We’re going to the PL …

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I still remember the feeling inbetween Ross Stewart shooting and the ball hitting the back of the net. It was like slow motion and its stayed with me and may well stay with me forever. Closest thing to an out of body experience I've had at a football match.

This.

I'll always remember turning around to the bairn with his top off waving his Sun'land shirt above his head along with the random lad next to him.
 
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This.

I'll always remember turning around to the bairn with his top off waving his Sun'land shirt above his head along with the random lad next to him.


Sorry mate, am I reading this wrong?

Are you saying he was waving a Sunderland shirt and a random lad above his head ...

... now that's what I call getting carried away <laugh>
 
Does anybody think we are purposely playing the way we have been for the last few games.

Our set pieces and corners. We don’t want to show any routines we have for getting goals when we have a corner. Any opposition would see what we do and be prepared for it.
Just kicking aimless balls into their area will give them no idea of any tricks we might have when it’s an important game.

Throw ins. Do we keep on giving the ball to the opposition from all our throw ins on purpose. When it comes to the playoffs maybe we will start to get the ball to one of our own players which the opposition will not be expecting.

Pattersons kicking. Is he deliberately kicking the ball into touch, mainly on the LW area so that the opposition will not expect us to get possession from any of our goal kicks.

Are we missing penalties on purpose so that if we get one or a game goes to penalties the opposition will expect poor weak shots but we will blast them into the net.

Are we really goal shy or do we want to keep our attempts at a goal secret and not give anything away. The opposition will be expecting us to miss all our shots so if we start trying to score they will be surprised.

Finally, all the loose balls end up with the opposition. Are we lulling the opposition into expecting this or will we start to be anticipating where the balls will be bouncing to and pick up on these 50/50 and loose balls.

Have we been bluffing the other teams but when the games really mean something we will be a completely different proposition.

<laugh><laugh><applause>

Jokes aside, we have been poor lately. I expect us to improve over the final two games and in the play offs, though
 
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It’s a position that our club should never have found itself in. That we did is unforgivable. But like you, I’ve just watched it at work and found that the air con was a bit strong and it must have blown a bit of dust in my eye that I had to rub out.
I was working from home so couldn’t use that as an excuse
 
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I still remember the feeling inbetween Ross Stewart shooting and the ball hitting the back of the net. It was like slow motion and its stayed with me and may well stay with me forever. Closest thing to an out of body experience I've had at a football match.
A moment I’ll never forget. The joy on my son’s face. One of my best mates next to me. Only thing I’d change is my dad being next to me in the ground.
 
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I’m resurrecting this thread !
Nee worth in the wailing and wringing of hands.

Still hugely excited about the playoffs and actually can’t wait to get back to the Stadium on Saturday and to see what we can build with.

im expecting Cirkin to start as well as Watson and Lee fee moved to the middle.
 
I’m resurrecting this thread !
Nee worth in the wailing and wringing of hands.

Still hugely excited about the playoffs and actually can’t wait to get back to the Stadium on Saturday and to see what we can build with.

im expecting Cirkin to start as well as Watson and Lee fee moved to the middle.

We're waking up to a place in the payoffs ...

... people in Coventry, Bristol and Boro are waking up to panic, nerves and uncertainty.

We have three games for a place in the PL, that's easier than winning the league as Sheff Utd just found out <laugh>
 
Even though it’s been **** recently. When it comes to playoffs we need to throw away all logic and just back the lads. 3 games away from the PL. These last few games mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

It’s about who turns up to the playoffs not the last few games
 
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/spo...s/sunderland-star-strong-advice-team-31518337

The defender continued: “It’s going to be a massive couple of weeks at the football club. The more positivity we can generate across the dressing room, the fans and the whole football club, that will put us in a really good position going forward. We know over the course of a season we are here for a reason and we don’t just become a bad team overnight.

“Now more than ever we need to stick together and there’s no benefit for blaming each other and pointing fingers. You want people to be accountable when you haven’t been at your best standard but we also need to put an arm around shoulders because we need everybody and the more positivity we can gain the better.

“Hopefully we can win the last game of the season and put in a performance that is more us. We will run and scrap for each other and try to win that game and then we have time to prepare for the two massive play-off games.”
 
https://x.com/ALS_Fanzine/status/1916846577538179513


NEIL PRE PLAY-OFFS

Dan Neil has revealed the dressing room's reaction to their flat defeat at Oxford and says he's still confident that the Lads will be able to flick the switch and turn up when it really matters. At this point in the season, he emphasises that the main thing is for everyone to stick together and give everything in the play-offs.

NO COMPLACENCY

"The last few performances haven't clicked, and we understand that we aren't good enough as a team that we can just turn it on and off. We understand that. But I will say that there's no complacency, we give our absolute all in training everyday. We've given away two sloppy goals from set pieces (vs Oxford) which needs to be looked at because we can't do that in the play-offs, that's going to kill us from the get go."

STILL CONFIDENT

"We know within the squad we haven't become a bad team overnight and we've got to do everything in our power over the next few weeks to get back to the level I know we can reach."

UNSETTLED XI

"We've chopped and changed over the last few weeks. You look at Enzo for example, he's come back from injury and he's been in and out as he builds his fitness. I was obviously not in the team on Monday, Dennis is just coming back from injury. It's not easy to build that cohesion, we haven't really been able to have a stable starting XI out probably since February whereas at the start of the year we had that. The triangles on the side of the pitch were dead fluid... it's nobody's fault because we've had injuries, we've had suspensions, we've had to manage minutes leading up to the play-offs - but we'll do everything in our power to get that fluidity back."

SHOW UP FOR BIG GAMES

"It was brilliant to see Dennis out there today, that's a big boost for everyone. I've got no doubt that when the biggest games come around, we'll turn up. That's not an excuse for today, but I think we've turned up for all the big games this year and been unlucky actually. We'll all be ready, I'm confident of that."

DRESSING ROOM DEBRIEF

"Things were said in the dressing room and I think that's good. We don't have long left til the play-offs so everyone laid it out on the line in there and I think that's a good thing. I'm not worried about the next few weeks in the slightest. We haven't become a bad team overnight, we haven't comfortably finished fourth and been disappointed about not giving the top two a longer run [without being a good team]. We know we can beat anyone in this league on our day, we've turned up in the big games and I have no doubt that this squad will turn up for the biggest games of the season and our careers so far. We have to stick together, everyone associated with the club. We'll be ready."

TIL THE END

"You've seen how much meant it to Oxford today. As a team, we've got to look at how they've reacted to this game, winning it, achieving their ambitions - ours is to get promoted and we still have a massive chance to do it. They've turned up in their biggest game of the season and we have to take motivation from that, because ours is coming in two weeks."