After the Southampton game eveyone is hurting...the fans, the club and players. Watching Gus's interviews after the game I get the impression he will shake it up for the Arsenal game to really get his point across about players not trying. We don't have a large squad and especially in defense they aren't many options. So what's your team going to be? Here goes for starters: Pantilimom Jones (if fit) Vergini O'Shea Aanholt Mavrias Rodwell Catts Cabral Johnson Altidore Mannone did give away a goal but a lot of what went on in front of him was not his fault. However, if your going to have two top class goalkeepers I'm sure he will give Pantilimom a start after the team conceded 8. Fletcher who I know has admirers to me was back to his usual self....just not in the game. Wickham spent most of his time chasing back Clyne. Our championship players looked championship....Buckley, Gomez and Bridcutt. The Premier League is unforgiving and you cannot carry players in this league. I think he will look at Cabral. I also believe he will throw a surprise or two with Mavrias or even Watmore coming into the side plus Altidore. I think with Altidore it will be put your money where your mouth is. Hopefully he scores and someone buys him in January. These are just some thoughts. I know it's all about opinions......ladies and gentlemen....whats yours?
I think the defense will be a case of who is fit gets a game mate, our options are very limited due to injuries. Not sure why Brown went off but he clearly wasn't fully fit to play, very static and uncomfortable in the turn so looks like we won't have hime back. If we get Jones back then the back four will probably be, Jones, Vergini, O'Shea, Aanholt. The rest will be interesting, but i expect to see a shuffle in the middle, maybe Johnson to start maybe with Rodwell as well, the rest ???. If Arsenal turn up and are in the mood for it then i don't think it matters what team we turn out tbh, they'll be too strong for us. All i want to see is some fighting spirit and lets have a ****ing go at them. If we get beat then lets get beat trying and don't roll over like we did yesterday.
I'd play the exact same team and tell them " right you have a chance now in front of your fans to show them what you are capable of and the 8-0 was just one of them things that happen,but this is a last chance, **** it up and your out".
Mannone's bad kick out was down to JoS playing it back with a weak pass to his week foot. There is no way in hell I'd drop him for Pants, he's ****e.
Mannone has been excellent for us ...... dropping him for one bad game would be a slap in the face. Poyet will offer him the choice, I believe, and then its up to the player. If I was in his position, and was dropped, I'd be putting in a transfer request. He made a mistake away to Man City and was excellent in the following game.
Agreed and yesterday wasn't just down to Mannone, you could go right through the team and point fingers. It was a one off and won't happen again, we just need to regroup, graft our bollocks off in training and come out fighting next week.
Man Utd were battered by Wimbledon, or someone, a few weeks back ... that's all but forgotten now. This was a PL side at the top of their game. If we'd surrendered at 3-0 we could've defended & kept the score at that. We'd have blamed a freak OG and been looking forward to next week. It was a f** up but no worse than Spurs missing a penalty, conceding 2 & being battered as well as losing a man to a red card.
We lost 3 points, would have still been 3 points if we got beat 1-0. All i want to see is a reaction against Arsenal, i'm not expecting us to get much from the game tbh, but i want to see a reaction and some spirit in the team. We just collapsed big style yesterday and from players earning more in a week than most earn all year, that's not acceptible is it? I'd also like to hear a few apologies from some of the players this week, they owe the fans that much imo.
There was little Vito could do about most of them (Apart from Pelle's first) if it wasn't the defence collapsing in front of him it was midfielders standing of giving them time for the shot. I blame O'shea for the back pass goal.
i love Vito but thats one of the worst gk performnaces ive ever seen from a sunderland keeper. Mannone should have saved atleast 2 and was to blame along with Oshea for the dodgy back pass awful clearance goal. Id be watching him closely in training and any hints that hed carry that into the Arsenal then id play Pantilimon. In front of that id go; Vergini----Oshea----Brown-----Van Aanholt --------------Cattermole-------------------- Buckley----Larsson---Rodwell-----Johnson ----------------Fletcher---------------------
After Gus's comments about he know's who wasn't trying who do you think he was referring to......? I think his team selection for Arsenal will give us a lot of clues but in some areas he's struggling for options: Mannone: He has been great for us no doubt but still think Gus will leave him out for competition of spot places. Pointless having two top class keepers if our not going to use them. Vergini: Hindsight if full squad available he should have been left out after being in Asia all week. Like the lad and should play against Arsenal. O'Shea: Still seemed to be caught up in europhia of his 100 caps and goal during week. Seemed to lack focus of being back to bread and butter. No option other than to go with him against Arsenal. Brown: Maybe wasn't fit I don't know but we missed his usual assurance and calmness at the back because we were all at sea at times. Again no other option than to go with him next Saturday. Aanholt: Can't really think of what he contributed. Couple of opportunities from distance on free kicks which he made a mess of. His performance although poor like the rest didn't jump out as the catalyst for the result. From now on I think this is where Gus will be giving it serious thought: Buckley: Seemed out of his depth. Championship performance...or probably an invisible one. I think he will be benched. Larrson: Did his usual running around. What's the saying...all dressed up and no where to go. No impact at all on the game. Hauled off by Gus....maybe the first sign he will be left out. Catts: Has been tremendous for us. Got his usual card by Marriner then drifted out the game. Couple of times I noticed Catts wasn't chasing back which was unsual for him. Something seemed up there. Catts is a bit like the defense. Not much option to replace him as Bridcutt is no where his influence on the pitch. Will start next game and I think will just put this game behind him. Gomez: Had high hopes early days but again it was a championship performance. He will make no impact at the EPL level with them sort of performances. Will be benched. Wickham: To me an immature performance. Spent most of his time tracking back as Clyne was giving him problems. Someone wants to mention to him that at this level he is suppose to give Clyne the problems. Not the other way around... Fletcher: Here is probably the one that will create the most discussion. His performance to me was similar to that at QPR. Yes, clearly the lad should have had a penalty but his overall play leaves to me a lot to be desired. He has the ability but has he the heart? I think he will be benched the next game... As I mentioned before we just move on from this game. Was it a one off....yes. Will we have a good season...yes. I think Gus will lay his marker down after this game and say you need to perform to stay in the team. If not your out.....
I watched the 90 minutes on Sky and thought we played well for 25 minutes and were looking very good going forward, unlucky to be 3-0 at half time and we should have had a penalty no doubt, the ref had little option but to book Catts and he relished it, once booked if Catts had made another tackle he would have been sent off, he has curbed this side of his game to his credit, but I did think that up to mid-way through the second half both he and Whicks put in good shifts, I also think that Vito and PVA were our best players over the 90 minutes, but the rest were all below par against a very good side playing with a ruthlessness that bordered on sadism , every mistake we made was punished and the players are only human and I think they were all shell shocked in the last 10 minutes or so. Gus should pick the same team again in my opinion and must back them to the hilt against Arsenal. If anything good can come from this sad affair it is our magnificent supporters who backed up the lads until the final whistle and beyond, well done every one of you. Lets lick our wounds and move on, great post by the way, and a good read LA.
Re above Mannone was at fault for 3 goals in one game. Surely his worst game at safc since Mk dons in the league cup last year. Bridcutt and Gomez are championship players and should be used sparingly. Buckley away from home when we are up against it looks a liability. At 4 nil we should have just shut up shop and put our foot through the ball and got it up the pitch.
There was a thread up a couple of weeks ago saying Mannone was the best keeper in the league, that doesn't change off the back of one hammering surely? You have to stick with him, after that then nobody should be safe.
I would stay with Vergini, he had a one off performance and he will want to make amends against Arsenal, change the goaly and with injuries Gus has not much choice, I will not panic as there is no way this team will get relegated Villa, QPR, and Burnley at the minute are worse, we had one bad result Christ knows why, but maybe we should have 5 at the back against Palace in a fortnight just in case. If Villa don't get a striker in they are doomed, let's hope they sign Danny graham !
Mannone out of the whole Di Canio debacle has been the silver lining. My thought was just to leave him out for a game. Similar to when Hart gets left out for that lad...Calabero I think his name is. Your legend Sir Fergie was past master at creating competition for places. No one in the team should be assured of the place especially in Sunderlands team. There's two ways to go....change the team quite a bit as Gus seemed to suggest he would in his interviews as he was pissed...or keep same team and see what reaction he gets. Either way just want a performance. I'm ok at getting stuffed if we go and give it our all. We know going to United, Chelsea, City etc that this sort of result is on the cards but not normally at Southampton. Give them their due though they seen an opportinity and took it.....fair play to them!!!
---------------Mannone-------------------- Vergini----O'Shea----Brown-----Van Aanholt --------------Cattermole-------------------- Buckley----Gomez---Rodwell-----Johnson ---------------Fletcher---------------------
Manone for me against Arsenal, the lad is Sunderland through and through, and has been a rock for us since he came to the club.
