So we enter the final quarter of the season. A season that has never quite got going for us (or 9 or 10 others to be fair) and sees us currently 14th. 6 points from the drop but with a massive goal difference advantage and 3 points from a top 10 finish. Finely balanced for sure but imo, that top 10 finish should be our target not the bottom. With 8th and 9th place sitting on 40 points (Swansea and WBA) I don't think we can go above that with only 30 points to play for, so it will be to a top 10 finish we should face up to. Regardless of the past 4 games trends we play 2 teams just above us in Stoke and Norwich and 4 teams below us in those 10 games. We will not get much if anything from Man Utd, Chelsea, Everton (maybe a draw) or Spurs, so we will have to get points from all the others to both be safe and a target top 10 finish. We ended with 45 points last year so in reality getting another 15 points may be a hard ask but then to finish 10th this season wont take 47 points either. According to Margaret Byrne in an interview today, we are already well ahead in our summer rebuilding plans so Martin is obviously planning more changes for the 2013/14 season and that's a good thing as we lack pace in this team and creative quality. This season we are getting a 6 out of 10 for effort and performances at best. Next year we should be aiming for a 7 or 8+. However as Everton fans will tell you, Moyes had 3 or 4 seasons where they were 3/10 or 4/10 and almost relegated during that period as well but they stuck with their man through thin and thinner and the rewards are there for all to see now. Everton are a top team and challenging the top 5 every year now and on a minimal budget as well.but it took him a good SIX years to get it right. That some fans are bitching and moaning after 15 months of a MoN reign, quite frankly makes me ashamed and embarrassed tbh. We have top give him at least 2.5 to 3 years to show us he is getting there before we crucify such a quality well proven manager. The alternatives are just not there imo and I simply don't see any manager worth looking at other than the one we have. So lets sit back enjoy the last 10 games of this season and look forward to the next one as a Premier League club for the 7th year in a row. A post war record many of us could only dream of back in the 70's, 80's, 90's and most of the 2000's. Okay we are not Barcelona but hey, it beats the ****e out of playing the likes of Bury, Colchester and Port Vale year after year after year......... (no disrespect by the way lads of those clubs). I'm going for 13 points from these games. March QPR v Sunderland Sat 9 1 point Sunderland v Norwich Sun 17 3 points Sunderland v Man Utd Sat 30 nil points April Chelsea v Sunderland Sat 6 nil points Newcastle v Sunderland Sat 13 1 point Sunderland v Everton Sat 20 1 point Aston Villa v Sunderland Sat 27 1 point May 2013 Sunderland v Stoke Sat 4 3 points Sunderland v Southampton Sun 12 3 points Tottenham v Sunderland Sun 19 nil points
Pleased to hear Margaret Byrne saying plans are already afoot to get summer transfer signings in. The good news being that it means ES is still on the magic carpet with us. It also means MON must be still with us for next season. I think a lot of people are disappointed with where we are but my main concern is the style of football we are currently playing may mean less people willing to re-invest in season tickets. There are that many offers on now (2 x £10 tickets) etc quite a few times per season many people may pick and choose when they want to go. I am hopeful of a decent end to the season re-igniting peoples passions and then acquiring a better quality player again. This may bring the fans erring on caution back into the fold. I'm being as optimistic as I always am and going for the following 15 points minimum from these games with the hope we beat Southampton plus sneak a point off Spurs making a fab 18 points. March QPR v Sunderland Sat 9 3 points Sunderland v Norwich Sun 17 3 points Sunderland v Man Utd Sat 30 nil points April Chelsea v Sunderland Sat 6 nil points Newcastle v Sunderland Sat 13 1 point Sunderland v Everton Sat 20 1 point Aston Villa v Sunderland Sat 27 3 point May 2013 Sunderland v Stoke Sat 4 3 points Sunderland v Southampton Sun 12 1 points Tottenham v Sunderland Sun 19 nil points
While I agree with what you are saying it is frustrating supporting safc. While we should be patient look at the teams above us, Swansea for example showing regardless of money spent if you try & play football you can achieve big things with good & average players, something we never do. The money we have spent and amount of managers we've been through to struggle to achieve mid table mediocrity. I get no pleasure from safc whatsoever at the moment.
With QPR winning yesterday & us not we are in for a very tough game next week. I think well get beat then all of a sudden the Norwich game becomes a 6 pointer & the pressures on. That's why yesterday was such an important 2 points dropped. We will stay up but only just, we are well off mid table IMO.
We haven't half been unlucky with how our games against QPR have fallen. There were the whippinguyen boys that guaranteed points, they bring harry in and guess who his first opponents are, wed be 2 points better off if Hughes had lasted a week longer. This time around they've been struggling then get a massive morale boosting win and hey ho guess who has to play this probably rejuvanated team. i think well get around 42 points which will keep us up. This seasons short comings could benefit us next year because its clear to see just how much improvement is needed to the team
Listen mate, what Swansea have achieved is very good but a cup run is a lottery. For all their fantastic season and our ****e one they have 10 points more than us right now which is hardly streets ahead is it and to be fair we should have beaten them down there. If Swansea are still in the EPL in another 5 or 6 years then fair enough but to be honest, Pompey won the FA Cup a few years ago and were in the EPL but look at them now. Without Michus goals I love to know where they would actually be right now as well. Patience mate is the key word. 15 months is a minute timescale to judge a managers worth imo.
They cant put a run together though mate and I'd sooner they got their win out of their system last week than go into our game say on the back of a 10 match losing streak as that would be a guaranteed win for them. We can get a point at least imo from this game if not a win.
If your team turn up and play as they did in that Halloween game I fear for another beating mate. Its just what Sunderland team turns up too? We will play 1 up front for definite imo and back Fletcher up maybe with Sess which doesn't work but if we play AJ and Sess on the flanks and Cattermole is back in the middle we may will compete far better. I'd take 1-1 now though.
long way off post war record 1945 to 1959 14 years. however this has been without dout the most boring 12 months i see as a supporter in 52 years of watching them. only 1 way to show disapprooval of O'neill I have not moaned once, I simply will not renew my 2 season tickets if he is still manager at end of this month.
long way off post war record 1945 to 1959 14 years. however this has been without dout the most boring 12 months i see as a supporter in 52 years of watching them. only 1 way to show disapprooval of O'neill I have not moaned once, I simply will not renew my 2 season tickets if he is still manager at end of this month.
Most boring in 52 years? Give your heed a bloody big shake chum. What a load of ****e. You must have been watching most of the last 50 years with a friggin blindfold on. Just who would you like to see then to make you renew your ticket?
Serious cest I have to say you feel embarrassed and ashamed because other safc fans don't share your opinion ,why do you think that your opinion is the only right one ,or better still as you said to me I must be young because I don't agree with you . You say sit back enjoy the last 10 games are you playing with a full deck of cards or what have you seen the league mate were bang in trouble I will relax only after the last game and hopefully were safe .lets just pray your right about oneil taking us foward as I would love oneil to do well.but have to say the way you slag people of for having an opinion is embarrassing
March QPR 2-1 Sunderland Sunderland 2-1 Norwich Sunderland 1-3 Man Utd April Chelsea 2-0 Sunderland Newcastle 2-1 Sunderland Sunderland 1-2 Everton Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland Sunderland 2-1 Stoke Sunderland 2-2 Southampton Tottenham 3-1 Sunderland 9pts. 39pts will be enough.
sit back and enjoy. Its about 300 mile round trip to home games and I may of enjoyed 1 in 12 months. Does O'neill pay you to write your ****e because everyone around me is bored ****less with his negetive tactics.
sit back and enjoy. Its about 300 mile round trip to home games and I may of enjoyed 1 in 12 months. Does O'neill pay you to write your ****e because everyone around me is bored ****less with his negetive tactics.
I think we can write off a top 10 finnish this year. looking at the way we've played, the squad we've have at our disposal and more importantly Catts. We're better when he plays and I don't think he'll manage a run of games again this season. I blame MoN for this (This is the only thing I blame him for) He should have signed Alfred in the summer and instead signed a replacement for Catts. Catts then should have been sent for his operation. We have a poor back two with no pace and MoN clearly didn't have the funds to bring his main CB target in. The key to a top ten finish this season for me was protecting that defence. I don't think we can do that now. I will however forgive this and even forgive finishing below Barcodes (touch wood we don't) if he sends Catts for his Op now to give our captain a careful rehabilitation and a full pre-season. Think we'll be safe with games to spare. don't think we'll find any fluency or consistency but I urge people to look at the bigger picture. Big war chest for next season. I think we can expect MoN to address the defence situation then our attacking players can break from further up the pitch knowing there's a strong, trustworthy defence that's protected by our captain. Next season we'll start looking like a proper MoN team, mark my words.
I disagree, 10 points is massive in this league, could end up being 15 by end if the season, & you could say where would we be without Fletcher. Swansea aren't spending like pompey so the similarities are limited.
