A prelude before bris proper thread. Predictions. Guess the starting 11. Who.s going etc. Surely SA will change it once again. If not i fear the worst again. Maybe Larsson will start. Maybe Jack (im **** in mf) will be tried at cb. Take a guess.
Big Sam: “Hopefully by the end of the international break, we’ll have completely recovered from the injuries and got John O’Shea and Younes Kaboul back. On Catts Groin injury. “It’s a bit of an ongoing problem with Cattermole. Ola pulled up again last game but not seen any update so I'll discount him. I think we'll see this Pants Coates----Brown----Jones Yedlin----------------------------------PVC Seb--------M'Vila AJ Fletcher-----Defoe
Might be time to knobble the Southamton team coach's Sat nat so they can't find our stadium, It could be our only hope.
Southampton won't have any idea what kind of team or system they'll be facing, I certainly don't. We have enough goals, in the team, to win the game providing we don't throw it at the other end. I'm just trying to arrange a seat on the supporters bus, which picks up not that far from me, so might even be there. If not I'll be watching the relegation battle between Bournemouth & Tufty's heroes ....... I'd like them both to lose.
Mane will be on Brown's shoulder I'd imagine, there's such a contrast in pace there that it'd be incredibly stupid to ignore it. Southampton seem to draw most of their away games, maybe Koeman goes too defensive away from home, I don't pay enough attention to them to notice to be honest.
Mane needs a "good hard tackle" early on - he got that after about 55 minutes against Bournemouth and completely disappeared for the rest of the game! Good but awful player - loves rolling about and diving but has a lot of ability too! Normal import really but I'd be getting Wes to try to put in a hard tackle early (or M'Vila or Rodwell if he plays) on Mane - that would impact his game from what I've seen of him
The big problem is keeping clean sheet, other than when we play the mags, when are we likely to keep goals out? Cats and M'Vila have to be fit and try and protect the 4 'Nyronlike/Nuggsy ' players behind them. I never thought Vergini was that good but honestly at RB or CB even he is better than what we have atm. If Fletcher and Defoe play then I reckon we have good chance at scoring...but can we stop Southampton scoring?
That's true - he gets sent off for winning the ball and going nowhere near the man these days!! Is Kevin Friend the ref?
Not one that rings any alarm bells! There are referee's that immediately send you cowering for cover (Marriner, Friend, Steve Bennet used to as well) but Jones isn;t one that sends out any signals of alarm all in all - Kevin Friend loves to send brown off for a perfect fair challenge which only played the ball and didn;t endanger anyone except the people the ball went towards in the crowd!!
I think (and I hope), Rodwell will come in for Brown at CB. If we play the same system as we did against Everton I think we could experience an even bigger arse kicking . Tadic and Mane would destroy us down the flanks !
Kevin Friend has always been an absolute nightmare when refereeing our games..It has now got to the stage where many fans heads visibly drop when he is announced as refereeing the game.
What's he done mate? I've just googled him and 'Kevin Friend Sunderland' actually come up as an auto complete in my browser so I guess there must be a big **** up somewhere. He reffed your games against Norwich and Bournemouth this season... any complaints from those games? Last season Arsenal (H) 0-2, Chelsea (H) 0-0 and Bradford (A) 2-0 No red cards in any games. Season before - Wes Brown red card vs Stoke... completely awful decision. Going back 4 seasons I can see one dodgy decision which any team would get... he must have not given you copious amounts of stone wall penalties otherwise I can't see the problem.
It's not really the "one big decision" it's the blatant appearance of giving every 50/50 against us - I remember in the Arsenal game there were 4 times at least that he and his assistant (and most of the crowd) couldn't work out who's ball it was and it was given to Arsenal. I suppose it's little things you remember when they ref your games but no-one else would remember if they watched your games. TYhe 0-2 Chelsea home game is the one where Diego Costa aimed a 2 footed lunge, off the ball, at John O'Shea's HEAD - and didn;t get booked. He then Elbowed Wes Brown which the ref also saw and booked him for - so a 2 footed lunge intentional as retaliation at someone's head and an intentional elbow added together = yuellow card - yet playing the ball (as Wes Brown did) against Stoke = red!
But you'll get away with just as much, your players aren't angels. You got a fortunate red card in your favour just two games ago which effectively ended your local derby. Brown got sent off against us fortunately for you the ref sent off the wrong guy and you ended up with both to pick from a game later. Obviously people are gonna remember being shafted way more than a slice of good fortune, especially if you're in the relegation scrap but I don't see it mate, seems a lot of hot air and excuses to me, nobody wants to end up sounding like Mourinho.
Aye but I only knew it was fortunate after seeing a replay on TV when I got in - it looked a blatant red card at the game! The ref only saw what I did. Said about the game on Sunday against Everton, it was one of the best refereeing performances I've ever seen in a game of football - and it was by Marriner! (although I'm surprised he didn;t book Cattermole for getting injured!) I have watched Friend referee us loads of times mate and have seen some truly awful obvious decisions - he refereed a game where Johnson took a pot shot from 30 yards which hit a defender 3 yards away and went out about 20 yards wide - goal kick. Not making excuses I just don;t think he's a very good referee generally! If we lose (as at the weekend) because of SAFC then that's one thing - but you can;t tell me, if Utd played in a CL game and got shafted by a referee, you wouldn't feel a little bitter about it? We all remember the little things that happen against our club (Bournemouth this year when, at 0-2 but bossing the second half, we scored a perfectly good goal which was ruled out for off-side) and the mags will never let us forget the fortunate red card to Coloccini (which makes that victory all the more sweet IMO). We all hate Kevin Friend - regardless of the stats where you found nothing untoward - we simply don;t think he's very good
I would say looking forward to the game this week but would be lying as we never win up at the Stadium of Light!! Surely a lot of you are fairly confident for a win? Is Cattermole fit? I hope so... and do you think you'll give 3 at the back another go? I reckon 1-1 for me but won't be suprised if we come all that way for you to turn us over (again!)
