Malice In Sunderland

[Silvio Dante]

(I know it’s a home game but that title was too good to resist).

So, Saturday. Loads of questions currently in place and a few thoughts on some of those:

Will Manning change any personnel?

Bluntly, I think he has to both for form and for reasons of not giving a selection that rankles immediately. No doubt in my mind that TGH will come in for Williams, and I think he has to take Bell out. I have a feeling he might play Mehmeti but reckon he’ll ultimately go Weimann on the basis of that old LJ maxim of players that can be trusted - under pressure managers like experience 

What does Manning need?

It’s early, but I don’t think it’s necessarily “must win” - it is, however “must not lose”. And perhaps more importantly it needs to be more aggressive and front foot - there are different ways of winning/drawing/losing and I think he needs there to be some kind of assertive performance - or things will turn unless we’re winning in a passive manner (see below)

What’s the atmosphere?

Some like to say OTIB is not representative - it is. The feeling on here, and not just from “reactionary” posters is that something is very wrong both at board level, but increasingly from Liam - again, he didn’t create this scenario but his management in it is making it worse. I don’t see there being anything but encouragement pre game but unless there are early goals from passive play or an assertive performance, I’d say there will be rumblings around the half hour mark. Sunderland dominating will lead to it being very toxic very quickly, it’s just where we are currently.

Will Sykes play a full game?

Nope. He’ll be taken off on the hour for being tired, having just skinned seven Sunderland players and looking like the freshest player on the pitch.

Will we win?

Can’t see it. They’re coming off two good results, we’re in transition at best and it’s Mannings most difficult game to date. A positive draw is the best I think we can hope for here. One where performance is equally as important as result though.

[bearded_red]

What minute will Sykes be inexplicably taken off?

I’ll go 67.

[pongo88]

If City play as they have done in recent matches it will be Malice in Blunderland  

[Super]

I'm already worrying about Clarke up against Tanner. We need a 90 minute performance not 25 mins.

[Henry]

I don’t know why he’s ripped up our defensive shape which was solid under Pearson. He’s trying to play a back 3 when we only have 2 fit CBs.

[W-S-M Seagull]

They will most likely have a new boss by the weekend so on the back of 2 good results they could also have a new manager bounce. You'd imagine if it's Will Still there will be a buzz around their club. 

I fear we could be on the end of a hammering tbh. 

 

[Homer Simpson]

24 minutes ago, pongo88 said:

If City play as they have done in recent matches it will be Malice in Blunderland  

Or, Malice through the crooked pass. 

[Red white and red]

City 0-3 Sunderland 

[BCFCGav]

I do think we can win for two reasons, Dickie and Vyner. If we keep it solid at the back you can always nick a result. We'll need an improved performance and a slice of luck but worth remembering this is Sunderland, not Leicester... or Bayern. 

[W-S-M Seagull]

9 minutes ago, BCFCGav said:

I do think we can win for two reasons, Dickie and Vyner. If we keep it solid at the back you can always nick a result. We'll need an improved performance and a slice of luck but worth remembering this is Sunderland, not Leicester... or Bayern. 

Yea they are Sunderland. A club that's just beaten two top 6 sides in a row. 

[Jerseybean]

Just had a flashback to the game a few seasons back, we were 3 up at half time if I recall correctly and hung on as it finished 3-3! 

[1960maaan]

4 minutes ago, Jerseybean said:

Just had a flashback to the game a few seasons back, we were 3 up at half time if I recall correctly and hung on as it finished 3-3! 

And didn't they only have 2 shots on target ?

[TV Tom]

1 hour ago, bearded_red said:

What minute will Sykes be inexplicably taken off?

I’ll go 67.

I dread to think how the crowd would react to that, particularly if he's having a good game

[TV Tom]

12 minutes ago, Jerseybean said:

Just had a flashback to the game a few seasons back, we were 3 up at half time if I recall correctly and hung on as it finished 3-3! 

All three goals in the last 20 minutes.

[Silvio Dante]

21 minutes ago, Jerseybean said:

Just had a flashback to the game a few seasons back, we were 3 up at half time if I recall correctly and hung on as it finished 3-3! 

On that game (which I think was 2018) I recall Famara handballing (clearly) to try and blag a hat trick and it being the start of a rather impressive loan spell by Lois Diony.

As a parent, however, what I more remember is that I allowed my then 9 year old daughter to swear as much as she wanted when we were back in the car to let out her frustration. Parenting.

[johnbytheriver]

2 hours ago, pongo88 said:

If City play as they have done in recent matches it will be Malice in Blunderland  

Aide by LM the mad-hatter!

[Lorenzos Only Goal]

8 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

On that game (which I think was 2018) I recall Famara handballing (clearly) to try and blag a hat trick and it being the start of a rather impressive loan spell by Lois Diony.

As a parent, however, what I more remember is that I allowed my then 9 year old daughter to swear as much as she wanted when we were back in the car to let out her frustration. Parenting.

My 5 year old thinks saying piston is a clever way of saying the p word.

[Silvio Dante]

7 minutes ago, Lorenzos Only Goal said:

My 5 year old thinks saying piston is a clever way of saying the p word.

My 12 year old should know better, but collapses in laughter every time there is an ad for the new Wonka film.

[Harry]

Sunderland have just beaten Leeds and West Brom. But both at home. They’ve actually won 4 out of 5 at home (I know right - when was the last time we did that?? Probably 2015 I’d imagine). 

Away from home they’ve lost 3 and drawn 3 of the last 6. 

Interestingly they have an average of 60% possession away from home. So the way we were playing under Pearson would likely have suited us against them this week, ie counterattacking team. 
 

Also interesting is that they’ve had 4 penalties in 10 of their away games. 
 

As long as we don’t do anything stupid I think we might do ok. 
 

I wonder if we may be better off with the caretaker still in charge before they inevitably appoint Will Still. The caretaker has got his 2 results, rarely do they do any better than that. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

Sunderland do get quite a few penalties. Albeit being a positive and attacking side it can play a role.

Their away form sounds sketchy then? Last season their away form outstripped their home form a bit, intriguingly.

A point wouldn't be a disaster but the prior games have put significant pressure on tbis and the next few.

[BCFCGav]

1 hour ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

Yea they are Sunderland. A club that's just beaten two top 6 sides in a row. 

Blackburn were on a losing run. Didn't guarantee us three points going in.

[W-S-M Seagull]

3 minutes ago, BCFCGav said:

Blackburn were on a losing run. Didn't guarantee us three points going in.

Says a lot about how shit we have become. 

[Mendip City]

2 hours ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

They will most likely have a new boss by the weekend so on the back of 2 good results they could also have a new manager bounce. You'd imagine if it's Will Still there will be a buzz around their club. 

I fear we could be on the end of a hammering tbh. 

 

That reminds me… where’s our new manager bounce? I think I missed it. 

[Merrick's Marvels]

48 minutes ago, Harry said:

As long as we don’t do anything stupid I think we might do ok. 

[ insert your own punchline here ] 

[TDarwall]

22 minutes ago, Mendip City said:

That reminds me… where’s our new manager bounce? I think I missed it. 

For something to bounce, it needs to be falling.  We were never falling so never was there going to be a bounce.

[Barrs Court Red]

I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear a “you don’t know what you’re doing” before long with some of his subs, especially if the slump continues. 

[GrahamC]

1 hour ago, Harry said:

Sunderland have just beaten Leeds and West Brom. But both at home. They’ve actually won 4 out of 5 at home (I know right - when was the last time we did that?? Probably 2015 I’d imagine). 

Away from home they’ve lost 3 and drawn 3 of the last 6. 

Interestingly they have an average of 60% possession away from home. So the way we were playing under Pearson would likely have suited us against them this week, ie counterattacking team. 
 

Also interesting is that they’ve had 4 penalties in 10 of their away games. 
 

As long as we don’t do anything stupid I think we might do ok. 
 

 

December 2018 to January 2019, we won 5 on the spin at home.

Snap your hand off for a point now, as I would have last night.

Need to stop a losing run & our home form hasn’t been great since the very start of Holden’s short spell.

[W-S-M Seagull]

25 minutes ago, Mendip City said:

That reminds me… where’s our new manager bounce? I think I missed it. 

I think it was against Boro. But even that was pretty shite. 

Worldie from TGH. Penalty and Sykes somehow scoring from an impossible angle. 

But maybe if we just give it some more time we might get that new manager bounce

[Super]

For me we need to get Cornick up front with Conway. 

[headhunter]

Is there a town called Malice is Sunderland when its a City in its own right!!