Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Sheffield United FC – Wednesday 1st January 2025 - KO 20:00

Thanks as always RTB for this one and all the previous 2024 threads much appreciated- right I’ve watched 5 sheff Utd matches this season and there a good side but in my opinion not the side folk make them out to be in there last match how Hamer stayed on the pitch blatant 2nd yellow and the ref bottled it. Mind that young lad Brooks had a very good game so we need to be switched on at the back, Mayenda looked a broken man when he got took off so I’d be going with RTBs selection looks good to me and also a 2-1 win for the lads COME ON

 

Both teams riddled with injuries. Score draw

 

Thanks again RTB (a true public servant) for another first class MDT, . Often let down by players and posters alike, self included , but always bouncing back to raise our hopes and spirits, speaking of which may I take this opportunity of wishing you and yours a Happy New Year,
PS, Your team will do me fine, but here's hoping whoever rLb selects they do us proud and collect all 3 precious points. OaU.

 

6,249
The total number of minutes played by Academy graduates in Sunderland's first team this season in all competitions.

2,064
No player has clocked more senior minutes of action for the Black Cats this season than Dan Neil, who has completed the full 90 in 22 of his 23 Sky Bet Championship games this campaign.

150
Team captain Neil surpassed his 150th league appearance milestone for the Club on Boxing Day at Blackburn Rovers.

3
At least three Academy graduates have featured in every matchday squad so far this term.

11
Sunderland are unbeaten after 11 matches in the 2024-25 season at the Stadium of Light.

No player has started more league games than Neil this season (23).

17-year-old Chris Rigg ranks 5th for the most minutes (1,834) played within Sunderland's squad this campaign across all competitions.

The Black Cats boast the youngest squad in the Sky Bet Championship this season, with an average age of just 23.6 years.

Neil and Jobe rank joint-fourth in the Sky Bet Championship this season for ball recoveries (124).

Dennis Cirkin, set to make his 100th appearance for the Club against Sheffield United, has made more interceptions (31) and more successful tackles (33) than any other Sunderland player this season.



Only four players have recorded more assists than Patrick Roberts’ five this campaign. Only seven players have achieved more successful take-ons than Roberts’ 34, while only three players have recorded more goal-creating actions than his 11.

Jobe and Roberts are joint top of Sunderland's goal involvements list this campaign with seven each.

Trai Hume made his 100th league appearance for the Club vs Stoke City.

Chris Rigg is just two senior appearances away from reaching 50 in all competitions.

Luke O'Nien became Sunderland’s record appearance holder at the Stadium of Light in November, surpassing John O'Shea’s tally of 138.

Anthony Patterson is now up to 142 senior appearances for the Club, keeping 43 clean sheets in that time.

Jobe is just 10 appearances away from making 100 league appearances at just 19, with 65 of his 89 coming at Sunderland.

Harrison Jones made his first-team debut in August at Preston.

Tommy Watson scored his first senior goals for the Club against Stoke City in December.

Academy players Timur Tuterov, Zak Johnson, Trey Ogunsuyi, Ben Crompton, and Ben Middlemas have also featured in matchday squads this campaign.

 

Some good stuff there. Rigg nearly 50 games already!

 

So proud of this club

 

I’d like to see Roberts in for Mayenda as the only change

having Aleksic in the team helped isidors link up as he’s a natural number 10

we played well against Stoke but need to create slightly better chances

every chance we win this game and then the league is back on track haway the lads

 

Play like we did at their place and put the ball in the back of the net and we can beat these.

Play like we did against stoke and they'll beat us.

Think it'll be a draw, but a victory sends out a real statement to both Leeds and Burnley that we're coming for them.

 

One thing I’ve learned about this team is they don’t take kindly to defeat or bad form they always fight for results

the boys will be well up for it tomorrow and no better team to make a statement against

 

I would like to see Patto dropped for Moore, he seems all over the place at the moment, his decision making and 95% of his distribution is awful, not sure what’s up with the lad but he looks shot of confidence, hopefully a spell out of the firing line may do him well?

 

Brave mind, this might come to bite ya in the arse !

 

RLB:
THE TEAM ARE YOUNG
THEY MAKE MISTAKES
WE MUST SUPPORT THEM

 

Thanks again @RTB.

I think we have enough to win (if we have our shooting boots on). If not then a 1-1 draw

 

Going for a 2-0 lads win. Roberts and Isidor.

 

Lad OTR reckons Neil and Cirkin are doubts- anyone heard anything?

 

Not yet but I’ll try find out

 

Might be why he looked slow as Gareth Barry in the 2010 world cup for the last game.

Hope Neil isn't injured but given the amount of minutes he has been asked to play, without a single breather or sub to recharge, it wouldn't surprise me if it's caught up to him.

 

Not really any other player to play instead of neil though when samed and Browne were injured then Rigg got one

 

The serb should have had more minutes. When cruising at home. Taking Neil off or Rigg for 20 mins could make all the difference. You can not keep playing the same 3 players in CM and not expect injuries. Or even AA could and should have been rotated in. I was worried about acute injuries to the midfield 3 over the period due to fatigue...

 

There is also the correlation of making the least subs in the league (by an absolute distance) and the number of injuries we have.

It always catches up with you. Always.