Sunderland v City Post Match Discussion Thread

[kiam06]

Park the Bus welcome to our forum I would go on yours but haven't got a clue what it's called. You got the three points yesterday and to be fair City deserved nothing, we were sloppy and lethargic. Sunderland only deserved a point but you got lucky and got all three so well done.

I like your club and your fans and prefer you anyday to the barcodes but I wouldn't get too giddy about yesterday as you have a serious relegation battle ahead, I think you were the worst team we have played all season apart from maybe Stoke at home.

Enjoy your day but remember to bring your abacus next time you visit our ground :)

 

[park the bus]

Park the Bus welcome to our forum I would go on yours but haven't got a clue what it's called. You got the three points yesterday and to be fair City deserved nothing, we were sloppy and lethargic. Sunderland only deserved a point but you got lucky and got all three so well done.

I like your club and your fans and prefer you anyday to the barcodes but I wouldn't get too giddy about yesterday as you have a serious relegation battle ahead, I think you were the worst team we have played all season apart from maybe Stoke at home.

Enjoy your day but remember to bring your abacus next time you visit our ground :)

Last season the 5-0 was hard to take but even worse was the fact that as soon as me and my dad got out the ground the heavens opened and we got soaked. It was the most miserable and quiet car ride I have ever been in.

 

[djm68]

Park the Bus

Talking of buses.....After the disappointment of yesterday (harder to take if like me you were on the Manchester Sunderland Supporters* bus!), get it out of your system this afternoon:-

(* They were actually very good about it....they're a great bunch)

From: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.maineroadfc.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.maineroadfc.com</a>

Maine Road FC entertain Congleton Town this afternoon at Brantingham Road. Town are in a comfortable 10th position with 40points, as opposed to Road's 31 points, but they have played three games more. 'The Bears' rescued a point in their last game at home when they scored a last minute penalty against Stone Dominoes.

For once in recent weeks, the weather is fine and the Game is ON! Get down to Brantingham Road and enjoy the match.

 

[Chippy_boy]

The worst thing for me was not the performance which was lacklustre but the throwing away of one point. That one point could make all the difference and we just gave it away by stupidly piling everyone forward.

It wasn't the piling forward that was the problem. It was the not giving a toss about defending with 30 seconds to go. Players standing around like bookends as if they really couldn't be arsed to defend.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

The worst thing for me was not the performance which was lacklustre but the throwing away of one point. That one point could make all the difference and we just gave it away by stupidly piling everyone forward.

It wasn't the piling forward that was the problem. It was the not giving a toss about defending with 30 seconds to go. Players standing around like bookends as if they really couldn't be arsed to defend.

Albeit, Dzeko ran forty yards to get back and try and help out, but came up a couple yards short.

There were enough people on the cover.

Both Zab and Lescott weren't strong enough in the tackle.

 

[Chris in London]

Sorry if this has already been covered (CBA reading 44 pages) but I'd be interested in the view of any Sunderland fans on the state of their pitch. It looked like a ploughed field. In HD, you could see divots everywhere and the grass looked fairly long, too. Bit like the pitches you play on on a Sunday morning. On the other channel Leicester were playing Sale in the Rugby. The pitch looked in similar state to Sunderland's.


Is your pitch always like that? Or did Martin O Neill give orders for the pitch to be less than ideal for football as part of his game plan?

Nothing wrong with that if he did, mind. You can call it gamesmanship if you like, or anti-football, but it's not cheating, it's just playing to your strengths.

But if the pitch is always like that, it's barely a surprise Sunderland play some dross.

Ever since we moved to stadium of light, pitch is always pristine at start of season then very quickly deteriorates. The club has tried all sorts of different types of turf, lighting technology, coverings but never managed to sort it out.

As for dross, we play some quite good football when we want to, no point playing into the hands of ultra teams though is there? Unless you all have very short memories I'm sure you can all remember the days of struggling for points and back then would you really have given a shi* if your team put everyone on the line for 90 mins if it got you the much needed points to escape a relegation dogfight?

For me the truth of yesterday was that Man City came against a completely under strength sunderland side with players out of position/making debuts. Despite Mancinis rotation every single one of your starting 11 yesterday would walk into our first team. We just had more heart and our defence threw themselves in front of everything, we only managed to carve your defence open 3 times but got a dubious decision that got us 3 points. Unlucky again, maybe next year :-)

Don't worry, we can remember the 40point sigh of relief - usually in May - as clearly as anything. My view based on not seeing much of Sunderland before yesterday was that Bruce had got them playing utter shite and I was pleased for Sunderland when he went. There is already progress under martin o neill, but watching the game yesterday, I wasn't sure whether the pitch had played more of a part in Sunderland being poor than i had allowed for. Can't be easy playing one touch pass and move if the pitch is awful, but like most people on this board I'm more than willing to accept that Sunderland were poor because Bruce didn't get the best out of them.

I don't think that many on here have anything other than grudging respect for Sunderland yesterday. Their game plan was that a 0-0 draw was worth fighting tooth and nail for, and they rode their luck and got a decision that shouldn't have gone their way - but thees ees futbol. Is normal in a season for some wrong decisions. If we win the league courtesy of a dodgy offside call or a bad penalty, you wont find us complaining. Sunderland shouldnt have won, but (a) it's not their fault the linesman got his only big decision wrong, and (b) we had enough of the ball to be out of sight by then. The game plan wasn't very attractive, but as you say your objective this season is survival, and Martin o Neill has got to do what he can with what he currently has available to him.

Good luck for the rest of the season, but get ready to lose by 3 or 4 at our place.

 

[Marvin]

Sunderland worked hard and got lucky.

Their fans are the best thing about SAFC. Remarkable. A special club and I hope you do well. Better times ahead I am sure.

I| don't know anything about your owner. But Quinn and MON are decent men

 

[Chippy_boy]

While I'm still upset about the way we approached the game, we've been a little unlucky to play West Brom just when Hodgson is starting to get them organised and Sunderland when O'Neill is still fresh in the job and they're on a new manager bounce.

I'm more worried about our away form against middling teams:

We've got to start picking up wins against those mid-table teams as there are a lot of potential banana skins there.

Is that your chart mate?

Inspired by that (and bored), here's one of mine:

The light blue line is the 3-game moving average goals/game. As you can see, over the past 10 games (since the United hammering), we have been on a steady and quite steep decline.

 

[The Owld Fecker]

Further to my earlier post I thought that my views about Johnson's performance were reinforced by this article by David Pleat.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/jan/01/martin-oneill-sunderland-manchester-city" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog ... ester-city</a>

I would add that if City fans don't want to embrace him we would welcome him with open arms!

Maybe our standards are lower, I don't care, I just think that he is a very good player who still has a lot more to give and a lot more to learn!

 

[INLINEFIVE]

i joined a while back. 100% diehard sunderland but always kept my eye on man city after a spell of work in eccles many (blue) moons ago. i was looked after by a family of blues before i found my own digs.

nothing can be done to change the result and on the balance of play would have been pleased with one point never mind three. you had enough half chances to win 10 games but strangely in terms of clear cut ones it was a bit closer. be in no doubt though, we nicked it.

i hope you go on to win the league and you don't begrudge us our bit of happiness. believe me, we've seen plenty of hurt.

i was at maine road in 1990 for our relegation game. anyone there that day should maybe put some of your newcomer fans right about sunderland's support. out of interest has any team ever taken more to maine road?

all the best and happy new year.