Match Day Thread Sunderland v Fleetwood Town - Tuesday 25th February - KO 19:45

Sunderland v Fleetwood Town – Skybet League One

Last time out Sunderland beat Bristol Rovers and Fleetwood beat Portsmouth.
Sunderland moved up to fourth in the table, maintaining the gap on leaders Rotherham United to just three points.
The Black Cats kept an eighth clean sheet in nine games despite having to change their defensive line-up with Alim Ozturk replacing injured Bailey wright.
Fleetwood have won their last 5 games and have gone 8 games unbeaten to climb up to 6th place in League One.
Phil Parkinson:
“Some of the football we played was very very good, and the highlight of that was the first goal.”
“It’s important (to keep a clean sheet), it’s concentration levels again, even against 10 men, you’ve seen teams against 10 men think that the job is done and it’s often not.”
“I’m just pleased the way that the back three concentrated today and we're so pleased with the victory. These games are never easy and it sets us up for another terrific home game on Tuesday”
Joey Barton:
"I thought we were excellent in many areas.The whole town is now believing, and there is a real unity about this club.”
“Momentum is absolutely everything. We've taken some of Peterborough and Portsmouth's momentum away - now we need to go to Sunderland and do the same thing.”
“We've got a real sense of belief and a real culture emerging at this football club, we spoke about it when we came in - this can't be the cult of Joey Barton."
“It did feel like that to me in the early skirmishes, and finally now we're starting to see our real culture emerge.”


Prutton predicts: meh
Match Appointments:
Referee: SCOTT OLDHAM
Assistant Referees: Gareth Mellor and Simon Clayton
Fourth Official: Wayne Grunnill

Team Line ups
Sunderland: McLaughlin, O’Nien, Flanagan, Ozturk, Willis, Hume, Power, Dobson, Gooch, Maguire, Wyke.

Subs: Burge, McLaughlin, Scowen, Lynch, Watmore, Semenyo, Lafferty.
Injured: Embleton, Wright

Fleetwood Town: Cairns, Coyle, Andrew, Connolly, Souttar, Burns, Whelan, Coutts, Madden, Gibson, McKay.
Subs: Crellin, Morris, Thorvaldsson, Biggins, Sowerby, Saunders, Holgate.
Injured: Rossiter, Dempsey
Supended: Ched Evans

Betting Odds:
Home 10/11 Away 11/4 Draw 12/5

My two pence:
Another important game and one that we need to win or at least don’t lose. Fleetwood will pose a lot more threat than Bristol Rovers and are currently in top form, but so are we.
My guess is a 2-1 home win.

Ha’way the Lads

 

The most important game of the season so far..

 

Massive game against a team in impressive form. Cannot afford to lose this. A draw wouldn't be the end of the world, but a win would be immense and ensure us gaining points on at least one of the top 2 who play each other.
We owe these ****houses one and I think we'll be well up for it.

 

Great thread as per usual RTB

2-0 win for the lads.

Wyke brace now that the monkey's of his back

 

not doing a prediction on this one, i really hope we shut that fecker up with a good win and performance but two of the form teams in the league could go either way.

at home, week night game, i would say we have a wee bit of an edge, also the team have built up some very good partnerships that are starting to shine recently.

 

I really hope we win due to a dodgy penalty and get one of theirs sent off for nothing!!! Just so he can complain and whinge after his “ours was a penalty but theirs wasn’t” at their place comments.

 

I agree, but only if he uses his hilarious fake French accent

 

Barton has just started getting carried away with his comments and believing he has the job cracked.

But I believe they're due a big fall in the next 6 games.

During those games they have 3 away on the trot starting with us, 2 local derby games against Tranmere & Blackpool and are away to Sunderland, Ipswich and Portsmouth.

They have 5 of their next 6 way ...

... then they have Rotherham!

I believe we'll beat them 1-0 and shake their confidence after which they'll fade just as Wycombe did ...

... these 'bunker mentality' teams just can't sustain their form when the players realise they've been playing above themselves. Once the underdog adrenalin goes they're left with a group of ordinary players and things fall apart.

Another interesting fact is that, when everyone else is playing their final match, Fleetwood will be sitting at home left out of it all.

Haway the Lads, 1-0 Maguire free kick.

 

Tight game and I think Barton will get his team to target Maguire, either by winding him up to try and get a reaction or take him out physically as he is our obvious playmaker at present
No prediction from me just fingers crossed for a favourable result.

 

OP is up to your usual standard, thanks..

Fleetwood are in a run of form, but so are we...nothing less than a win will do for us...firstly to put that awful person Barton, back in his box, secondly they have a game in hand on us so this is really a six pointer. If we can keep a clean sheet we will win.

Expect a lot of sihthousery from Barton's team...need a good ref, if one exists in this league

 

Are their ex-prisoners both suspended?

 

Corporate tickets tomorrow in a box, guest of someone. If I see Barton I'll call him a **** lads.

 

Ched Evans is serving a 3 match ban for his sending off against Wycombe. Barton was also red carded after that game but for some reason his punishment has not been announced and was on the touchline against Portsmouth.

 

Massive game tomorrow, I'm going for a stonking 4-1 home win, Maguire 2, Power and Flanno getting the goals

HTL - Its happening!

 

I'm still refraining from score prediction.
I'm taking each game as they come and loving the outcome.
Hoping tomorrow is no exception and would love a big score and another clean sheet, especially to shut that whiney little tosser Blarton up.


HA'WAY THE LADS
MACKEMS ATTACKEM

Phil Parky's red and white army

 

They'll be up for this, but I think we'll just nick it.

Charlie Wyke has got the monkey off his back and Maguire and Gooch look dangerous.

2-0

 

But C*nts are quite pleasurable as a lad. Call him a C*ck head instead

 

they have won 5 in a row and against the top teams, this will be a hard game, and Barton the dirty toerag will make sure that they target our better players, Gooch can be hot headed if he is fouled endlessly and may react same as McGuire

 

I don't see Maguire as the type to lose his head. Gooch definitely and possibly Power but Maguire is a wind up merchant - that's how he got that lad to kick out at him on Saturday. We've had some awful decisions which is why I'm hoping for a win by a dodgy ref or linesman decision!! Would be awesome to watch little Joey crying cos of a bad decision!!

 

Joey could never be described as appealing.