Sunderland (A) Saturday 16th August 3pm

buffybegoodbuffybegood
in Match Threads
Opening match of the season, let's hope we have a better time of things than last season.

ASLEF, have at it.
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Comments

  • IronHerbIronHerb
    5.30am coach from Rush Green, this better be good. Actually I think it will be.

    Now where's the Optimist Arms, I need a beer. ⚒

    ( I've think I've forgotten the name of the pub, I'm sure Slacker will remind me). 👍
  • Ravel49Ravel49
    ‘The Positive Arms’ 😜
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    edited August 11
    Aaaaaand we're back

    Sunderland is a young side with a young(ish) manager but they've added some experience with Granit Xhaka being the big name

    49yo Régis Le Bris started as youth coach at Rennes and Lorient before taking over Lorient’s first team for two seasons. He joined Sunderland last summer, got them to the playoffs (finished 16th 2023/24), beat Sheffield United in the final and signed a new 3 year contract last week

    Yesterday they fielded the B-team against Rayo Vallecano and lost 3-0 but in the previous two friendlies Le Bris only made one change giving a fair indication of his starting XI with seven new players featuring.

    A new goalkeeper (even younger than last season's), a new left back (apart from Xhaka the only other player in the starting XI over 25), a whole new midfield three and two new wingers including Simon Adringa, £21m Brighton, the only other player with Premier League experience.

    They did lose Jude Bellingham's brother Jobe to Borussia Dortmund but replaced him with 21yo Senegalese CM Habis Diarra, £30m Strasbourg, who we were linked with in June

    Last week 19yo Spanish CF Marc Guiu joined on a season long loan from Chelsea and our old mate Arthur Masuaku signed on a free but neither featured in yesterday's friendly

    Two players who won't be in the starting line up are last season's top scorer Cf Wilson Isidor and England U19 AM Chris Rigg. Both have been out with injury and only reappeared yesterday.

    Last season they were pretty aggressive, picking up 98 yellow cards (5th). In the playoff 2nd leg against Coventry they picked up 4 yellows in 90 minutes, another in extra time and 3 after the final whistle for "excessive celebration"

    Maybe Xhaka will be a calming influence

    I'll get me coat

    Roefs
    Hume Ballard Seelt Reinildo
    Xhaka Sadiki Diarra
    Talbi Mayenda Adingra
  • Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_MoyesJorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes
    On the one hand, this is the worst time to play them. The atmosphere will be intense and they will fancy beating us.

    On the other hand, they have signed a lot of players, will potentially be nervous, and promoted teams have been abysmal in the past two seasons.

    If we can keep it tight early on and quieten the crowd, I see us winning.
  • BubblesNeverDiesBubblesNeverDies
    Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes said:



    If we can keep it tight early on and quieten the crowd, I see us winning.

    Jorderz, have you not read ASLEF's summary - LOSS =)

  • LukerzLukerz
    edited August 11
    I would go:

    Hermansen
    Wan-Bissaka - Kilman - Aguerd
    Walker-Peters - Souček - Potts - Diouf
    Bowen - Füllkrug - Paquetá

    Areola, Mavropanos, Todibo, Scarles, Álvarez, Rodríguez, Ward-Prowse, Guilherme, Wilson

    What I think we’ll see is:

    Areola
    Todibo - Kilman - Aguerd
    Wan-Bissaka - Ward-Prowse - Potts - Paquetá - Diouf
    Bowen - Füllkrug

    This is going to be tough. However, Sunderland have had a huge turnover of players & have just been promoted. This may make them vulnerable early in the season.

    But this will be a real test of where we are at. The players have gone on a lot about mentality. If it’s good we should be able to take 3 points. A draw is not the worst. A defeat would put pressure on given we have Chelsea next.

    1-1
  • chicagohammerchicagohammer
    Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes said:



    If we can keep it tight early on and quieten the crowd, I see us winning.

    I am firmly in the camp that believes this is the worst possible time to play them, the Stadium of Light is going to be an absolute cauldron and I doubt very much that we will be able to quieten them down.

    If we can get away with honors even, I will be very happy with that.



  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    Oh lummey

    Robert Jones will be the ref. He was awful away at Newcastle back in March 2024, made a load of dodgy decisions, mostly against us

    Since then we had him away at Palace where we won and the 1-1 draw at home to Brighton where he gave Estupinan a yellow instead of a red for a studs up challenge on Kilman

    VAR Stuart Attwell
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    Fabrizio Romano reporting that Sunderland have signed 28yo Paraguayan CB Omar Alderete from Getafe £10m

    Probably too late to be included in the starting line up but might make the bench
  • buffybegoodbuffybegood
    ASLEFshrugged said:

    Fabrizio Romano reporting that Sunderland have signed 28yo Paraguayan CB Omar Alderete from Getafe £10m

    Probably too late to be included in the starting line up but might make the bench

    Pretty sure that one was on the BBC Sport website yesterday.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    It seems unlikely Marc Guiu will be on the Sunderland bench, apparently since the Club World Cup he's been on holiday to Hawaii and flew back to complete the loan move
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    They will be right up for this so GP needs to tell our guys kick off is 2.30 so by 3 pm they’ll be awake and aware.
  • LukerzLukerz
    I think, this season, we are going to start games in what seems like a state of sedation. Potter wants us ‘recycling’ the ball. We are never going to be ‘up & at them’ from the go. Press to win the ball back, recycle the ball, make the pitch wide, use the keeper & defenders to move play across the pitch, patiently build & then try & switch play or cut through the lines.

    Anybody expecting us to fly out the traps on Saturday, or any game, will be disappointed.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    So expect to be chasing games as usual then. Looking at the teams we play early doors recycling early on could well mean picking it out of our net.
    In the summer series Utd and Everton scored first and Bournemouth could have had 3 in the first 20 minutes.
    I don’t expect us to go gung ho but I want us to at least look like we are in a game.
  • LukerzLukerz
    Well we’ve only lost one game under Potter by a margin of more than one goal. We are always in games under his management.
  • EXETERHAMMEREXETERHAMMER
    Exciting times ahead then👍
  • claretandblueskyclaretandbluesky
    This is where the Potter reign begins for me. He had a great luxury of half a season with no pressure to get a good look at the squad and now a summer window to do business.
    Last season under Potter was just a long pre-season, but now it starts and I hope he knows how he wants to play and who he wants to give the shirts to.

    Regarding this match I am thinking a draw will be the result, their motivation but our established Premiership level cancelling each other out.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    Potter says Summerville and Earthy the only players unavailable

    Le Bris on Alderete, Guiu and Masuaku "it might be a little bit early for them to start but that is a decision we will make on Friday morning"

    Alderete didn't get much of a pre-season with Getafe due to knee injury, Masuaku was released on a free by Besiktas at the end of June while Guiu had two substitute in the Club World Cup and has been on the beach since then
  • buffybegoodbuffybegood
    ASLEFshrugged said:

    Potter says Summerville and Earthy the only players unavailable

    He says in the presser that Summerville is "in the last stages of his rehab.........he's getting really close".

    Amazing how long he's been out for what looked like something minor, almost a precautionary substitution compared to Fullkrug in the same match who went down like he's been shot with supposedly a similar injury; still, he'll be like a new signing when he comes back 😂🤣😂.
  • BubblesNeverDiesBubblesNeverDies
    But a year older, and a year of paying his wages for nothing in return.
  • buffybegoodbuffybegood
    Matchday.

    COYI ⚒
  • stevesteve
    Let's hope we are all happy tonight
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    One Sunderland player to keep an eye on is no. 28 CM/LM/AMC Enzo Le Fee, played at Lorient under Le Bris, joined Sunderland on loan from Roma in January and they took up the option to buy for £19m

    18 with 14 starts, only missed 5 games through injury, was top for key passes and through balls per game last season

    Another will be Northern Irish international RB Trai Hume, top for tackles last season. Solid defender, could give us some opposition down the left side
  • Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_MoyesJorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes
    Can’t remember going into a season with lower expectations than this. Probably for the best, maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    My expectations were far lower 1989, 2001, 2008 and 2010

    And I feel a lot more confident that I did this time last season
  • jay_in_cptjay_in_cpt
    ASLEFshrugged said:

    My expectations were far lower 1989, 2001, 2008 and 2010

    And I feel a lot more confident that I did this time last season

    You can remember that far back....WOW, whatever you're on, I want some !!!
  • buffybegoodbuffybegood
    edited August 16
    Hermansen, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd, Diouf, Rodríguez, Ward-Prowse, Paquetá, Bowen ©, Füllkrug
    Subs: Areola (GK), Walker-Peters, Scarles, Mavropanos, Álvarez, Potts, Irving, Souček, Wilson

    Not thrilled by a midfield pairing of Rodriguez and JWP, just so slow.
  • FortuneseekerFortuneseeker
    ASLEF, I am with you on 2010, oh what a fun year that was! :p
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited August 16
    Happy with side (would have probably gone Soucek over Rodriguez).

    It’s what we have (for now). COYI.
  • stevesteve
    Don't get Rodiduez starting
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