Match Day Thread Sunderland v Gillingham - Tuesday 19th February - KO 19:45

Sunderland host Gillingham in League One

Last time out Sunderland drew with Accrington and Gillingham beat Scunthorpe.
Sunderland face Gillingham in their third home game in seven days, with the Black Cats needing maximum points to get back on track after two disappointing draws. With Barnsley and Luton continuing their winning runs at the weekend, the pressure is mounting on Jack Ross to find the right formation to turn draws into wins.
Gillingham will be looking to avenge the 4-2 defeat at Priestfield that they suffered at the hands of the Black Cats earlier in the season. Mark Byrne grabbed the decisive goal as Gillingham beat in-form Scunthorpe to climb out of the League One relegation zone on saturday.
Jack Ross:
“He (Chris Maguire) was terrific on Friday evening and I’m delighted that he responded in that way, the relationship I’ve had with him has been consistent. He has been frustrated recently, like any player would be who wants to play. “
“He has played a lot for us this season, but on Friday he showed the reaction we hoped he would and now the challenge for Chris is to continue that and maintain that kind of performance level. “
“If he plays at that level and in that manner he will always be in my team, so for him to respond in that way is a testament to his character. He will continue to be an important part of what we want to do this season and you saw on Friday night the quality he can bring to the side as well.”
Steve Lovell:
“Second half showed the character of everyone. It was a tough half, the opposition are going to come at you, but we restricted them to very few efforts at goal and that’s what we have to do. When you defend well you get results."
“We have conceded too many goals over the last three or four weeks. Connor (Ogilvie) went in at centre-half and I think he is a very good left-sided centre-half, he is good on the ball as well as attacking the ball in the air and on the floor, and he gives us that balance at the back."
“I thought Connor, Max (Ehmer), Barry (Fuller) and Luke (O’Neill) were brilliant defensively, but they had people in front of them, the midfield defended well, and the three upfront did their part defensively."

Match Appointments:
Referee: MATTHEW DONOHUE
Assistants: Kevin Mulraine and Robert Atkin
Fourth Official: Anthony Backhouse

Team Line ups
Sunderland: McLaughlan, O’Nien, Flanagan, Baldwin, Oviedo, Leadbitter, Honeyman, Morgan, Maguire, Grigg, McGeady
Subs: Ruiter, Dunne, Cattermole, Power, McGeouch, Sterling, Watmore
Injured: Love, Loovens
Suspended: None

Gillingham: Holy, O'Neill, Ehmer, Ogilvie, Fuller, Byrne, Da Silva Lopes, Burke, Bingham, Eaves, Hanlan
Substitutes: Parrett, Charles-Cooke, Hadler, List, Reilly, Oldaker, King

Betting Odds:
H 8/15 A 19/4 D 29/10

My two pence:
I hope Jack starts with a similar formation to the one that finished the Accrington game. Even though I cried out for a 442 setup last game it didn’t really work for some reason, but surely Maguire must start ahead of Wyke.
Although we won 4-1 at their place I remember that they gave us a very tough game and at times were all over us. Tom Eaves is the main danger with 15 goals this season.
My guess is a nervy 2-1 win.
Ha’way the Lads

 

Id go (if fit)

Big John
O'Nien Flanagan Baldwin Oviedo

McGeough
Honeyman Leadbitter

Mcgeady Maguire
Grigg

And say 2 - 0 to us

 

I'd go too if fit but think they'll do better with the team you suggest.

 

Got 3-3 written al over it!!

Bart

 

Clean sheet first half please, and 2-1 or 1-0 will do.

 

Three CMs who can all pick the ball up and carry it forward, that's what we missed in the first half against Acco. All midgets of course but that's pretty much all we've got so why fight it.

 

Thing is you don’t need height in there to play football. Let the centre halves dominate the aerial Challenge and get the ball on the floor for the likes of Leadbitter to play football

Watmore is available on Tuesday too and he was excellent last week. Wyke should be left out completely imo. I’ve tried to give him a chance but he just doesn’t seem good enough to me. In our situation, we can’t afford to “give him time”

 

Agreed about Wyke, you're watching him looking for signs that he's got something about him, anything at all but so far I've seen nothing. Grigg missed chances he should have scored but you could see he has quality and he was consistently in the right places to score.

The gameplan should simply be to get the ball to him, Maguire and McGeady as much as possible and a midfield three of McGeough Honeyman and Leadbitter are probably best placed to do it.

 

Maguire has a chance now to show us the player he can be, on paper, the team looks very exciting, bring it on.

 

At the start of the season he was excellent. I have watched back (finally) Friday's game and he looked every bit "that" player when he came on.

He's done what I thnk every professional should do when dropped. Take your chance and make sure the gaffer knows how good you are when you get your half hour cameo at the end of a game. Any pro who is benched or dropped should work their arses off to ensure that the manager can't leave you out in the next game. That's what he's done as far as I can see. Whole playing style changed when he came on (for the MUCH better!)

 

What's the love in for mcgeouch? Don't see it myself.

Flanagan, Dunne, Baldwin

Watmore, O9, Leadbitter, honeyman,McGeady

Maguire

Grigg

 

He's one of these "always available to receive a pass, and rarely gives the ball away" type players

I don't think he does a great deal with it though

 

Like Liam Bridcutt . . . . mostly absolutely pointless

 

Or Rodwell , just about always “pointless”. ! OT- anyone know how many points he accrued whilst with us, or pts per game ratio / pts per month / pts per million quid ? If no one knows off hand I’ll try to look it up later I week

 

We're not that bothered, mind . . . . we're just having a little whinge

Anyway, we've got better options and we'll thrash the Gills the morra neet

 

Just curious . And agree , Gills to get the backlash of recent disappointments

 

I must've watched a different McGeouch. The first bit, yeah OK, the second - I can't remember seeing him beat 50% pass completion against anyone but the man city kids! Just seen nothing to convince me that he'll make it here!

 

yep 5 in midfield, but 5 at the back for the first half when we lose the ball, we have to be cautious. Watmore and maguire should start, and get Sterling on the bench at least.

 

Going for a break out game for us.....sooner or later someone is going to get a good hiding. So tomorrow night 5 - 1

 

I would go with:
Big John
O'Nien Dunne Flanagan Oviedo
Catts
Watmore Honeyman McGeady
McGuirre
Grigg

Take the game to them from the off and press them in their half.

Backup if we need plan B or need to go route one....bring on Wyke, with Morgan but I hope Kimpy is on the bench. He brings a bit of x factor.
If the strikers don't produce tomorrow night I would hope Kimpy starts the next game. I think this lad could do us a 'Maja' when he gets his chance.