term stumble horribly against less than formidable relegation rivals.

There was a point last spring when Poyet seemed ready to throw in the towel but, having been talked into staying by the owner, Ellis Short, the ambitious Uruguayan swapped a disastrous experiment with five at the back for a much more attacking mentality and proved that miracles really can happen before extending his contract.

Big on philosophy Poyet should benefit from having had a full pre-season to implement his possession-based, controlled passing mantra but his squad remains flawed in certain departments and could have done without the underrated left-footed midfielder, Jack Colback, defecting to Newcastle United on a free transfer.

If Phil Bardsley and Craig Gardner will not be missed so much, Billy Jones – a free transfer from West Brom and Bardsley’s replacement at left back – has much to prove, although Jordi Gómez – acquired on another free, from Wigan – represents a smart piece of recruitment on the part of Lee Congerton, Sunderland’s new sporting director.

Wigan’s player of the year last season, Gómez can not only put Poyet’s passing vision into practice but comes with the added bonus of possessing an ability to score from midfield. An overall lack of goals is a potential problem and much hinges on whether Fabio Borini, a loanee hit last season, finally agrees to the £14m transfer from Liverpool which has been “agreed in principle” for several weeks now. Then there is the threat of Connor Wickham, who scored five goals in six games as Sunderland pulled off their great escape but is stalling on signing a new contract, departing for significantly higher wages at West Ham.

It helps that Steven Fletcher, injured for most of last season, is finally fit again but the Scotland striker will need better support than that currently offered by the poor man’s Emile Heskey otherwise known as the United States centre forward, Jozy Altidore.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Sunderland’s player of the year last season, the former Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone, is now confronted by stern competition from Costel Pantilimon, newly arrived from Manchester City.

Another City old boy, Jack Rodwell, is an extremely welcome £10m, marquee, addition to midfield – well at least providing this potential England regular can stay fit and keep those hamstrings out of the treatment room – and it is to be hoped Italy’s Emmanuel Giaccherini will confirm that the glimpses of his rich talent seen at the end of last season were not illusory. But defence raises concerns.

Granted, Patrick van Aanholt, the 21-year-old Holland left-back acquired from Chelsea, has impressed in pre-season and appears an excellent addition who injects much needed pace to the team but further back-four reinforcements are necessary.

While Santiago Vergini, at right back, John O’Shea and Wes Brown in central defence and Van Aanholt represents a more than competent obstruction and destruction unit, O’Shea and Brown are not getting any younger. Brown, especially, has a history of knee trouble so serious the club attempted to persuade him to retire last summer.

A move for Manchester City’s unwanted but talented Micah Richards or the arrival on loan of Chelsea’s abundantly gifted Kurt Zouma would not go amiss. There had been hopes Swansea’s Ashley Williams would have long since arrived to offer O’Shea and Brown competition but, when Williams penned a new contract in south Wales, it became apparent he had merely been using north-east interest to provoke better terms from his current employers.

As an arch-politician himself Poyet – who knows precisely how to manipulate press coverage in order to get what he wants from his own bosses – will have appreciated the stance but he is also learning that Wearside can sometimes be a hard sell for footballers.

With the Stadium of Light boasting a near-50,000 capacity and the supporters as committed as they come, this famous old club – “a proper, big, football club”, as Sir Alex Ferguson once told Roy Keane – remains a sleeping giant boasting immense potential. Re-awakening it from decades of general doziness will not be easy but few jobs offer similar scope.

Poyet resisted spring-time interest from West Ham and Southampton, not to mention the temptations of gentler southern winters, because he knows establishing Sunderland as a top-eight side would virtually guarantee him the sort of prestigious posting – think Chelsea – that he ultimately craves and believes his ability demands.

He has already won a behind-the-scenes power struggle to exert increased autonomy over assorted departments – most notably, the academy – and his mission to imbue the club with a clear identity and a defined brand of play bodes well.

There is always the danger the South American’s usually well controlled but impossible to ignore, volatile streak could result in him hurling his toys out of the pram and everything ending in tears but, on balance, the future looks bright.

It is probably unlikely to be a long-term relationship but, right here, right now, Poyet and Sunderland have the capacity to be very good indeed for each other … and both parties know it.


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After the BBC one the other day predicting us to get 10th

Now the Guardian predicting us to get 12th...seems like a few of the media have seen how we can play last season and expecting us to do well this season

Whilst myself would take 15th now with Gus staying for some stability its nice to see the amount of optimism around the club!

 

Interesting reading.

My honest view is that we have more pace and goal threats from midfield.

The defence and keeper is virtually the same and there's still time for 2 more signings ....... get them right and I'll go for 9th place.

As things stand I don't see us posting the word 'relegation' too often.

Poyet is a very clever manager and our 'current form' is excellent.

 

Its our defence that worries me at the mo! We need a quality centre back!

 

The way I read the above, just as I read the Telegraph one is like... a much better manager, but..., he's a good pacey signing....but, ... he's another good signing... but, ... great, fletcher's back,.... but!

Its like, they know we've done some sound business, the clubs in a far better position than in previous years, and they know negotiations on some deals are still ongoing... BUT they just cant bring themselves to say anything evenly remotely controversial like, "yes, Sunderland will be okay this season"!

Buggers!!!

 

I'd say 12th is about right. There is a fair amount of dross in this league and you should finish ahead of the likes of Swansea, West Brom, the promoted sides etc. They have us 9th which probably isn't far off either. Outside the top 7, anything is possible.

 

Think a lot of these predictions are based upon a respect the media have for Poyet as a manager and a person, he always seems to have the time for everybody.

Last season a lot of you were pissed off with 'expert' predictions, but a lot of them turned out spot on and they were probably more to do with Di Canio than any of your players. Everything seems a lot calmer this year, as expected and that's reflected in the predictions. It's only the players that can deliver on the pitch though, you're gonna need 2 or 3 more I reckon to really kick on.

 

They're gonna start this season with Bony and Gomis in attack, that's goals on paper all day, but it's the manager that puzzles me.

I reckon we'll mince them this weekend mind, stupid little team with stupid sideways crap.

 

I'd snap their bloody hands of for anywhere between 10-12 right now. Mid table mediocrity, derby double, and a decent cup run will do me for the next few years until we are truly sorted.

 

I doubt that mate, I can't see Bony wanting to play under Monk ......... a terrible appointment imo.

 

An unhappy Bony though. Both Mancs will mince their opponents this weekend

 

Well I can't see him leaving before this weekend mate, I do agree though, I still fancy him to be offski before the window shuts, just depends to who, a safe bet would be Spurs.

Edit: Smug needs to get off the fence with his opinion on Gary Monk!

I watched City in the Charity Shield vs Arsenal mate, they looked awful and Pellegrini hasn't got them fit at all yet. I wouldn't back them on that performance, but saying that Pardew will gift them 3 points no doubt, 2-0 up with 5 minutes left and Pards takes the keeper off and replaces him with a sausage roll.

 

at least they look like they have put a bit of thought and research into their article, which is the total opposite of the crap the daily mail come out with..

 

I think 14th is conservative. There are some woeful sides this year.

Look at some of these starting Forwards for the weekend:

Villa: Bent
Burnley: Inga Jutkwietcz
Palace: Campbell Chamakh
Hull: Jelavic Aluko
Leicester: Nugent Ulloa
Newcastle: Riviere
QPR: Austin
Stoke: Diouf
West Ham: Cole

Hardly strikes fear in the opposing sides heart. If Gus can just get a couple of more across the line, there are easily 8 teams that look inferior on paper.

 

And we are fretting having Wickham, Altidore and Fletcher. Fkin hell even Graham is better then half of them.

 

There'll be no hiding place, for me, if he qualifies for Europe

 

Exactly. Sunderland in much better shape than most.

 

Excellent point mate, I'd take Altidore over some of them tbh.

Riviere will flop imo and that's because I've seen him play not because of my Newcastle bias.

 

Hell Smug, I'd take Jozy over all of them!

 

I can't believe Newcastle didn't fight harder for Remy, I don't see them as the threat some people do without him.

 

He's quality. Saw this morning he may be going to Spurs. Soldado was another **** buy by Levy, Remy may be a huge improvement.