Match Day Thread Sunderland v Millwall - Saturday 18th November - KO 15:00

Sunderland host Millwall in the Sky Bet Championship

Last time out Sunderland lost at Middlesbrough and Millwall lost at home to Burton.

Sunderland are rock bottom and could set a new league record of 20 games without a win at home. Caretaker manager Robbie Stockdale will be without defender Lamine Kone for about 8-10 weeks with a knee injury.
Millwall will look to register their first away win of the campaign. Neil Harris will be unable to call on the services of Jed Wallace this weekend, because the winger starts his three-match suspension following his red card. Shaun Williams and Byron Webster remain the only other absentees in an otherwise fully-fit squad.

Saturday's meeting will be the 37th between the two, with Sunderland slightly holding the upper hand, with 15 wins to Millwall's 13.

Stockdale:
"I can only concentrate on the next game. Right now that’s Millwall, that’s my sole focus. I’ve had no conversation with the football club beyond that and that was a mutual agreement. I didn’t want any fogginess, I wanted the clarity of mind to prepare for the game as best I can."
"Beyond that, we see what happens. If that means we have a conversation Saturday night to say you do the game Tuesday, great, if not, fine. I’m employed to do a good job and I’m looking forward to the game."
"There’s a question mark of Didier Ndong, sadly there has been a family bereavement so for compassionate reasons we’ll check on him on the morning."
"Duncan (Watmore) was in the team before the Middlesbrough game but felt something just wasn’t quite right with his knee, so he was a little bit worried as we all were. He missed the game and thankfully the specialist and the scans showed there was nothing to be too worried about so he’s available tomorrow."
"He was going to be in the team, so obviously we missed something without him. Somebody who plays like him, who can run and before you know it take you from the edge of your box to the edge of theirs, of course, any team would miss a player like that."

Neil Harris:
“It’s really tough to change a mindset, we found that here. We finished a season flying at home winning massive games against Wigan and Charlton and drawing against Derby who were in the play-offs at the time, and you think that you’ve cracked it. Then we start the following season and we lose the first four in a row at home. It’s really tough.”
“We can use (Sunderland’s home form) to our advantage. The law of averages says it will change for them at some stage – we’ve just got to make sure that it’s not this Saturday.”

Match facts:

• Sunderland's last home win was a 1-0 victory against Watford in the Premier League on 17th December, 2016 - nearly 11 months ago
• No team in the history of the Football League has gone 20 games without winning at home. Sunderland have gone 19
• Sunderland’s current tally of 10 points from 16 Championship games is the worst return for a side just relegated from the Premier League
• Sunderland are one of only two teams to be promoted after being in the bottom half of the table after 17 games (the other being Reading)

Form:

Sports Analytics Machine – Home win 45%
Prutton predicts: 0-1

Referee: TIM ROBINSON
Assistants: Matthew McGrath and David Avent
Fourth Official: Mark Heywood

Team Line ups
Sunderland:

Substitutes: Steele, Jones, Wilson, Cattermole, Williams, McManaman, Gooch
Doubtful NDong
Injured Kone, Browning, Maja, Vaughan

Millwall:
Archer, McLaughlin, Hutchinson, Craig, Meredith, Romeo, Tunnicliffe, Saville, O'Brien, Morison, Gregory
Subs from: Thompson, Onyedinma, Martin, Elliott, Twardek, Mbulu
Injured Williams, Webster
Suspended: Wallace

Betting Odds:
H 6/5 A 23/10 D 23/10

My two pence:
We have a new manager - Chris Coleman could be in the stands but Robbie Stockdale will most likely pick the team for Saturday.
Hopefully we can avoid picking up that unwanted record of 20 home games without a win.

I’m going for a 2-1 home win

Ha’way the Lads

 

I've voted home win.....we gotta win sometime .......right

Cracking thread as usual mate

 

Going to this one, **** knows why.

To be honest it would be madness to predict a home win seeing as we never, ever, get them. I'd hoped given the break we'd have a manager in place but for one reason or another that hasn't happened. I think we'll start well, concede before half time and then go to pieces.

 

I went for a home win and then the wine wore off and my brain kicked in again so resounding defeat as the norm.

 

I think the players will not want to go down in history as the record breaking team that failed to win a home game after 20 attempts, so for that reason I've gone for a home win.

Let's see if any of them have some professional pride for once

 

I'll be looking round houses so will find out the result when I get back.

 

Where you going mate?

 

I'm afraid the misery is set to continue!! We are that bad!!

Bart

 

Full day viewing across County Durham so not sure where I'm buying yet.

 

I thought we looked ok against boro before the international break, so i'm going to optimstic and say we'll get a win from this one. With the attacking threat that we've got at some point we'll hammer someone even with our leaky defence, just got a feeling it might be this weekend.

 

That's the spirit

 

Neil Harris is hoping for more luck with refereeing decisions. I always thought that was a punishable offence to effectively bait the referee before a game?

Anyhow - I'm hoping simply for our defence to DO THEIR ****ING JOBS!!!!!! If they do, we will likely win

 

Millwall supporters are handing a cheque over tomorrow for the Bradley Lowery foundation

 

Read today Billy Jones is out for a month and Ndong has had a family bereavement and may not play.

Watmore and Browning only just training again so neither would start you'd think.

What the team should be

---------------Ruiter----------------
Matthews-Oshea-Wilson-Oviedo
---------McNair-Honeyman-----------
Mac----------Williams------McGeady
-------------------Grabban------------------

What Stockdale will put out based on his brain fart against Boro

----------------------Ruiter---------------------
Love--------Oshea---Wilson----Oviedo
Honeyman-Catts-Gibson-McGeady
----------------------McNair---------------------
-----------------------Grabban------------------

 

Taking my 5 year old to his first proper game tomorrow to witness a bit of history as we are confirmed the worst home side in English league football history

The naughty step is no longer effective.

 

You'll end up with a turncoat on your hands introducing him to the game while the club is in this mess. Plus is your heart in it for him? You're not in a good place with the club, you're still in the anger phase.

 

Still a season ticket holder, don't miss a game and still love going to matches with some hope that we might see a win.

 

Tell your lass the sleeves on your new coat go right round the back and tie at the front.

 

Whats wrong with Watmore??

 

just choked on me pie and mash!!