Sunderland player ratings: Just how bad were the 'gutless' Black Cats against Swansea?
Gus Poyet's tenure as Sunderland got a off to a disastrous start at the weekend when he saw his new side suffer a 4-0 thrashing at Swansea.
Our man Neil McLeman was at the Liberty Stadium and he didn't hold back on his assessment on the Sunderland performance, calling the squad "gutless losers" before pulling no punches with his individual player ratings, which you can see here.
Poyet himself even questioned the attitude of some of his players after the visitors conceded the first goal, as the Black Cats capitulated and suffered their seventh loss in eight games.
Sunderland sit rock bottom of the Premier League having picked up just a solitary point to leave their new boss with a real job on his hands.
Do you agree with Neil's no-nonsense player ratings below? Has he been to harsh on the north east strugglers? Or has he gone easy on them?
Let us know what you think.
Keiren Westwood: Brilliant saves from De Guzman and Michu. Powerless to stop goals. 7
Ondrej Celustka: Useless and gutless. 4
John O'Shea: Less gutless than many others. 6
Valentin Roberge: Clueless and gutless. 3
Phil Bardsley: Gutless. Hahahahahaha. 2
Lee Cattermole: Has guts. Just talentless. 4
Sebastian Larsson: Past it and gutless. 4
Craig Gardner: Clumsy and gutless. 4
Emanuele Giaccherini: Ineffective and gutless. 5
Adam Johnson: Anonymous and gutless. 5
Steven Fletcher: Not as gutless as his team-mates. 6
Wes Brown set to return to Sunderland - Gus Poyet hopes of rescued defense
INJURY-JINXED Sunderland defender Wes Brown is in line for a dramatic comeback in Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby – 21 months since his last Premier League game.
Black Cats chief Gus Poyet is ready to call upon the experienced former Manchester United and England centre-half to plug the leaks in a back line which has conceded a whopping 20 goals in eight games.
The Uruguayan claims he needs a settled back four if Sunderland are to have any chance of avoiding relegation this season.
In the wake of Saturday’s 4-0 defeat at Swansea, which kept the Black Cats at the foot of the table, he’s desperate for Brown’s stabilising presence.
1The 34-year-old has been plagued by knee trouble since being carried off in a 1-0 win over Manchester City on New Year’s Day 2012.
However, he came through 90 minutes as an over-age player in the Under-21s’ draw at home to Chelsea at the weekend.
Now Poyet will assess Brown in the days ahead to find out if he can be thrown into the red-hot cauldron of a North East showdown.
Sunderland’s new manager believes a fully-fit Brown could be the answer to his team’s problems at the back.
“He could be everything that you need in the Premier League,” said Poyet.
“He’s experienced, played at the highest level for one of the best teams in the world and knows the game so well.”
So far this term captain John O’Shea has had three defensive partners – Carlos Cuellar and summer signings Valentin Roberge and Modibo Diakite – but none have looked the long-term answer.
Now Poyet is looking to reunite ex-Old Trafford pair O’Shea and Brown, with the former admitting something needs to be done fast if Sunderland are to avoid being cast adrift.
“When you’re letting teams score that many goals against you it’s going to be a long, hard season,” said the Irishman.
“We know where we are in the league and what we have to do is win some matches – and there’s no better way of doing that than against Newcastle.”
O’Shea, however, accepts that right now Sunderland are a soft touch.
He added: “We need to be stronger mentally. We have to make sure we keep our heads up because at the minute they go down too easily.”
Sunderland v Newcastle: Where are you watching the derby?
We want to know where Newcastle and Sunderland fans will be watching the Wear-Tyne derby on Sunday
The Sunderland v Newcastle United derby is one of the key calendar dates for many football fans, and the first meeting of the 2013/14 Premier League season is almost upon us.
With the game just around the corner we want to know where Newcastle and Sunderland fans will be watching the clash.
From Springfield, USA to Sydney, Australia, fans have been getting in touch to tell us where they will be watching - so why not join them.
Check out where supporters of both sides are going to be on Sunday with our interactive map - let us know your whereabouts for the game and we'll add you to our derby day map.
Everton and Sunderland face uphill battle to sign South Korea ace Lee Chung-yong
EVERTON and Sunderland will have to battle to convince Bolton to sell Lee Chung-yong, after boss Dougie Freedman reveals he intends on keeping the South Korea star.
Lee has failed to make a start for the Trotters since late September, and with interest from the Premier League developing, the South Korea international’s days playing at the Reebok Stadium could be over.
Despite Everton boss Roberto Martinez getting off to a great start at Goodison Park, the Spaniard will be looking to add to his squad in January to continue re-building the team he inherited from David Moyes in the summer.
Sunderland, who were interested in the player’s services back in the summer window, may look towards Chung-yong as they look to bring new faces to the Stadium of Light to turn their season around; the Black Cats are currently rock bottom of the league.
However, Freedman has dismissed claims that the 25-year-old could be on his way out of Bolton in January and has backed the winger to reproduce the form which saw him heavily linked with a big-money transfer before his horrific leg break in 2011.
He told the Bolton News: "He is an exceptional player but he hasn't found his top form since that broken leg. But when he gets to the Christmas period you will see a top Chungy.
"Will he be going anywhere? Absolutely no chance. And I think Chungy realises that as well.
"He has a World Cup coming up and the last thing he needs is to be moving to a different country or a different club and maybe not playing. Chungy is a good lad and understands that."
New Sunderland boss Gus Poyet pulled no punches as he delivered a frank assessment of his side's second-half capitulation in their 4-0 defeat at Swansea.
The Swans had not won on home soil in eight Barclays Premier League games and were frustrated by the Black Cats during a goalless first half.
But Phil Bardsley's own goal, a wonderful Jonathan de Guzman strike and Wilfried Bony's penalty - Swansea's first in 56 league games - completely altered the course of the match in just seven minutes.
Chico Flores rubbed further salt in the wound by heading in a De Guzman corner - via unlucky Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher - with 10 minutes to go.
Sunderland had been combative until the 57th-minute opener, with Fletcher and Bardsley having their best chances, but they fell apart during the final half-hour to illustrate the task facing Poyet as he seeks to draw the Wearsiders clear of the relegation mire.
Sunderland remain rooted to the foot of the table with one point from eight games, and Poyet is fully aware of the challenge ahead.
The Uruguayan said: "I learnt a lot from my players, particularly in the second half.
"My team talk at half-time was all about the ball and what we needed to do better with it to go and create something more.
"The rest of the game I was very pleased with as we had worked on being well organised and difficult to beat. Then we got to the second half and we did completely the opposite. It's difficult to explain.
"We have no other option than to work and turn that (first-half) performance into 90 minutes as soon as possible, as time and games will pass by with us still at the bottom.
"Any team can concede a goal, if you cannot play any more because you concede a goal, you deserve to be at the bottom."
Poyet also suggested he is prepared to make changes for next weekend's derby meeting with Newcastle having been unimpressed with how his men reacted to falling behind.
"I thought I picked the right team in the first half, now if you were to ask me if I did, I would not be sure," he said.
"They have given me a chance. As a player you do not want to give the manager the chance to pick someone else. They have given me the chance to do that whatever they like this week.
"What a game we have next week. It is becoming serious, it is a derby, we are at home, we are not winning games and now is the time to start."
Swansea had only been above the relegation zone on goal difference heading into the weekend, and their tension at the lack of a home league win since March was clear to see during an error-strewn first half.
But boss Michael Laudrup was delighted by how his side had turned it around after the break.
Laudrup said: "In the Premier League it has been a while since we won at home. We have won all three of our home games in the Europa League, but this is our first of the league season.
"We can always talk about who we have played against, and we have played three of the top teams here this season. But when people start to talk it is good to turn it down immediately, and the only way to do that is by winning."
The only negative for Swansea was an ankle injury suffered by left-back Ben Davies, who was withdrawn early in the second half and left the Liberty Stadium wearing a protective boot.
Laudrup confirmed the Wales international will undergo an X-ray to determine the severity of the damage.
He said: "It's another ankle injury, we have already had a few.
"It is a twisted ankle, he fell in the first half so we agreed to let him start the second half but after two or three minutes you could see it wasn't good.
"He will probably go for an X-ray, but I am not a doctor and we have to wait for the X-ray. But I think he may be out for the next two games (against Kuban Krasnodar and West Ham) at least."
Rowell Report: Second half exposed all of Sunderland’s weaknesses
SUNDERLAND resumed their Premier League action after the international break and it was business as usual, unfortunately.
New head coach, same old story – with Sunderland suffering their heaviest defeat of the season so far.
Sunderland are the team that just keeps giving – to the opposition, that is.
Own goals, unnecessary penalties and our regular habit of conceding from corners and this game, especially the second-half, exposed all of Sunderland’s weaknesses.
There was only one goal of the four that we didn’t contribute to – de Guzman’s stunning strike from the edge of the penalty area.
The other three were all preventable, with decent defending and organisation.
The penalty that Gardner conceded was quite simply a gift to Swansea and the two goals conceded from corners both ended in our net off our own players, showing the utter confusion there is when we are defending set pieces.
At half-time, things had been looking good.
The first 45 minutes were evenly matched with Sunderland having the best chance in Fletcher’s early miss.
But the second half turned into a nightmare for Sunderland and the travelling fans.
Once Swansea scored from Phil Bardsley’s own goal, there was only going to be one winner, as the Sunderland players were drained of all confidence and energy.
The difference in body language from being on level terms to being a goal down was alarming and I wasn’t surprised when Gus Poyet questioned the mental strength of some of the players.
Yet again, changes were made but nothing is working.
And the returning Bardsley had a five-minute spell he would rather forget when he missed a chance at one end and scored against his own team at the other.
Poyet’s biggest challenge now, apart from lifting the confidence of his players, is finding his best team.
There seems to be changes every week and does anybody actually know what our best 11 is?
Poyet needs to find this out soon, as we need to start looking like an organised, professional Premier League team, rather than a bunch of strangers, as was the case in the second half last Saturday.
Derby win can kick-start our season, says Sunderland boss Poyet
GUS POYET says it would be the “perfect moment” for Sunderland to end their six-month search for a Premier League victory against Newcastle United this weekend.
Sunderland’s 3-0 success at St James’s Park in April proved pivotal towards the Black Cats remaining in the top flight last season.
The Wearsiders followed up their derby joy by beating Everton six days later, but Sunderland haven’t tasted a Premier League victory in the 12 subsequent games.
With only a solitary point on the board, Poyet’s side are already facing a huge battle to avoid relegation after suffering six straight league defeats.
But while the new head coach acknowledges the dramatic improvement Sunderland need to produce against the Magpies, he knows what a huge boost a derby success would bring for his beleaguered team.
“The only thing that matters is that it’s the derby, it’s Newcastle,” said Poyet.
“It’s a perfect moment to win a game, to start winning.
“But on the other hand, we need to change and improve dramatically if we want to win.
“I think a defeat like Swansea shows you why we are there (at the bottom). Nothing else.
“I don’t think you can analyse more than that.
“We work well to a point, but then everything goes awry because of whatever happens.
“That is something we need to address very quickly.”
Poyet has only been on Wearside three weeks, yet the Uruguayan insists he has been made fully aware of the stakes on Sunday by supporters from both clubs.
But he says his focus couldn’t turn to the derby until the conclusion of his opening game in charge against Swansea – an encounter which proved to be an inauspicious bow after the Black Cats’ shambolic second half collapse.
“It’s been difficult not to think about the derby,” added Poyet.
“I was out in Newcastle having dinner during the international break and they were already talking about it.
“But I wanted to wait until this week to deal with it.
“I’m the type of person that when we finish at 6pm on a Saturday, I’m normally dead.
“But from Sunday morning, whatever time I wake up, it’s all about the next game.
“Of course, I stop in the afternoon to watch the games on TV.
“But we couldn’t start looking at Newcastle until then.”
Black Cats give Tynesiders a boost ahead of FA Cup clash
Sunderland 4 - Gateshead 2
Sunderland played Gateshead in a behing closed doors friendly ahead of the Heed's FA Cup Qualifying round trip to Chester
Sunderland have given Skrill Premier side Gateshead an FA Cup boost ahead of Saturday’s important final qualifying round trip to Chester.
The Black Cats agreed to stage a behind-closed-doors game at the Academy of Light which gave valuable game time for a number of returning Gateshead players.
Defender Carl Magnay and midfield man Micky Cummins both played the full 90 minutes after ankle and hand injuries and former Black Cat Jamie Chandler played his first full game after a five-match lay-off.
Another former Sunderland player, Dan Smith, made his comeback after an operation on his knee and another returnee, James Brown, also got 90 minutes in.
The former Hartlepool star headed Gateshead in front after just 82 seconds from Newcastle United trainee Marcus Maddison’s pinpoint free-kick.
Liam Hatch, who played in defence in the first half and attack in the second, was also on target with a header, but two unfortunate Reece Noble own goals and two George Honeyman penalties gave Sunderland a 4-2 win.
Maddison and frontman Richard Brodie, just back at Gateshead after a loan spell at Hereford United, were both withdrawn at half-time.
“They weren’t good enough and have to be better,” said Mills “I’ve got a great set of players and everyone has to adhere to what we do and what I expect and demand from them. It was a really good work out and just what the players coming back from injury needed. The game was played at a good tempo which was perfect for us and for Sunderland.
“Magnay was the best player on the pitch and I was pleased with Adam Boyes. It was good of Sunderland to host the game and it’s strengthened my options for Saturday.”
On loan Middlesbrough defender Lewis Sirrell should be fit for the trip to Chester after injuring his big toe, but former Boro schemer Josh Walker faces a race against time due to an ankle injury.
Things with more points than Sunderland - and believe it or not, there's quite a few! but not Newcastle last season
Newcastle retards set up site in homage after rivals record-breaking bad start to the campaign, which matches the same bad run Newcastle had last season.
Sunderland's poor start to the Premier League season is the butt of the joke on a recently-created website, which matches the same bad run Newcastle had last season, which they seem to forget.
The aptly named Things with more points than Sunderland is created by New3astl0 United jobless, providing ideas such as a plug, a compass and former player Stephane Sessegnon, who picked up a drink-driving ban earlier this month.
The Black Cats are rock-bottom of the table after picking up just one point from their opening eight games and have suffered six defeats in succession.
New boss Gus Poyet saw his side fall to an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Swansea on Saturday and the players' attentions must now turn to the first Tyne-Wear derby of the season this weekend.
The site also infers that should Sunderland continue this form for the remainder of the season, they would finish with just 4 points and it would take them 7 years to register the 40 points which usually ensures survival.
The site has gone down a storm on Twitter and follows their name change to '5under1and', created by Magpies' supporters, following the demolition of their rivals in 2010, much like New9ast1e from 1908.
[b]Anger will only spur Sunderland on, insists Emanuele Giaccherini [b]
Emanuele Giaccherini says Sunderland must channel all the anger surrounding their Swansea mauling into this weekend's Wear-Tyne derby
Emanuele Giaccherini has revealed Sunderland’s dressing room was full of fury after their 4-0 humiliation at Swansea – and insists the Black Cats must turn that anger to their advantage in the Wear-Tyne derby.
Sunderland’s second-half collapse at the Liberty Stadium saw them suffer their heaviest defeat of the season, and Giaccherini says the players felt disappointment and anger in equal measure following the final whistle.
But the Italy international says that anger only goes to show that the players care, and it will only redouble their resolve to make amends when rivals Newcastle United visit the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
“The Swansea result was a very bad one for us and nobody was happy in the dressing room afterwards,” said Giaccherini.
“We were angry with ourselves and angry with each other because it was not a good performance – the second half especially.
“But I don’t think anger is a bad thing among the players after a bad defeat – it shows that they care and that they have passion.
“It shows they have not lost their heart. It is important now though that we use that anger the right way, that we control it and take it into our next game and that we use it to drive us on to get the win that we need.”
Giaccherini was one of the 14 new faces who joined Sunderland over the summer, with the Black Cats paying £6.8m to sign him from Serie A champions Juventus.
Sunday’s game will be his first taste of derby action in England, but the 28-year-old insists he knows exactly how important this fixture is to fans of both sides.
He said: “The fans should know that new players at Sunderland are quickly told how important the derby is.
“I have played in derbies before and I understand what they are all about.
“I am looking forward to the game and every Sunderland player must do the same because we need to be completely focused on getting a win.”
Sunderland’s development squad ran out 4-2 winners against Skrill Premier outfit Gateshead on Tuesday afternoon in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Academy of Light.
George Honeyman scored twice from the penalty spot for the hosts whilst former Sunderland youth Reece Noble twice diverted into his own goal.
James Brown and Liam Hatch scored for the Heed, who included four former Black Cats in their starting line-up.
The visitors were ahead after just two minutes as Brown headed Marcus Maddison’s cross home at the near post.
Craig Lynch, who started his first game this campaign, went close to equalising for the hosts but dragged his shot wide after being played in by Honeyman.
Honeyman then went close to finding the equaliser but the Prudhoe-born midfielder shot wide from 25 yards.
Joel Dixon made a smart low save to deny Brown his second before the Black Cats, urged on by coach Ball, upped the ante.
Louis Laing, playing his first 90 minutes of the campaign, went close when he broke from midfield to crash a low drive towards the bottom corner only for a sharp save from Alex Baird to deny him.
And, from the resulting corner, Lynch curled just wide from the corner of the box as the hosts pushed for an equaliser.
The Black Cats did level on the half-hour as Honeyman was felled in the area by former Sunderland defender Dan Smith before getting up to convert the spot-kick into the bottom left-hand corner of Baird’s goal.
And the hosts were ahead after just three second-half minutes when Carl Lawson and Honeyman linked up well before the former’s shot was deflected over the line by Noble.
Honeyman continued to be a thorn in the Heed’s defence and he went close to his second when played in by Adam Mitchell but, after cutting onto his left foot, he shot straight at Baird.
Mitchell himself had a glorious opportunity to double Sunderland’s advantage when he broke in behind Noble from Tom McNamee’s long ball but failed to beat Baird when one-on-one with the Australian keeper.
Gateshead equalised on 65 minutes as Smith’s cross was flicked on by Adam Boyes before Hatch nodded into the top corner beyond Dixon.
It took just ten minutes for Sunderland to regain the lead as substitute Liam Marrs cut back for Lynch, who saw his shot deflected over his own line by Noble.
Honeyman sealed the win in the closing stages as Mitchell closed down Heed keeper Baird and forced the stopper to bring him down inside the area before Honeyman smashed down the middle to grab his second goal of the game.
Gateshead fielded an experienced side and got valuable game time into a number of returning players in a behind-closed-doors game against a youthful Sunderland outfit at the Academy of Light.
Two unfortunate Reece Noble own goals in the second half and two George Honeyman penalties, one in each half, saw the Heed beaten 4-2 after James Brown had opened the scoring after just 83 seconds.
The scores had been level at 1-1 at the break, Liam Hatch then equalised after the Black Cats had taken the lead for the first time only for the home side to score two more.
Sunderland moved the ball about with pace and created a host of chances in what was a tough 90 minutes for a Gateshead side that included four former Black Cats.
Dan Smith played his first game after his knee operation but Joe Tait, back in training after an operation himself, did not feature.
Carl Magnay and Micky Cummins both returned after injury and two more players back after injury, Jamie Chandler and Brown, played the full 90 minutes.
"It was an excellent work out and just what we needed with players coming back from injury and others needing game time, so it was perfect for us," said manager Gary Mills.
"It was good for Sunderland as well as it was a proper game. Boyes did well and Magnay was possibly the best player on the pitch, he was excellent at centre-half.
"Brown scored a good goal at the start and it was a useful work out for him and will have done him the world of good.
"You always want to win games but It was more about the minutes and getting the fitness levels up."
An Andrew Cartwright foul on Marcus Maddison saw the former Magpie's inviting second minute free kick headed into the top corner by Brown - a good goal and a dream start.
It was hard work for the rest of the half as an impressive Sunderland dominated the football, Craig Lynch putting a one-on-one wide as Heed debutant keeper Alex Baird narrowed the angle.
Honeyman was then inches wide while Brown ran at the Black Cats defence to hit a shot that Joel Dixon saved to his left.
Louis Laing did the same at the other end, Baird diving to his right to turn the shot away one-handed and from the corner Lynch shot inches wide.
Sunderland were then given a soft penalty by Football League referee Geoff Eltringham to get back into the game just before the half hour.
There appeared to be minimal contact when Smith challenged Honeyman on the right side of the box but Eltringham surprisingly pointed to the spot.
Honeyman duly converted the penalty, Maddison's shot then blocked while Brown shot well over from 25 yards.
Maddison and Richard Brodie were withdrawn by Mills at the interval and Gateshead were behind three minutes into the second period.
Substitute Noble, a former Sunderland trainee, turned Carl Lawson's shot into his own net and then Australian Baird saved from Honeyman when the midfielder was in on goal.
Baird then came to the rescue with his boot when Adam Mitchell had got beyond Noble but Gateshead were level midway through the half.
Smith's cross from the left was headed on by Boyes for the unmarked Hatch, at the back in the first half and up front for the second, to head over an exposed Dixon.
Sunderland missed another golden chance when Mitchell got behind the Heed defence only to volley over from outside the box with only Baird to beat.
Two minutes later, however, a Lynch shot struck Noble on the chest to deflect into the net and then Baird lost control in the box and his lunge at Mitchell resulted in another penalty.
Again Honeyman scored from 12 yards, Chandler having the chance to pull a goal back but his toe poke from deep inside the box brought a one-handed save from the Black Cats keeper.
Sir Alex Ferguson blasts Roy Keane's failed spells as Sunderland and Ipswich manager
ROY KEANE’S managerial ability is rubbished by his former Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson in an attack on his former skipper in his new autobiography that pulls no punches.
Relations turned sour between the pair when Keane began to struggle to cope with his diminishing powers as a midfield enforcer. Instead, Ferguson feels he turned to bullying his team-mates to compensate for his frustration. The United manager even feared that Keane no longer had the ability to rein himself in appropriately.
Things finally began to come to a head in the 2005-06 pre-season trip to Portugal, when Keane complained about the accommodation in the Vale do Lobo centre established by assistant Carlos Queiroz and refused to be billeted there.
The blazing row was the tipping point for Keane, who then aggravated the uneasy relationship further with an attack on team-mates during an MUTV interview. Ferguson angrily confronted Keane and told him his comments were a "disgrace" and a "joke".
The Republic of Ireland international left for Celtic shortly and then management with Sunderland and Ipswich. And it is on his career after playing that Ferguson used his most damaging barb about Keane.
"His two spells in management proved one thing: he needs money," he said simply.
Two months after leaving Old Trafford, Keane surprised Ferguson by returning to the club unannounced to apologise to Ferguson personally for his behaviour.
But the 71-year-old feels Keane simply could not help himself and things between them soured again when, in Ferguson’s opinion, he used his new role as a TV pundit to look for for excuses to pick at United.
Despite agreeing a communal vow of silence on the day Keane left United, Ferguson justifies revisiting the incident in the book by claiming that Keane broke ranks when he was in charge at Sunderland.
When he did that, Ferguson revealed United’s former chief executive David Gill even considered suing Keane, but the canny Scot felt that was playing into his former player’s hands. Instead he insisted the club stay away from an unseemly courtroom spat.
But Ferguson concludes: "He has the most savage tongue you can imagine."
Vaughan - 'gutless' accusations dented Sunderland's pride
DAVID VAUGHAN is confident that Sunderland can avoid relegation this season - starting with a victory against Newcastle United on Sunday.
The Black Cats go into the Wear-Tyne derby with one point from the first eight games of the Premier League season and with a 4-0 defeat at Swansea City behind them.
The display at the Liberty Stadium prompted one national newspaper to brand Sunderland’s players ‘gutless’ - a move which has enraged the Black Cats players. Vaughan is determined that they can put on a better show on Sunday afternoon.
“Obviously we’ve come in for criticism from different aspects of the media and fans so this is an opportunity for us to answer back and actually show what we can do,” he said.
“I’ve not seen much of the media over the weekend but we know what we’re capable of and what we can do. We’ve got to start doing it. It’s a good opportunity for us to kick-start our season and turn things around if we win the derby.
“People are calling it a ‘must-win’ – I think it is important that we don’t lose. If we get something we can build on that and try and turn the situation around.”
Gus Poyet’s first game in charge of Sunderland outlined the task the Uruguayan is facing, with all four goals coming in the second half as the Black Cats visibly tired.
Vaughan understands that, as the basement side in the division, Sunderland are there to be shot at and it is up to the players to prove they are better than the statistics suggest.
“It does dent your pride a bit. Losing the games we have and our start to the season means people are going to take digs at us. We’re hurting from it but we’ve got to stay positive and we need to get up the table as quickly as possible,” said Vaughan.
“We’ve been close in a lot of games. It’s the odd game here and there. The performances have been OK, it feels like we’ve been just a little bit away. But we need to start turning that into results now.
“We’ve got to go into the games thinking we can win and to get as many points as we can to try and get ourselves out of this situation.
“We don’t believe we’re down at all. We think we can still get enough points to keep us in the Premier League, which is obviously the big aim for everyone this season.”
Defeat in South Wales could not be any worse preparation for the biggest game of the season so far, and Vaughan, having scored the third goal in Sunderland’s 3-0 demolition on Gallowgate in April, knows more than anyone what a win means.
“The atmosphere is absolutely sensational in these games. You will never hear anything like it in any football game you play in,” he said.
“Winning that last one will affect this game. The Newcastle players and fans will remember the last game and want some revenge – it’s up to us to try and prevent them from doing that and to try and get ourselves the points that we obviously need.”
This week has given Poyet the opportunity to work with his players further having only two days last week to implement his ideas on Sunderland, and Vaughan, an unused substitute in Swansea, is champing at the bit to get his chance.
“The new manager seems good,” said the Wales international. “I like the way he wants his teams to play and the methods in training. Hopefully I can get the chance to play and show what I can do now.”
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Newcastle ready for ‘tough battle’ at struggling Sunderland
NEWCASTLE United are ready to roll up their sleeves and take the battle to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
That’s the verdict of defender Mike Williamson ahead of the 149th meeting between the two sides on Sunday.
Williamson and his team-mates are full of confidence after taking four points from Liverpool and Cardiff City in their last two Premier League games.
Sunderland, by contrast, have claimed just one solitary point all season, and Gus Poyet’s side are smarting from their 4-0 defeat to Swansea City at the weekdend.
But Williamson, a veteran of five derbies, knows form will count for little if the team isn’t prepared to compete for 90 minutes.
“That will be another tough one,” Williamson told the Gazette. “We know it’ll be a very tough battle to say the least, and if we don’t turn up and match them, we’ll struggle.
“We know what we’ve got in the changing room. It’s just about translating that on to the pitch on a Saturday.
“If everyone does the basics, we know we’ve got the players to cause the opposition lots of problems.
“It’s about building that consistency and momentum.”
Williamson started the season out of Alan Pardew’s side, but he returned to the starting XI against Cardiff earlier this month, and he will be partnered by Steven Taylor at the Stadium of Light if the defender proves his fitness in time.
The absence of captain Fabricio Coloccini due to injury is a blow.
Pardew will also be without the suspended Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, dismissed against Liverpool for bringing down Luis Suarez.
But Williamson, 29, is confident Newcastle have the “strength in depth” at the back to cope at the Stadium of Light.
“The manager’s had to look at the strength in depth and bring players in,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of different players coming in, but it’s all about continuing that philosophy we’ve got and staying tight and compact.
“If we can maintain that, it doesn’t matter who the personnel are.”
Yanga-Mbiwa was sent off with United leading Liverpool 1-0. Steven Gerrard cancelled out Yohan Cabaye’s stunning opening goal from the penalty spot before the break, but Paul Dummett put Newcastle back ahead early in the second half.
Daniel Sturridge claimed a point for the visitors with a 73rd-minute equaliser.
Reflecting on the game, Williamson said: “We’ve taken a lot of positives. It was a great point in the end.
“They were full of confidence. We only have to look at the players they’ve got. They manager’s got them playing collectively, and it was a very difficult time to face them.
“We stood up and limited their chances and created a few of our own.
“I think we’ve got some fantastic defensive players, and we showed our defensive qualities.
“The character in the group showed through, and it would have been easy to let our heads go down after the sending off, but everyone dug in and stayed together. It was a great point.
“It was all about trying to organise and keep our shape and discipline, and making the right judgement calls.
“I thought all the lads, from the front to the back, were fantastic.”
Rock-bottom Sunderland set to play Wes Brown in Newcastle derby after 21 months out
Black Cats hope injury-ravaged former England international and Premier League title winner can fix their leaky defence
Gus Poyet is poised to take a massive gamble by recalling forgotten man Wes Brown for Sunday's crunch derby against Newcastle.
Sunderland and former England defender Brown has not played a first-team match for 21 months but has fought back from repeated injury setbacks to be fit for the North-East derby.
Poyet has wiped the slate clean for all his players since succeeding the sacked Paolo Di Canio, and admits he is crying out for some defence-steadying experience to prevent a morale-sapping eighth defeat in the season's first nine league matches.
The Black Cats are searching for their first win of the season and while throwing former England international Brown into a game of such intensity might be a risk, Poyet may reason he couldn't do much to worsen a defence that has leaked 20 goals in the eight league matches so far.
Brown, a former title winner at Manchester United, has come through a training ground friendly and a U21s match in the past week, along with other misfits including Cabral, Modibo Diakite and Connor Wickham.
Poyet said: "Wes is fit and he's been training with us all week and he played in a behind closed doors friendly we had on Tuesday. It's a decision we need to make.
"Whether somebody's fit enough to play 90 minutes or not or how many players there are in that situation you can't take a chance.
"But you can't have too many on the pitch that can't play 90 minutes.
"Depending on that, we will make a decision on it.
"He could be everything that you need in the Premier League. He's experienced he's played at the highest level, at one of the best teams in the world, and he knows the game well.
"Hopefully we can see him very soon on the pitch."
Skipper John O'Shea admits Sunderland, beaten 4-0 at Swansea on Saturday in Poyet's first match in charge, are staring at a relegation season unless they toughen up.
"We were under no illusions before the game about the position we're in in the league. When you're letting teams score that many goals against you, it's going to be a long, hard season.
"We know where we are in the league and we know what we have to do - we have to win matches. There's only ourselves whose going to help us.
"The manager has come in and we have to show him why he wanted to take this job and how we can get out of this position. There's no better way of doing that than against Newcastle.
"We have to make sure we keep our heads up. They go down too easily at the minute.
"When you see the way the team played in the first half, to what we did in the second half, heads dropped too easily after the first goal went in.
"We need to be stronger mentally."
There is some good news for Sunderland - Newcastle are facing defensive problems of their own, with captain Fabricio Coloccini out for at least a couple of weeks.
However, Steven Taylor is likely to return from injury and go straight into the line-up at the Stadium of Light.
Boss Alan Pardew said: "Paul Dummet is ready and he showed me that against Liverpool, but I think Steven with one leg will tell me he is okay for the derby.
Why the North East derby is in danger of becoming an ugly spectacle that embarrasses the region
"I want the fierce noise, the colour, the brutally partisan crowd reactions, cheeky humour, the packed stadium and the intensity to be what our big derby is known for"
Police horses beware, it's North East derby week.
It's time for a gut wrenching occasion of intense local rivalry.... equine boxing hopefully not included this season.
Newcastle versus Sunderland is a classic fixture for many a positive reason.
St James' Park and the Stadium of Light at their noisiest.
A region alive with football passion.
Work-places buzzing with debate and banter.
Players and managers fighting for their reputations - slip ups in this game can tarnish a career, or make a legend.
This season the stakes are equally high. Alan Pardew needs a good result after the defeat on Tyneside last time out. Gus Poyet needs to give a club something to cling on to in their desperate situation at the bottom of the table.
But having covered a few Tyne-Wear derbies now, a question needs to be asked.
Is the fixture in danger of becoming an ugly spectacle that embarrasses the region?
Judging by what we've witnessed in the past few years it is.
How the rest of the country laughed at the sight of the Newcastle fan trying to box Bud the police horse last season. Sunderland supporters who sent Bud a box of his favourite "Paolo Mints" showed fans at their best.
And how the nation rightly sneered at the sight of tracksuit-bottom wearing, knob-holding, arse-scratching, spotty, wasters smashing up their own city centre after Newcastle lost 3-0. Take a look at the "Wanted" pictures the police issued. Not pretty, and more than 100 arrests were made.
Abuse will be hurled at opposition players, most insanely when Newcastle make the 20 yard walk from their coach into the Stadium of Light.
Fair enough, part of the occasion, but if you get the chance, study the individuals hurling it. Their contorted red faces and bulging facial veins. Log their age, and note the kid next to them, and ponder.
At the away end, Newcastle fans will be herded like animals off their coaches into specially erected steel-lined corridors into the stadium.
Grown men won't be trusted to go anywhere near other grown men who live a few miles up the road, but happen to follow a team with a red stripe, rather than a black one.
Puffed up chests, and thuggish abuse will be sprayed around on both sides. No boys, it's not like going to war on enemy territory. It is a football match 12 Metro stops up the road.
There will be flare ups and scraps that never get any publicity, and disgust the victims and witnesses.
Is that the image we want the rest of the country, indeed the world, to think of when they see our two teams playing?
I want the fierce noise, the colour, the brutally partisan crowd reactions, cheeky humour, the packed stadium and the intensity, to be what our big derby is known for.
Not the knuckle-dragging, emotionally incontinent oafs who mentally implode at the prospect of defeat.
If football teaches us anything, it is that revenge on the pitch will soon be around the corner, and there's very little time for smugness to endure. Perhaps it will be Alan Pardew's turn to do a Di Canio style knee slide celebration on rival turf?
The vast majority turn up to cheer, jeer, bite their nails and pray their side doesn't lose. For that is surely the No 1 aim of any derby! Anything better is a celebratory bonus.
Part of what makes the Mersey derby special is the rivalry, and how both sides realise, at heart, they are one and the same. Many families have split allegiances.
It is not the same in the North East - the 16 miles between the two grounds may as well be 160.
But Geordies and Mackems share plenty in common in history, social and economic problems and future challenges.
And they share an intense rivalry over football that I hope will be a cause for celebration and positivity, this weekend.
May the best team win, and the losers carry their defeat with a defiant song and heads held high until next time.
Newcastle United thug who punched a police horse is jailed for 12 months and banned from football grounds for six years
*Barry Rogerson admitted attacking the animal outside St James' Park
*The Newcastle United fan has now been jailed for 12 months
*He has also been banned from football grounds for six years
*Newcastle Crown Court heard he had 'a large amount to drink' beforehand
A football fan has been jailed for a year for punching a police horse in the face after a derby match.
Newcastle United fan Barry Rogerson, 45, has also been banned from football grounds for six years after he attacked the horse outside St James' Park after the game between his team and Sunderland on April 14.
Rogerson, of Bedlington, Northumberland, pleaded guilty last month to a charge of violent disorder.
He was jailed for 12 months and handed a six year football banning order when he appeared for sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court today.
Sentencing Rogerson, His Honour Judge Paul Sloan QC said: 'You attended the football match and by the time the match ended you were worse for wear from drinking while taking your medication.
'You were clapping your hands at the police horse, remaining there despite repeated requests to move.
'When the crowd surged forward on two separate occasions you were clapping your hands in pleasure or excitement at the events.
'You started clapping into the horses face. The police horse then started moving towards you, you were told to move back by the officer.
'You had plenty opportunity to move away but punched the horse in the head.
'There was a risk of serious injury from what you did. That officer could have been thrown from the horse causing serious injury.
'On this particular occasion you drank far more than you should have. You are in a stable relationship and have a young son aged 11. Your position is aggravated by your consumption of alcohol.'
Robert Adams, mitigating for Rogerson, told the court: 'Mr Rogerson was a man of good character.
'He is 45-years-of-age and he, perhaps more than any other, has had the humiliation of almost constant press coverage about his involvement.
'He is extremely embarrassed and ashamed of what happened. It has been difficult for him but also for his family and friends.
'He has a very good work record of 22 years, it is only illness that stops him from working. He has never bothered the police before in any way and he has never appeared in any court.
'He lives on disability allowance and his wife is in employment.
'He is therefore a man of difficulties. He is not somebody who has ever supported or encouraged this type of behaviour.
'There is no question he had a particularly large amount to drink on this day.
'He had gone to watch the match, he was with a group of friends. Most of them were completely unaware what took place until afterwards.
'He was not involved in any trouble before the start of the match. He appears afterwards to have taken up a position at an early stage.
'When there was a line of Newcastle supporters facing the police he was joining in with the jeering that was taking part at that stage. Sadly for him he maintained his position during the two sieges.
'He did not punch any human, officer or Sunderland supporter in any way. No missiles or other weapon was thrown by the defendant.
'He has no previous convictions of any sort. It is not the case that he was involved in other acts of violence around the city centre.
'His wife has told him he is not going to another football match ever.'
He added: 'Mr Rogerson has acted completely out of character while under the influence of drink.'
Rogerson was one of seven men being dealt with by Newcastle Crown Court today having pleaded guilty to violent disorder. All were jailed.
After the hearing Chief Superintendent Gary Calvert, Newcastle Area Commander, said: 'The images of Rogerson's behaviour were seen right across the country and further afield through the media and internet coverage of the disorder.
'His behaviour is clearly unacceptable and he was widely condemned by law abiding and right thinking members of the public for his actions.
'I'm keen to stress that this shouldn't be the lasting impression people have of the city of Newcastle and its football supporters.
'The derby is attended by more than 50,000 fans, including families and children, and on that day Rogerson was in the minority of people involved in disorder in Newcastle city centre after the match.
'This is absolutely not reflective of the behaviour of true football supporters and those who live in, work in and visit Newcastle.
'I welcome the sentences passed today to offenders for their part in the disorder. In particular, with the next derby just days away, I'm keen to stress that this demonstrates tough action will be taken against anyone involved in such behaviour.
'As well as a potential prison sentence, banning orders mean they will be kept away from future football matches, making them a safer environment for the real supporters who want nothing more than to enjoy the game.
'It must be noted there have been 90 people charged in connection with the disorder following the match and the majority of these are still progressing through the court system.'
The other defendants sentenced in court today after pleading guilty to violent disorder were: Alan Graham, 21, of Benwell - 18 months imprisonment; Michael Barker, 24, of Prudhoe - 18 months; Thomas Simpson, 22, of Prudhoe - 16 months; John Guthrie, 22, of New Hartley, Blyth - 16 months; Sam Miller, 19, of Harton, South Shields - 16 months plus two months for breaching a suspended prison sentence; and Robert Taylor, 18, of Elswick, Newcastle - 20 months in a young offender institution.
All those sentenced were given six-year football banning orders.
Gary Neville: Newcastle and Sunderland worthy of being at top of league
Gary Neville analyses struggling Sunderland and rivals Newcastle ahead of their meeting on Super Sunday this weekend.
A BIG TASK FOR POYET
Sunderland are in a perilous situation. One point from eight games leaves then bottom of the Premier League table and in the midst of their worst start to a season. New manager Gus Poyet has taken the reigns and is scrambling to keep the Black Cats from avoiding the drop, but a 4-0 defeat to Swansea in his first game in charge does not bode well.
GARY SAYS: "Gus Poyet has an absolutely huge job on his hands because they really are struggling. They had that initial surge when Paolo Di Canio first joined that helped them stay up and we thought that they would re-group. They've signed a huge group of players, something like 14 over the summer which is too big a turnover of players to bed in. So whoever the manager is, whether it be Di Canio, whether it be Gus Poyet there it's always going to be a big job trying to bed those players in and I think that's the big problem for them.
"They look like they're lacking energy and organisation in games at the moment but, if you remember last season they had a magnificent North East derby against Newcastle and they'll be thinking maybe this can be the turnaround game to help Sunderland get out of that mess."
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM AT SUNDERLAND?
Sunderland's bleak outlook can be easily be put down to their current poor form. So far this season they have only scored five goals and conceded 15, giving them the worst goal difference in the league.
GARY SAYS: "In the period that Poyet's been in charge he won't have been able to have done a great deal of work with the players and obviously the international breaks would have disrupted him. Also the fact that now between games with recoveries you get very little time to work with players.
"I think it will be the fundamentals where he starts - conceding goals from set-pieces is something he'll need to look at, defending properly and getting out of his box making sure there is more energy in defending.
"I was at the game against Manchester United a few weeks ago and for 45 minutes they really did play well and put a massive amount of energy in to the game but then they suffered after half-time from a drop in energy which Manchester United capitalised on.
"I think getting back to basics is the first thing they need to do - stop conceding goals - this is where the manager will want to start and it's a struggle for Sunderland at the moment. You really would think they're going to have to have a massive turnaround to get out of the problems that they're in."
ARE NEWCASTLE BEGINNING TO FIND FORM?
Newcastle have had problems off the pitch with battles between manager Alan Pardew, Director of Football Joe Kinnear and owner Mike Ashley dominating the headlines more than the football being played.
GARY SAYS: "Newcastle were on Monday Night Football a few weeks ago against Everton and you felt for them at half-time because you thought this could be a really embarrassing fixture for them, but actually, they came out in the second-half and did really well.
"I thought the spirit they showed against Liverpool after going down to 10 men was also good and it was a really good result for them. They've been slightly inconsistent but they've also had some good moments this season and I think generally with the points tally they've amassed Alan Pardew will be really happy. But then there's these types of games; if there was ever a place in the country where losing a derby matters you would say it's the North East.
"I think if Alan Pardew can win this game he will think that it has been a great start to the season, if they were to lose then people would start to look upon it negatively again. It's a huge game for both clubs."
BIG CLUBS IN THE NORTH EAST
The North East has had a long and illustrious footballing history but fortunes have turned drastically in recent years, including the disastrous 2008/09 season where Newcastle and Middlesbrough were relegated and Sunderland just survived on the final day.
GARY SAYS: "I would always want the North East clubs Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough in the Premier League. I think you want all parts of the country represented and particularly the North East as it's always a great place to play football.
"I always think when you go up to the North East there's never really a feeling that they're going to be defensive against you, it's always attacking and positive and they always create a great atmosphere in the stadium particularly when I played there with Manchester United. I rarely didn't enjoy playing in the North East and we had some poor results up there sometimes. But you always felt the fans up there were appreciative.
"I think we would always want Newcastle and Sunderland to be represented. These clubs have got great stadiums, great followings and obviously you'd think they would be ripe for investment if there were owners looking to buy new clubs at the moment in the next five to 10 years.
"I know Ellis Short has invested quite a bit of money in Sunderland but they just can't get it right at the moment and there was signs a couple of years ago that Newcastle were on the right path and were getting towards Champions League football but now they've just fallen off it a little and Newcastle in particular are a club that are worthy of being right up there at the top of the league because they're a fantastic club, but so are Sunderland as well."
Troubled Sunderland may have been anything but infallible this season, but one man appears to be keeping the faith.
Pope Francis has been given a personalised Black Cats shirt ahead of this weekend's derby clash with arch-rivals Newcastle United.
The shirt was presented to him by Father Marc Lyden-Smith, who is Sunderland Football Club's chaplain.
He is in Rome with Bishop Seamus Cunningham and a group of pilgrims.
'A miracle'
Fr Lyden-Smith said: "We have 60 pilgrims from the North East in Rome at the moment visiting churches and shrines. As part of the pilgrimage we took part in the papal audience on Wednesday morning.
"As chaplain of Sunderland Football Club, they asked if I could present him with a shirt that had his name on the back - Papa Francesco.
"It was a bit of a miracle really. There were 120,000 people gathered in the square. We managed to get tickets up at the front and the pope was guided towards us.
"Some people from the North East managed to shake his hand and then I asked if he would accept the shirt and he took it and waved it in the air to cheers."
Asked if the pope would be supporting the team against fierce rivals Newcastle United at Sunderland's Stadium of Light on Sunday, he said: "He is very diplomatic and wouldn't say that.
"He's a keen football fan - he was a season ticket holder before he was elected as pope."
Sunderland's Fabio Borini sinks Newcastle with stunning late goal
Alan Pardew predicted that this latest north east derby would be decided by an inspired substitution and he was proved right. Unfortunately for Newcastle United's manager the decisive change was made by Gus Poyet whose introduction of Fabio Borini paid dividends when the Liverpool loanee scored a sublime winner to offer Sunderland a Premier League lifeline.
Played against a background of swirling wind and driving rain, their first win of a hitherto sorry season made Poyet's home debut one to savour although it is unlikely to be a memory relished by Pardew. Supposedly anxious to atone for April's 3-0 defeat to Paolo Di Canio's then side on Tyneside, Newcastle under-achieved horribly and Mike Ashley, their owner, is now likely to be asking all sorts of awkward questions of his manager.
The game had barely begun before the ground echoed to choruses of "Steven Fletcher, he scores when he wants." Ankle and shoulder injuries have deprived Sunderland of Fletcher's attacking potency in recent months but, finally fully fit again, the Scotland striker did not take long to remind everyone of Newcastle's vulnerability when it comes to defending set pieces.
His goal began with Adam Johnson's fifth-minute corner. It was played short to Sebastian Larsson who passed back to Johnson whose ensuing far post cross eluded Pardew's defence, allowing Fletcher to escape the outjumped Paul Dummett's attentions and head beyond Tim Krul.
That concession made it a tough baptism for Dummett, the young homegrown Newcastle left-back making his first Premier League start out of position at centre-half after Steven Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini both failed late fitness tests.
Watching Krul sprawling to splendidly repel a subsequent Fletcher shot it seemed hard to credit that Sunderland had only one point from eight League games but at least Ellis Short is prepared to accept some of the blame.
It has become increasingly rare for men in power to admit publicly to mistakes so hats off to Sunderland's owner, for apologising to fans in the match programme. This admission related to his appointment and swift dismissal of Paolo Di Canio. "The club has been in turmoil," acknowledged Short. "I have to take the blame for that. Clearly at least one of the decisions I made over the last several months was the wrong one. We could never have imagined in our worst nighmare being in the position we are now in."
In time Short might not need to be quite so hard on himself. Change was desperately needed at Sunderland and, even if Di Canio went the wrong way about implementing it, his reforms have arguably made Poyet's task appreciably easier. The best case scenario is that a chapter from Arsenal's past will eventually be recalled and Di Canio regarded as Bruce Rioch to Poyet's Arsène Wenger.
Back in the present Newcastle – who have generally been playing pretty well this season – were having a few too many nightmarish moments for Pardew's liking. Growing Tyneside frustration manifested itself when Cheik Tioté, the visiting captain, was a little lucky to escape unpunished for using his arms to shove Larsson in the face and again, as Yohan Cabaye was booked for a rather spiteful knee-high tackle on Jack Colback.
Often conceding possession far too cheaply, Newcastle were finding Colback and Lee Cattermole a perhaps unexpected handful in central midfield and the upshot was that the dangerous Loïc Rémy barely touched the ball during the entire first half. Similarly Hatem Ben Arfa, deployed at the centre of Pardew's attacking trinity in a 4-3-3 formation, was forced ever deeper and frequently found himself second guessed by Cattermole.
It was no surprise when Pardew opted to mirror Poyet's 4-4-2 after half-time, a switch which involved replacing Moussa Sissoko with Papiss Cissé and relocating Ben Arfa to the left wing.
Ben Arfa's low cross-shot precipitated the equaliser, Mathieu Debuchy nipping in at the far post – dodging the supposedly back-tracking Johnson en route – to tap the ball past Keiren Westwood and preface just about Pardew's sole smile since kick off.
Now it was Poyet's turn to look thoroughly fed up; even if the frowns very nearly disappeared when Fabio Borini – on for Johnson – saw a shot squirm through the advancing Krul's legs before the goalkeeper pulled off a last ditch recovery save before it crossed the line.
Undeterred, Borini, on loan from Liverpool, won it courtesy of a superlative 20 yard drive, the ball evading Krul as it arced imperiously towards the top corner following a slick build up involving Ki and Colback, completed by Jozy Altidore's adroit lay off into the Italian's path.
There was surprise last night after a football match broke out during a violent assault by a bunch of Geordies on another bunch of Geordies to decide which Geordies were hardest.
The violence occurred between two groups of psychopathic Geordies, each with a penchant for the same football team.
One football hooligan told us, “When those Geordies come onto our manor, us Geordies see it as taking a fackin’ liberty.”
“So we rounded up those Geordies, and us Geordies gave those other Geordies a right good hiding.”
Victory
The violent confrontation was marred by a 2-1 victory for Sunderland AFC, in an unprovoked football match which broke out in the midst of the savage fighting.
“It was disgusting, I could hardly see this one Geordie having his head repeatedly rammed into a plastic seat because of these blokes in bright shirts kicking a ball backwards and forwards in front of me.”
“My ticket put me almost 100 yards away from the real action, so all I could see were Mackem men running around and the odd goal.”
“If I wanted to see that sort of behaviour, I wouldn’t support Newcastle, would I?”
Organised
Organisers of both ‘firms’ have been quick to denounce the behaviour of Sunderland and Newcastle football clubs.
“How are we supposed to finally decide which is the tidiest set of Geordies if they insist on playing football right in the middle of our fights?”
“Is it any wonder attendances are down and proper Geordies are falling out of love with the game when their clubs behave like this?”
Both firms have claimed victory, and the fight is due to go to a replay at the earliest possible opportunity.
Live Text Commentary:
Match ends, Sunderland 2, Newcastle United 1. 90:00 +4:00 Full time
Second Half ends, Sunderland 2, Newcastle United 1. 90:00 +3:30 Attempt saved. Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Davide Santon. 90:00 +3:03 Hand ball by Carlos Cuéllar (Sunderland). 90:00 +2:09 Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Cheick Tioté. 90:00 +1:41 Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Yohan Cabaye. 90:00 +1:07 Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Davide Santon. 87:36 Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 87:36 Foul by Jozy Altidore (Sunderland). 85:55 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Newcastle United. Sammy Ameobi replaces Yoan Gouffran. 83:55 Goal scored
Goal!
Goal! Sunderland 2, Newcastle United 1. Fabio Borini (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Jozy Altidore. 83:41 Foul by Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United). 83:41 Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 83:30 Attempt blocked. Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Mathieu Debuchy. 80:27 Attempt blocked. Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. 78:56 Foul by Paul Dummett (Newcastle United). 78:56 Jozy Altidore (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 77:57 Dangerous play by Papiss Demba Cissé (Newcastle United). 77:57 John O'Shea (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 77:12 Attempt missed. Shola Ameobi (Newcastle United) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Cheick Tioté.
76:34 Offside, Sunderland. Ondrej Celustka tries a through ball, but Jozy Altidore is caught offside. 76:13 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Sunderland. Ondrej Celustka replaces Phillip Bardsley because of an injury. 75:35 Attempt missed. Davide Santon (Newcastle United) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Yoan Gouffran. 74:34 Offside, Sunderland. Phillip Bardsley tries a through ball, but Steven Fletcher is caught offside. 73:50 Delay over. They are ready to continue. 73:11 Delay in match Phillip Bardsley (Sunderland) because of an injury. 72:34 Attempt saved. Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Davide Santon. 69:40 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Sunderland. Ki Sung-Yueng replaces Lee Cattermole. 69:25 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Newcastle United. Shola Ameobi replaces Loïc Remy. 68:50 Offside, Newcastle United. Tim Krul tries a through ball, but Loïc Remy is caught offside. 68:28 Attempt saved. Fabio Borini (Sunderland) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. 68:03 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Sunderland. Fabio Borini replaces Adam Johnson. 66:23 Attempt blocked. Davide Santon (Newcastle United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Hatem Ben Arfa. 62:39 Attempt missed. Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Hatem Ben Arfa. 60:50 Attempt missed. Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Jack Colback following a corner. 60:20 Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Mathieu Debuchy. 56:58 Goal scored
Goal!
Goal! Sunderland 1, Newcastle United 1. Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Hatem Ben Arfa with a cross. 56:38 Attempt blocked. Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Davide Santon. 55:32 Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 55:32 Foul by Jack Colback (Sunderland). 53:57 Foul by Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United). 53:57 Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 50:43 Foul by Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United). 50:43 Jack Colback (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 47:56 Attempt missed. Andrea Dossena (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. 45:00
Second Half begins Sunderland 1, Newcastle United 0. 45:00 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Newcastle United. Papiss Demba Cissé replaces Moussa Sissoko. 45:00 +2:00 Half time
Half Time
First Half ends, Sunderland 1, Newcastle United 0. 45:00 +0:17 Foul by Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United). 45:00 +0:17 Jack Colback (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the left wing. 42:41 Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United) wins a free kick on the left wing. 42:41 Foul by Jack Colback (Sunderland). 41:18 Offside, Sunderland. Adam Johnson tries a through ball, but Sebastian Larsson is caught offside. 40:08 Michael Williamson (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 40:08 Foul by Jozy Altidore (Sunderland). 38:49 Foul by Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United). 38:49 Adam Johnson (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 37:23 Attempt missed. Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right from a direct free kick. 36:32 Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 36:32 Foul by Steven Fletcher (Sunderland). 33:38 Foul by Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United). 33:38 Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 30:26 Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by John O'Shea. 29:56 Attempt missed. Michael Williamson (Newcastle United) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Yohan Cabaye with a cross following a corner. 29:23 Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Lee Cattermole. 28:37 Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 28:37 Foul by Andrea Dossena (Sunderland). 27:55 Booking
Booking
Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. 27:42 Foul by Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United). 27:42 Jack Colback (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the left wing. 27:11 Offside, Newcastle United. Tim Krul tries a through ball, but Loïc Remy is caught offside. 26:18 Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 26:18 Foul by Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland). 24:45 Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 24:45 Foul by Jozy Altidore (Sunderland). 23:49 Foul by Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United). 23:49 Lee Cattermole (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 22:20 Attempt missed. Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Davide Santon. 20:21 Offside, Sunderland. Adam Johnson tries a through ball, but Jack Colback is caught offside. 20:13 Attempt missed. Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Yohan Cabaye following a corner. 19:44 Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Jozy Altidore. 19:03 Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 19:03 Foul by Lee Cattermole (Sunderland). 15:59 Attempt saved. Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jozy Altidore with a headed pass. 15:30 Attempt saved. Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. 14:47 Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 14:47 Foul by Adam Johnson (Sunderland). 13:42 Attempt missed. Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Andrea Dossena with a cross. 12:49 Attempt missed. Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Davide Santon. 12:24 Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 12:24 Foul by Jozy Altidore (Sunderland). 11:36 Foul by Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United). 11:36 Jack Colback (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the left wing. 11:04 Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 11:04 Foul by Jack Colback (Sunderland). 10:09 Attempt missed. Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Davide Santon. 7:19 Foul by Davide Santon (Newcastle United). 7:19 Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 5:39 Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 5:39 Foul by Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United). 4:59 Booking
Booking
Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) is shown the yellow card for excessive celebration. 4:26 Goal scored
Goal!
Goal! Sunderland 1, Newcastle United 0. Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) header from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Adam Johnson with a cross following a corner. 3:50 Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Cheick Tioté. 2:51 Foul by Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United). 2:51 Carlos Cuéllar (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 0:00
First Half begins. 0:00 Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Sunderland striker Wickham poised for Sheffield Wednesday return on loan
CONNOR Wickham is poised to join Sheffield Wednesday on loan – disappointing Burnley who thought they were set to get the England Under 21 striker..
The Echo revealed Burnley’s hopes of beating a posse of Championship rivals to the big striker’s signature.
But we also pointed out that, critically as it turned out, the Black Cats had to make a decision on whether or not Wickham would get enough game time at Turf Moor.
Ings and Vokes had started every one of the Clarets’ 13 Championship games this season, with Ings having scored nine goals and Vokes eight - the sort of form which meant Burnley’s only other out-and-out striker – ex-Black Cat Ryan Noble – has not had a look-in so far this season.
That seems to have swung things in favour of Sheffield Wednesday, where Wickham spent a month on loan earlier this year.
It means Wickham will have swapped the very top of the table for the very bottom.
And should the deal be ratified in time, he could feature in Wednesday’s battle with promotion-chasing Reading at Hillsborough tomorrow.
Wickham has been involved in seven Sunderland’s games this season but has started only one – the 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace in August.
Other than that, he has been used as a late substitute in the other six games except the Capital One Cup tie against MK Dons when he came on five minutes into the second half and scored twice to inspire Sunderland to a 4-2 win.
He has played a couple of non-first-team games in recent weeks.
But the club has decided that, with Jozy Altidore and Steven Fletcher having impressed recently and derby hero Fabio Borini showing good form, the time has come to allow Wickham to play first-team football elsewhere so that he can get fully match fit and potentially help Sunderland in the second half of the season.
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Sunderland’s Vaughan joins Nottingham Forest on loan
SUNDERLAND midfielder David Vaughan has joined Championship side Nottingham Forest on a three-month loan.
Vaughan was not even on the bench for Sunday’s Wear-Tyne derby victory over Newcastle and with a fully fit squad of 26 senior professionals at his disposal, Black Cats head coach Gus Poyet has sanctioned the Welsh international’s departure.
Several Championship sides had been interested in Vaughan, but sixth placed Forest have won the race for his signature and he could make his debut against former club Blackpool on Saturday.
Vaughan, who will remain at the City Ground until January 29, almost joined newly-promoted Crystal Palace during the summer and had been willing to take a pay cut to move to Selhurst Park.
But he remained at the Stadium of Light and made three appearances under Paolo Di Canio earlier in the campaign before the Italian was dismissed.
The 30-year-old will look to impress under Billy Davies, with his Sunderland contract expiring next summer.
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Hull midfielder Meyler braced for Sunderland backlash
FORMER Sunderland midfielder David Meyler says Hull are braced for the backlash of the Black Cats’ derby victory this weekend.
Sunderland secured a first Premier League victory of the campaign and back-to-back wins over Newcastle United when they triumphed 2-1 at the Stadium of Light last Sunday.
Meyler, who left Sunderland in a £1.5million deal in January, is well aware of the boost that will bring to Gus Poyet’s side ahead of Saturday’s clash at the KC Stadium.
But the Ireland international insists Hull are in good spirits themselves after pushing Tottenham close last weekend and then succumbing on penalties at White Hart Lane in yesterday’s Capital One Cup last 16 tie.
“I’m sure Sunderland will by flying after beating their local rivals last weekend,” said Meyler.
“They’ll be trying to build on that, especially with a new manager in place.
“But we’re not going to think about them too much because we’ve got a fantastic squad and we’ve had two great run-outs in the last few days.
“We’ve pushed Tottenham close to the barriers in those games and people have been giving us credit for those performances. That is credit to our manager’s hard work.
“We’re now looking at the Sunderland game wanting three points from it.”
Meyler started both games against Spurs this week and with Steve Bruce’s squad depleted by injuries, the 24-year-old is expected to feature against his former club on Saturday.
“The manager knows, and everybody who knows me knows, that I want to play every minute of every game,” added Meyler.
“If the manager decides to pick x or y ahead of me then I will still fully support them because we’ve got a great bunch of lads and we’re in this together.
“We’ve all shown that we’re a part of this and how much we want it.”
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No Sunderland revenge mission for Hull boss Bruce
HULL manager Steve Bruce insists he will not be motivated by revenge this weekend when he takes on Sunderland for the first time since his sacking by the Wearside club.
Bruce, who was today hit with a misconduct charge by the Football Association, was dismissed as manager of the Black Cats in November 2011 after a two-and-a-half-year spell at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland finished 13th and 10th under Bruce’s stewardship before he was sacked at the start of the 2011-12 campaign after a run of just two league wins in 13 games.
But when asked whether Saturday’s game at the KC Stadium took on any more significance because of his history with Sunderland, Bruce said: “No. No. Not any more. It would be nice to win though.”
Last night, Hull had looked set for victory in the Capital One Cup at Tottenham when Paul McShane scored in extra-time, but Harry Kane’s equaliser made it 2-2 after 120 minutes and former Sunderland winger Ahmed Elmohamady’s missed spot-kick sent the visitors crashing out.
Bruce’s squad remains ravaged by injury, but he thinks his players will be desperate to bounce back from an energy-sapping encounter at White Hart Lane.
“It will be a long ride home and then we have to get ourselves ready for the weekend, but knowing the players the way I do, they’ll be motivated and ready for Saturday,” said Bruce, who made four changes for the fourth-round match.
“We don’t have the luxury of being able to make (eight) changes like Tottenham did. We don’t have the resources, but they will give me everything they have got.
“If they are fatigued, they are fatigued, There is nothing I can do about that. But they will give it their best shot.”
Bruce had to leave out five first-team players due to injury and now his son Alex Bruce is a doubt for the Sunderland game after hobbling off in the first half at White Hart Lane.
“He has a bit of a groin injury,” Bruce said of the defender.
“The one thing you can’t do is mess about with muscle injuries.
“I don’t think he will be ready for the weekend, and we have one or two who have picked up a few knocks, but we will see how we do.”
To compound Hull’s misery, Bruce’s misconduct charge following last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Tottenham has been confirmed by the FA.
Bruce described referee Michael Oliver’s decision to award a late penalty in north London on Sunday as “a joke” and the FA confirmed the charge today.
A statement read: “Hull City manager Steve Bruce has been charged for misconduct by the FA in relation to post-match media comments he made following his side’s game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 27 October 2013.
“It is alleged Bruce’s comments called into question the integrity of the match referee, and/or implied that the match referee was motivated by bias; and/or brought the game into disrepute, in contravention of Rule E3(1).
“Bruce has until 6pm on November 4 to respond to the charge.”
Workington Reds have re-signed young Premier League goalkeeper Joel Dixon in a bid to stop conceding goals.
The Sunderland shot-stopper enjoyed a stunning spell between the Borough Park sticks last season, and boss Darren Edmondson has moved quickly to snap him up following the FA Cup heartbreak last weekend.
Edmondson insisted it was vital his side stopped conceding “childish goals” and said: “Joel coming in makes a lot of sense because he’s been here before and shown how good he is.
“We have let is some pretty childish goal and needed to plug a gap at the back.
“That’s no disrespect to Alex Wimmer, who, technically is a great goalkeeper, but we need cover for all aspects of the pitch.”
Dixon has initially singed on for 28 days, but his youth agreement allows Workington to extend the contract throughout the season.
Edmondson is also looking for more defensive cover, and has made enquiries with a Championship outfit about the availability of a centre half.
He said: “Joel is a good signing for us. He’s a year older, and has more experience. It was a no brainer really.
“I’m still looking to add to the squad, and a defender is top of the priority list.
“We have gifted goals to the opposition this season. We must make it harder for teams to score against us.”
Meanwhile, Workington have announced that two new directors have joined the club.
Keith Nelson, who has had a spell on the Reds board before, and George Mackie will join chairman Humphrey Dobie, Colin Doorbar and Glenn Heathcote.
Dobie said: “It’s great news for the club. It adds stability, although Keith has been in his position for at least three weeks.
“I have spent a lot of time trying to get the right balance because Colin and I aren’t getting any younger. We now have a great blend of abilities and ages.”
HULL v SUNDERLAND: All the latest team news and stats from the KC Stadium clash
KC Stadium (Saturday, 3pm)
Hull team news:
Hull manager Steve Bruce will give late fitness tests to Sone Aluko and Robbie Brady prior to the visit of his former club Sunderland.
Aluko (calf) and Brady (hernia) are both struggling but Bruce will give them every chance of making the side as he is already without Allan McGregor (hip), James Chester (hamstring) and Alex Bruce (groin).
Jake Livermore returns after missing the double header against parent club Tottenham, but Danny Graham is on loan from the Black Cats and will make way for Yannick Sagbo.
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has no injury problems ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League trip to Hull.
Striker Steven Fletcher emerged unscathed despite appearing to land awkwardly during last Sunday's 2-1 derby victory over Newcastle and will be fit to retain his place.
Midfielder David Vaughan will not be part of the squad after being allowed to join Sky Bet Championship Nottingham Forest on a three-month loan deal.
On home soil, Hull remain unbeaten this season (W2 D2), conceding just one goal in the process.
Sunderland have won each of their last six league encounters with Hull City.
Jozy Altidore, now a Sunderland player, was sent off playing for Hull the last time this fixture was played (April 2010).
There have been four red cards in the last three league meetings between The Tigers and Black Cats in Hull.
Hull have only lost two of the nine previous Premier League games they’ve played in November.
Hull are the only team yet to score a goal from outside the box.
The Tigers are the lowest scorers in the top-half of the Premier League table.
Sunderland have recorded one win from their opening nine games for the second successive season (record in 2012-13 was W1 D6 L2.)
Sunderland have gone 13 games without a Premier League clean sheet. The last manager to see his side fail to score against the Black Cats was David Moyes.
Hull’s last seven home Premier League games have gone under 2.5 goals.
*Stats supplied by Opta
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Hull City - Sunderland Preview: Black Cats face former manager in quest for second win
After recording their first victory of the season against rivals Newcastle, Gus Poyet's charges head to the KC Stadium, where the Tigers have been strong in 2013-14
Sunderland come up against former manager Steve Bruce on Saturday, seeking to build on a morale-boosting win over Newcastle with a trip to Hull City.
On-loan Liverpool forward Fabio Borini came off the bench to score the goal that defeated the Magpies 2-1 at the Stadium of Light, enhancing his claims for a starting berth as the Black Cats bagged their first victory of the season.
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet told the club's official website: "I know a few managers prefer to have 11 in there and not too many pushing for a place but I like to have those problems; it's then up to me to make decisions."
Despite triumphing against Newcastle, however, Sunderland are 19th in the Premier League and four points from safety.
Hull, who many observers expected to struggle on their return to the top flight, are much more comfortably-placed in 10th, despite losing their last two league matches. Bruce's men are also unbeaten at home, having picked up eight points from four matches at the KC Stadium thus far.
However, if Bruce - who managed Sunderland between June 2009 and November 2011 - is to oversee a fourth league win of the campaign, his side must overcome an awful recent record against the Wearside club.
Sunderland have won each of the previous six meetings between the teams, conceding only two goals in the process - both in 4-1 victories.
Hull are hampered by a lengthy injury list, added to when Alex Bruce (groin) and Aaron Mclean (calf) picked up problems during Wednesday's Capital One Cup tie with Tottenham, which was eventually won on penalties by Andre Villas-Boas' men.
Goalkeeper Allan McGregor (thigh) and centre-back James Chester (hamstring) remain on the sidelines, while Sone Aluko and Robbie Brady are rated as doubtful. The former is battling a calf problem, while the latter has yet to regain full fitness after hernia surgery.
Sunderland's Jozy Altidore, whose only goal so far this season came against MK Dons in the Capital One Cup, scored just once in 28 Premier League appearances for Hull in the 2009-10 season.
Absolutely shameful - I am sickened beyond belief. I have supported Sunderland for 50 years and we have had some rubbish but this lot really are beyond redemption. The future of Sunderland - Cattermole and Bardsley - give me strength. Your supporters deserve better than this - be ashamed - be very ashamed.
McShane nearly killed Westwood! Poyet angry with referee after Sunderland's defeat
Sunderland boss Gus Poyet was furious at referee Andre Marriner’s decision to send off Lee Cattermole, while failing to punish Hull’s Paul McShane for a challenge that 'could have killed' goalkeeper Keiren Westwood.
The Black Cats had a nightmare first half in their 1-0 defeat at the KC Stadium, with Carlos Cuellar scoring a decisive own-goal before Cattermole and Andrea Dossena both saw red just before the interval.
Poyet accepted Dossena had to go for a dreadful stamp on David Meyler but felt the eighth red card of Cattermole’s career - for a studs up tackle on Ahmed Elmohamady - was a harsh one.
His feeling of injustice was aggravated by the fact McShane was not penalised for his collision with Westwood, which left the Irishman groggy and unable to continue.
Poyet accepted there was no malice in the challenge but gave a colourful account of the danger involved. Asked about the dismissals, he said: 'Cattermole no, Dossena yes.
'I would love the ref to talk. If I was a pundit working today - and I was during the summer when I was out of work - I would ask the technical people to show the tackle on Westwood that nearly cut his head off, the one on Adam Johnson (by Robbie Brady) and the one from Lee Cattermole and let the pundits comment on them.
'They need to comment on all the tackles. I’m not accusing McShane at all: I think he played the ball and he was late but he nearly killed him and he is injured and he is out and I need to change my goalkeeper.
'The tackle of Lee didn’t touch him (Elmohamady). He was still on the pitch and he was down for two minutes, there’s a little bit of a difference. Maybe I’m from another planet, I don’t know.'
Tigers boss Steve Bruce, who was facing former club Sunderland for the first time since his sacking in 2011, knows all about managing Cattermole’s feisty side.
He coached the midfielder on Wearside and earlier at Wigan but felt his sending off this time was correct given current regulations.
'Thankfully he’s not mine to manage anymore,' he said. '(But) we all know what I think of Lee as a player. One thing Lee’s got to curb is that red mist that comes down. We know you can’t make that challenge in today’s football, you just can’t make it.
'He’s got to learn that and I’m sure he will...eventually. In my day it might have been a booking but the directive is that if you leave the floor with studs showing, even if you don’t make contact, it is seen as reckless and endangering the the player.
'The referee’s got that one right and the second one (by Dossena) is a horror challenge, let me tell you. It was on David Meyler, who has had two serious injuries in his career, and he was lucky because those are the ones that really damage footballers.
'I don’t know if you can get three red cards but he deserved them.'
Bruce, who suggested before the match that his decision to take the Sunderland job in 2009 was a mistake due to his Newcastle roots, denied he took any undue pleasure from the result.
'You all want want the story, I understand that, but as far as I’m concerned it’s gone; history,' he said.
'Let’s all move on with our lives, it was a long time ago. No matter who you managed, when you get one over an old team it’s always satisfying but that’s about it.'
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Hull City 1 Sunderland 0: Cattermole and Dossena red cards sees Tigers take points
Sunderland's derby day celebrations came to an abrupt end as a Carlos Cuellar own-goal and two red cards saw them defeated by Hull at the KC Stadium.
Having beaten rivals Newcastle last weekend, defeat here will have been a huge comedown for manager Gus Poyet - who would have been fuming about an inexplicable lack of discipline that saw Lee Cattermole and Andrea Dossena sent off within moments of each other at the end of the first half.
By then Hull were already in front, Cuellar turning a Liam Rosenior cross into his own goal under pressure from Yannick Sagbo.
But the fact that the Tigers could not add to their lead in 45 minutes of 11 against nine will leave Black Cats fans wondering what might have been.
Adam Johnson even had a glorious chance to level the scores in the 78th minute, Steve Harper making the crucial save, while Jake Livermore hit the post at the other end.
But that will surely matter little to Hull boss Steve Bruce, who was facing the Wearsiders for the first time since being sacked by them amid a torrent of abuse from the fans.
Bruce was not the only one to get one over his former club, with Paul McShane, Ahmed Elmohamady and David Meyler - a last-minute replacement for the injured Sone Aluko in Hull's starting XI - all former Black Cats.
After a cagey start Hull created the first real chance in the 17th minute, Tom Huddlestone's free-kick finding Curtis Davies whose flicked header narrowly evaded both Livermore and McShane.
In the 25th minutes the hosts were in front thanks to the own-goal. J
ohn O'Shea was partly responsible, needlessly heading out of play to give Hull a throw-in deep in Sunderland territory.
Rosenior took it and when the ball made its way back to him sent in a fizzing near-post cross for Sagbo.
He flung a leg at it but it was his marker, Cuellar, who unwittingly headed past Keiren Westwood from a tight angle.
Westwood's afternoon was cut short by injury when McShane clattered him, unintentionally, while looking to get on the end of another Davies header.
The Republic of Ireland keeper attempted to play on but was visibly groggy and was forced to make way for Vito Mannone, a former Hull loanee.
Buoyed by the goal Hull kept possession for the best part of five minutes, with the home fans greeting every touch with a traditional 'Ole'.
Whether or not that contributed to the Black Cats' frustration is hard to know, but they soon betrayed a recklessness that left them two men down at the break.
Cattermole was the first to go, lunging in with studs up on Elmohamady after he had exchanged passes with the busy Meyler.
Cattermole is well used to seeing red and appeared unsurprised to be on his way.
With five minutes added time for the Westwood injury, Sunderland would have been hoping for no further drama before the break.
But Dossena ensured that would not be the case when he stamped on Meyler over the top of the ball.
Andre Marriner produced his red card again and the visitors went in reeling.
Poyet made two changes at the break, Johnson and Wes Brom replacing Jozy Altidore and Fabio Borini.
Regardless, Hull dominated possession as expected.
A couple of hopeful efforts sailed over before Livermore played in George Boyd, who bundled past Cuellar before shooting just wide across goal.
With Steven Fletcher frequently the only red and white shirt in the Hull half, Sunderland managed to reach the hour-mark without conceding a second.
Livermore went closer than most with a deflected effort that Mannone reacted well to save but O'Shea and Cuellar were largely doing well against the odds.
Sunderland gave Hull a couple of reminders that their lead was still a slender one - Johnson shooting wide of the upright after a sloppy clearance from Maynor Figueroa and Seb Larsson putting a dangerous free-kick into the side netting.
Bruce made a pair of attacking changes as looked to seal the points, Robert Koren and Nick Proschwitz replacing Meyler and Rosenior, with Elmohamady slotting in at right-back.
But Sunderland should have drawn level with 12 minutes left when Johnson got on the end of a long ball and was denied by Harper from a glorious one-on-one position.
It was a crucial intervention by the former Newcastle man.
Within seconds the ball was at the other end of the pitch, Livermore rattling the post from 20 yards and that was the closest either side came to adding to the score.
Sunderland finally got the result that recent performances have deserved with a super away win at Spurs.
The young Black Cats went a goal down but came back strongly to power home to a brilliant win. Tottenham just couldn't cope with Sunderland’s high-pressing, fast-breaking play in the latter stages as the under-18’s went on to force a tremendous victory.
Spurs actually edged the first half and took the lead on 19 minutes when Sunderland keeper Max Stryjek came out of his area for a ball played over the top but couldn't retain possession and Spurs took full advantage.
The Wearsiders hit back with Lynden Gooch putting a good effort just past the post and then Ethan Robson went even closer, hitting an upright following a corner.
Gooch again spun his marker to force a great one-handed save from the keeper as Sunderland went on to finally level five minutes before the break when Robson curled in a ball over the wall from a set piece.
In the second period both Jordan Blinco and Martin Smith drew good saves before the young Black Cats took a deserved lead on 66 minutes. Rees Greenwood (pictured) whipped in a fierce cross which was deflected in by a Spurs defender at the near post.
Blinco again put past the post from a good position before Greenwood put the match to bed three minutes from time when he cleverly beat a defender to bend in a low shot past the keeper.
One minute from the end, Sunderland added a fourth for good measure when Smith played in Greenwood for the wide player to get his second, hammering into the top of the net to complete a fine away performance.
Academy manager Ged McNamee said: "It was a good team performance - we played with good retention and the defence was very sound."
Sunderland: Stryjek, Ellison, Lowrie, Beadling, T Robson, E Robson, Blinco (Stinson, 83), Smith, McEvoy (Wright, 77), Greenwood, Gooch.
Baggies overturn development squad.
Sunderland U21s 2 West Bromwich Albion U21s 1
Sunderland’s development squad fell to only their second defeat of the season as West Bromwich Albion ran out 2-1 winners at Eppleton CW on Monday evening.
Mani O’Sullivan scored twice for the Baggies either side of Liam Agnew’s first-half penalty as John Egan and Louis Laing completed their first competitive 90 minutes since returning from their respective injuries.
Craig Lynch was also making his first league start of the season and the County Durham-born forward was the first to go close as he shot wide after good build-up play from Duncan Watmore.
Joel Dixon was forced into action minutes later as he made a smart save from Daniel Barrow’s left-footed strike.
West Brom were ahead minutes later as O’Sullivan smashed home Cameron Gayle’s cut back from the centre of the box.
The Black Cats were quick to respond, though, as Charis Mavrias cut in from the left and curled just over from 20 yards.
Kevin Ball’s side were level on the half hour after Watmore was brought down by Callum Jones in the area and Agnew stepped up to smash into Jack Rose’s top left-hand corner.
Lynch again went close to putting Sunderland ahead but he curled over after further good work from former Altrincham man Watmore.
El-Hadji Ba headed against the crossbar from Mavrias’ corner early in the second-half before the Greek winger forced Rose into a low save.
However, the visitors regained the advantage just after the hour mark as O’Sullivan was played into the area by Barrow to slot home his second home of the evening.
The Baggies’ goal kicked Sunderland into life and the introduction of attacking midfielder George Honeyman sparked an onslaught from the Black Cats.
The Prudhoe-born youngster set Laing through on goal but the defender crashed his shot into the side-netting before Honeyman himself shot wide after good link-up play with Mavrias.
Egan headed Ross Holland’s corner just wide in injury time before Watmore also flashed a shot across goal but it was not to be for Ball’s youngsters suffered their first home defeat of the season.
59th meeting - first in this competition
Sunderland unbeaten in five games v So'ton
Southampton quarter-finalists in 2003
Winners to play Chelsea at home
Sunderland host Southampton in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup tonight as the Black Cats look to repeat their last performance on Wearside.
Gus Poyet won his first home game in charge as Fabio Borini struck to give Sunderland a 2-1 victory over rivals Newcastle United.
And the Uruguayan head coach will hope his new team repeat the feat of his Brighton side that beat the Saints 3-0 the last time the two sides met.
The Black Cats haven’t lost to Southampton in the last five meetings between the two sides with previous two fixtures ending in 1-1 draws.
Sunderland skipper John O’Shea will look to continue a fine record against the Saints which has seen him lose just one of the 11 games in which he has featured against the Hampshire club during his career.
The Black Cats are bidding to reach the fifth round of the Capital One Cup for the first time in 13 seasons whilst Southampton last went to the quarter-finals in 2003 when they were beaten by eventual finalists Bolton Wanderers.
Lee Cattermole and Andrea Dossena will miss Wednesday’s game as they begin their respective three-match bans whilst Keiren Westwood is doubtful after picking up an injury in Saturday’s defeat at Hull.
Emanuele Giaccherini may return to the Black Cats’ starting line-up versus the club he scored his first Sunderland goal against in August.
Guly Do Prado is Mauricio Pochettino’s only long-term injury concern with Pablo Osvaldo and Steven Davis looking to return from their respective injuries.
Wednesday’s meeting will be the 59th occasion in which the two sides have met and the first time ever in the Capital One Cup.
The Saints have just edged the head-to-head record with 23 wins in comparison to Sunderland’s 21 successes whilst there have been 14 draws.
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CAPITAL ONE CUP FOURTH ROUND
Venue: Stadium of Light Date: Wednesday, 6 November
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra from 1930 GMT
Sunderland pair Lee Cattermole and Andrea Dossena are both suspended after their red cards against Hull on Saturday.
Vito Mannone is set to start in goal, having replaced the injured Keiren Westwood at half-time against Hull.
Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino is likely to make wholesale changes to his side, with Jack Cork and Gaston Ramirez among those expected to start.
Guly do Prado remains sidelined with a knee injury.
MATCH PREVIEW
Southampton needed a late equaliser to spare their blushes when these sides met in the second Premier League game of this season.
A Black Cats victory back in August might well have changed the course of the campaign for both clubs. Paolo Di Canio might still have been in charge of Sunderland, while Southampton's hugely-impressive campaign may not have materialised.
However, the football gods had their say and, as a result, ultra-confident Southampton will be favourites to secure their first win on Wearside since January 2003 and secure a home tie with Chelsea.
Sunderland were supposed to have kick-started their season with a famous derby victory; instead they kicked themselves in the foot by self-destructing at Hull.
Saints' formula is working a treat, but it's back to the drawing board for Poyet and his side.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
These sides have never met in the League Cup.
Southampton are without a win in the last five meetings (D3, L2).
The last two games at the Stadium of Light have ended 1-1 - the most recent of which came in the penultimate game of last season.
Sunderland:
Sunderland have only scored one goal fewer (six) in their two League Cup games than they have managed in 10 Premier League
matches.
The Black Cats are looking for their third consecutive League Cup victory at home.
Four of Sunderland's last five League Cup games against Premier League opposition have ended in defeat.
Sunderland have gone 14 games without a Premier League clean sheet, but they have not conceded a goal in five of their last eight home League Cup matches.
Southampton
Southampton have only conceded five goals in 12 games in all competitions this season.
Saints have scored seven goals in their two League Cup games this season.
Seven of Southampton's last eight League Cup ties against Premier League opposition have ended in defeat.
Gaston Ramirez has not started a Premier League game since 13 April but he has started - and scored - in both of Saints' League Cup encounters.
Sunderland 2-1 Southampton - Maya Yoshida (88 mins)
There is life in this yet. Jos Hooiveld nods a free-kick back into the box and Maya Yoshida ducks in to force the ball home and set up a frantic last few minutes.
Sunderland 2-0 Southampton - Sebastian Larsson (86 mins)
Sunderland double their lead with a clinical raid on the counter. Jozy Altidore plays in Sebastian Larsson who finishes well to surely wrap the game up.
Sunderland 1-0 Southampton - Phil Bardsley (59 mins)
Sunderland have the lead. Jozy Altidore's header from Adam Johnson's free-kick and Wes Brown's flick brings a great save from Kelvin Davis, but the Southampton goalkeeper cannot get it out and to an area of safety. Phil Bardsley stabs home the loose ball.
Southampton
01 Davis
22 Chambers
13 Fox
38 Reed
03 Yoshida
26 Hooiveld Booked
09 Rodriguez
18 Cork Booked
19 Lee (Ward-Prowse - 57' )
10 Ramírez (Gallagher - 79' )
08 Davis (Lallana - 70' )
Substitutes
02 Clyne
16 Ward-Prowse
20 Lallana
25 Gazzaniga
27 Isgrove
35 Stephens
40 Gallagher
Ref: Lee Mason
Att: 15,966
90:00 +4:51 Full time
Full Time
Second Half ends, Sunderland 2, Southampton 1. 90:00 +4:34 Booking
Booking
Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland) is shown the yellow card. 90:00 +3:49 Foul by Maya Yoshida (Southampton). 90:00 +3:49 Jozy Altidore (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 90:00 +3:10 Attempt missed. James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. 90:00 +1:31 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Sunderland. Steven Fletcher replaces Emanuele Giaccherini. 87:43 Goal scored
Goal!
Goal! Sunderland 2, Southampton 1. Maya Yoshida (Southampton) header from the right side of the six yard box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Jos Hooiveld. 86:43 Foul by Wes Brown (Sunderland). 86:43 Sam Gallagher (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 86:24 Foul by Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland). 86:24 James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 85:28 Goal scored
Goal!
Goal! Sunderland 2, Southampton 0. Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jozy Altidore. 82:00 Corner, Southampton. Conceded by John O'Shea. 80:29 Foul by Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland). 80:29 Jack Cork (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 78:55 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Southampton. Sam Gallagher replaces Gastón Ramírez. 78:06 Adam Johnson (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 78:06 Foul by Calum Chambers (Southampton). 77:12 Phillip Bardsley (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 77:12 Foul by Daniel Fox (Southampton).
76:05 Attempt missed. Craig Gardner (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right from a direct free kick. 75:11 Craig Gardner (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 75:11 Foul by James Ward-Prowse (Southampton). 74:39 Booking
Booking
Jos Hooiveld (Southampton) is shown the yellow card. 74:30 Jozy Altidore (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 74:30 Foul by Jos Hooiveld (Southampton). 73:16 Jozy Altidore (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 73:16 Foul by Maya Yoshida (Southampton). 70:12 Attempt missed. Jack Cork (Southampton) header from the centre of the box is too high. 69:55 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Southampton. Adam Lallana replaces Steven Davis. 69:31 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Sunderland. Sebastian Larsson replaces Ondrej Celustka because of an injury. 69:12 Corner, Southampton. Conceded by John O'Shea. 61:28 Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Ondrej Celustka. 60:43 Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Ondrej Celustka. 58:46 Goal scored
Goal!
Goal! Sunderland 1, Southampton 0. Phillip Bardsley (Sunderland) right footed shot from very close range to the top left corner. 57:35 Booking
Booking
Jack Cork (Southampton) is shown the yellow card. 57:28 Jack Colback (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 57:28 Foul by Jack Cork (Southampton). 56:45 Phillip Bardsley (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the right wing. 56:45 Foul by James Ward-Prowse (Southampton). 56:15 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Southampton. James Ward-Prowse replaces Tadanari Lee. 54:06 Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the right wing. 54:06 Foul by Gastón Ramírez (Southampton). 51:35 Attempt saved. Jay Rodriguez (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. 50:15 Attempt missed. Steven Davis (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. 47:46 Attempt saved. Craig Gardner (Sunderland) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. 47:27 Attempt saved. Craig Gardner (Sunderland) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. 45:00
Second Half begins Sunderland 0, Southampton 0. 45:00 +1:27 Half time
Half Time
First Half ends, Sunderland 0, Southampton 0. 45:00 +0:42 Booking
Booking
Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland) is shown the yellow card. 45:00 +0:35 Foul by Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland). 45:00 +0:35 Gastón Ramírez (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 44:19 Attempt missed. Gastón Ramírez (Southampton) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high. 43:24 Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Phillip Bardsley. 37:10 Foul by Jozy Altidore (Sunderland). 37:10 (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 36:42 Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Jos Hooiveld. 35:46 Foul by Jack Colback (Sunderland). 35:46 Jay Rodriguez (Southampton) wins a free kick on the right wing. 34:12 Jack Colback (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 34:12 Foul by Tadanari Lee (Southampton). 32:13 Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Maya Yoshida. 31:04 Attempt missed. Jack Colback (Sunderland) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. 30:36 Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Maya Yoshida. 29:24 Craig Gardner (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 29:24 Foul by Harrison Reed (Southampton). 26:38 Attempt missed. Jozy Altidore (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. 22:54 Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Ondrej Celustka. 19:55 Jack Colback (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the left wing. 19:55 Foul by Gastón Ramírez (Southampton). 15:05 Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 15:05 Foul by Jay Rodriguez (Southampton). 11:52 Ondrej Celustka (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 11:52 Foul by Jay Rodriguez (Southampton). 9:39 Attempt saved. Jozy Altidore (Sunderland) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. 8:34 Corner, Southampton. Conceded by John O'Shea. 5:34 Attempt missed. Tadanari Lee (Southampton) left footed shot from outside the box is too high. 4:25 Foul by Jozy Altidore (Sunderland). 4:25 Jos Hooiveld (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 0:00
First Half begins. 0:00 Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Name:
Anonymous2013-11-06 16:50
Deary me, Southampton [6th in the league] being beaten by such a poor Sunderland [19th in league] side is simply not good enough. Wake up call for the Saints and a huge wasted opportunity, if it wasn't for being played off the park.
Sunderland 2-1 Southampton: Bardsley & Larsson book Black Cats' quarter-final spot
Gus Poyet's men will face Chelsea in the next round of the Capital One Cup after the hosts held on for a tight victory at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland secured their place in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals with a tight 2-1 win over Southampton.
Gus Poyet's men, who will face Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in the next round, held on to victory after goals from Phil Bardsley and Sebastian Larsson proved enough despite a late Maya Yoshida consolation strike.
Bardsley struck just before the hour with a scrappy effort after a desperate first half, with a much-changed Southampton unable to muster any response.
Larsson netted with a fine finish in the closing stages to seal Poyet's 100 per cent home start as Sunderland boss, having also beaten local rivals Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light, with Maya Yoshida's late header counting for nothing.
Wes Brown made his first start for Sunderland since January 2012 after a lengthy injury lay-off, with goalkeeper Vito Mannone also brought in for Keiren Westwood among seven changes.
Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino handed a first senior start to 18-year-old midfielder Harrison Reed as only striker Jay Rodriguez was retained from the weekend draw at Stoke.
One of 10 changes to the side, Tadanari Lee, went close twice in the opening five minutes, but was off-target each time.
Emanuele Giaccherini was presented with a good chance to score his second goal of the season against Southampton, having netted in August's draw, but he could only mis-hit Ondrej Celustka's cut-back out of play.
The game was devoid of tempo as the hosts dominated possession but failed to penetrate Southampton's stubborn defence. Jozy Altidore went close on 26 minutes, firing wide from 25 yards.
Gaston Ramirez, a goalscorer in Southampton's previous two League Cup outings this term, wasted the half's best chance with two minutes to play, curling over after Jack Cork's neat pass.
The second half got under way in stunning fashion as Altidore controlled a long ball perfectly into Craig Gardner's path but the midfielder's low drive was shovelled away by Kelvin Davis.
However, the former Sunderland keeper was at fault just before the hour, failing to keep hold of Altidore's header, with Bardsley pouncing to bundle the ball home, despite Jos Hooiveld's efforts on the line.
Southampton duo Calum Chambers and Gaston Ramirez each tumbled in the penalty area, but saw appeals for a spot-kick waved away by referee Lee Mason.
Home hearts were in mouths with 15 minutes to go as Mannone smashed a clearance into substitute Adam Lallana, but looked on in relief as the ball bobbled just wide.
And the win was sealed with four minutes of normal time to play as Altidore teed up substitute Larsson and he fired low across Davis.
Yoshida sent nerves trembling just two minutes later, heading home after Hooiveld nodded a free-kick across goal, but it was not enough for Pochettino's side.
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Replay: Sunderland 2 Southampton 1
Relive all the action as Sunderland hosted Southampton at the Stadium of Light in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup
Sunderland hosted Southampton at the Stadium of Light in a bid to secure their place in the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup.
The Black Cats secured a fourth round tie with the Saints after seeing off Peterborough United 2-0 - goals from Emanuele Giaccherini and Valentin Roberge sealed the win back in September.
Since then, Gus Poyet has been appointed as head coach.
In his short tenure, Sunderland have been thrashed by Swansea City, defeated Newcastle United in the Wear-Tyne derby and lost against former manager Steve Bruce's side Hull City - but they have moved themselves one point and one place above Crystal Palace in the league.
Sunderland will face now Chelsea in the last eight of the competition on Tuesday, 17 December.
James Hunter: Full time Sunderland 2 Southampton 1. Sunderland through to face Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in the quarter-finals, week beginning December 16.
Paolo Di Canio's legacy: How are summer signings shaping up?
Vito Mannone The former Arsenal keeper is only in the side because of Keiren Westwood’s injuries sustained in Paul McShane’s meaty challenge on Saturday. He made two very good saves after coming on at the weekend and was largely untroubled. Made a mess of one simple clearance and was helplessly exposed for Southampton’s late goal. Westwood won’t be happy but, even if he is fit for the weekend, Poyet may have no reason to drop his deputy, echoing the visit of Manchester City two years ago when Simon Mignolet stepped in for an ill Westwood, and kept his place.
Ki Sung-yeung The on-loan South Korean midfielder was forced to sit out Poyet’s first game because it was against his parent club Swansea. But he changed the latter stages of the derby when he came on for Lee Cattermole and was unlucky not to feature at Hull. An elegant footballer with a pass and steely edge he should get a run with Cattermole suspended for the next two games.
Ondrej Celustka The Czech full-back has been in and out of form and in and out of the team but could also benefit from the suspension to Andrea Dossena, if he recovers from the injury which forced him off last night, as he made a brave and vital tackle. Phil Bardsley moved back in at left-back in his absence and is getting better with each game allowing Celustka to return at his natural right-back slot where he does like to get forward. Took nasty whack with that challenge late on and must be a doubt for Sunday however.
Jozy Altidore No one can fault the American for his work-rate and effort. He just doesn’t look like scoring and is in that horrible state of mind for a striker where he is starting to believe that too. He does harry defenders with his physical presence and non-stop running, he also holds the ball up well and his header created confusion for the opener. He then bettered that with a terrific through ball for Larsson to seal the win – funnily enough when Sunderland fans were begging him NOT to shoot. Much more to come, not least goals which would make a big difference to his confidence.
Emanuele Giaccherini By far the pick of the summer signings, the only person who seems to believe the Italy international should not be in the Sunderland team is Gus Poyet. Unfortunately he picks it now. The diminutive playmaker showed occasional glimpses again last night and had one of the few first half chances. But his confidence also looks drained which only deserved restoration to the starting line-up will bring. Pulled up with a back injury in the dying minutes and could also be a doubt for Sunday.
Subs not used
Cabral: Midfielder has not had a proper run since his poor showing against Fulham in the opening game yet but showed promise in pre-season.
Fabio Borini: Can do no wrong after his brilliant derby winner, although he did plenty wrong out of position on the left flank at Hull. Bound to be inconsistent but hardworking, and a Mackem legend forever after that goal.
Charis Mavrias: Slight Greek winger who was bought for the future. Only seen glimpses of him so far but must have impressed Poyet in training to get the call up to the bench.
[b]Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City: Bardsley strike stuns Pellegrini's men[/v]
The former Manchester United man dealt the decisive blow as the Black Cats picked up their second win under new boss Gus Poyet and dented City's title challenge
Manchester City fell to a fourth consecutive 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light as Sunderland secured their second win of the season.
Phil Bardsley was Sunderland's match-winner with his first Premier League goal of the season in the 21st minute.
The defender perfectly placed a shot past Costel Pantilimon in the Manchester City goal, but Sunderland had to hang on to claim the victory.
Sergio Aguero saw a first-half header fly wide of goal, while substitute Jesus Navas had a chance blocked by Bardsley on the line.
City pushed hard for an equaliser, penning the hosts inside their own half, but Micah Richards and Eden Dzeko were both denied by Vito Mannone.
The three points lift Sunderland to within two points of Stoke City in 18th position, while Manuel Pellegrini’s side lose further ground on the leaders.
Pellegrini made five changes from the Champions League win over CSKA Moscow, with three of the alterations coming in his back four.
Wes Brown started his first Premier League game in 22 months for Sunderland, while Steven Fletcher and Sebastian Larsson both returned.
Despite an equal share of possession it was the hosts who had better of the early chances, but in the 18th minute they were lucky to see Larsson stay on the pitch after a mistimed challenge on Javi Garcia.
The tackle did not bring a card, but the Spaniard was withdrawn at half-time.
Three minutes later Poyet's side broke the deadlock through Bardsley.
The defender shrugged off the attentions of James Milner and Demichelis, who got in each other’s way on City’s right, and placed a composed finish into the far corner.
Just after the half hour City had their first sight of goal through Sergio Aguero, but the Argentina international wasted a fantastic chance.
After being released by Samir Nasri on the left, Aleksandar Kolarov delivered a cross to the back post for the 25-year-old, yet he was unable to get his back-post header on target.
The visitors were denied an equaliser five minutes into the second half as Bardsley blocked a shot from Navas, who replaced Garcia, on the goalline.
Aguero rolled away from John O'Shea on the left and raced into the penalty area before rolling the ball back to Navas, but his shot was blocked by the chest of the defender.
City's dominance intensified in the closing stages but Richards saw a low shot from the edge of the penalty area stopped by Mannone, and substitute Dzeko's first effort was parried away by the Italian prior to a frantic finale that saw Sunderland hold on.
--------------------------
Manchester City suffered their fourth Premier League defeat of the season as Sunderland's revival under Gus Poyet gathered pace.
Phil Bardsley scored the only goal in the first half when he shrugged off James Milner and curled in a low shot.
City dominated thereafter but were thwarted by a well-organised
Sunderland defence and goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
Sergio Aguero headed wide from close range and had a shot palmed away by Mannone as the Black Cats held on.
Full report to follow.
90:00 +3:26 Full time:
Second Half ends, Sunderland 1, Manchester City 0. 90:00 +3:02 Attempt missed. Joleon Lescott (Manchester City) header from the left side of the six yard box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Aleksandar Kolarov with a cross following a corner. 90:00 +2:45 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Phillip Bardsley. 90:00 +2:12 James Milner (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing. 90:00 +2:12 Foul by Jack Colback (Sunderland). 90:00 +2:04 Attempt blocked. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by James Milner with a cross. 90:00 +0:51 Foul by Sergio Agüero (Manchester City). 90:00 +0:51 Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 89:59 Foul by Samir Nasri (Manchester City). 89:59 Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 88:21 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Phillip Bardsley. 86:54
Substitution, Sunderland. Fabio Borini replaces Adam Johnson. 86:13 Foul by James Milner (Manchester City). 86:13 Jozy Altidore (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 86:05 Attempt blocked. Samir Nasri (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Sergio Agüero. 83:37 Attempt blocked. James Milner (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Pablo Zabaleta. 82:46 Attempt saved. Adam Johnson (Sunderland) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Craig Gardner. 81:59 Attempt missed. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Sergio Agüero. 79:49 Attempt missed. Edin Dzeko (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Aleksandar Kolarov with a cross following a corner.
79:30 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Ondrej Celustka. 77:53 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Sebastian Larsson. 77:47 Attempt missed. Joleon Lescott (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Samir Nasri with a cross. 77:29 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Phillip Bardsley. 76:32 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Sunderland. Jozy Altidore replaces Steven Fletcher. 75:57 Foul by Samir Nasri (Manchester City). 75:57 Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 74:22 Offside, Manchester City. James Milner tries a through ball, but Sergio Agüero is caught offside. 72:40 Foul by Yaya Touré (Manchester City). 72:40 Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 72:13 Foul by Martín Demichelis (Manchester City). 72:13 Craig Gardner (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 71:43 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Sunderland. Craig Gardner replaces Emanuele Giaccherini. 71:04 Attempt missed. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. 71:02 Attempt saved. Edin Dzeko (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Samir Nasri. 70:15 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Manchester City. Pablo Zabaleta replaces Micah Richards. 70:10 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Manchester City. Edin Dzeko replaces Álvaro Negredo. 69:51 Attempt missed. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) header from a difficult angle on the right is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Samir Nasri with a cross following a corner. 69:19 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Phillip Bardsley. 67:32 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Vito Mannone. 67:30 Attempt saved. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Samir Nasri. 66:21 Attempt missed. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Samir Nasri following a corner. 65:57 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Phillip Bardsley. 65:12 Attempt saved. Micah Richards (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Samir Nasri. 64:33 Attempt blocked. Jesús Navas (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. 64:12 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Emanuele Giaccherini. 62:16 Offside, Manchester City. Samir Nasri tries a through ball, but Álvaro Negredo is caught offside. 61:19 Attempt missed. James Milner (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Samir Nasri. 60:05 Jesús Navas (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 60:05 Foul by Phillip Bardsley (Sunderland). 58:43 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Phillip Bardsley. 57:16 Attempt missed. Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. 55:26 Foul by Micah Richards (Manchester City). 55:26 Phillip Bardsley (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 52:43 Foul by Jesús Navas (Manchester City). 52:43 Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 49:30 Attempt blocked. Jesús Navas (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. 49:28 Attempt blocked. Jesús Navas (Manchester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Sergio Agüero. 45:58 Attempt missed. Álvaro Negredo (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Jesús Navas with a cross. 45:00
Second Half begins Sunderland 1, Manchester City 0. 45:00 Substitution
Substitution
Substitution, Manchester City. Jesús Navas replaces Javi García. 45:00 +1:08 Half time
Half Time
First Half ends, Sunderland 1, Manchester City 0. 44:57 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Ondrej Celustka. 42:11 Foul by Javi García (Manchester City). 42:11 Adam Johnson (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 39:06 Samir Nasri (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 39:06 Foul by Emanuele Giaccherini (Sunderland). 36:55 Samir Nasri (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 36:55 Foul by Emanuele Giaccherini (Sunderland). 35:53 Attempt blocked. Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Sebastian Larsson. 34:08 Foul by Javi García (Manchester City). 34:08 Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 33:36 Attempt missed. Álvaro Negredo (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. 31:52 Attempt missed. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) header from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Aleksandar Kolarov with a cross. 29:15 Attempt blocked. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. 28:40 Attempt blocked. Samir Nasri (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. 28:17 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Ondrej Celustka. 27:15 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Wes Brown. 25:05 Booking
Booking
Javi García (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. 24:56 Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 24:56 Foul by Javi García (Manchester City). 20:42 Goal scored
Goal!
Goal! Sunderland 1, Manchester City 0. Phillip Bardsley (Sunderland) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Wes Brown. 19:31 Attempt missed. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Sergio Agüero. 18:09 Javi García (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 18:09 Foul by Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland). 17:52 Javi García (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 17:52 Foul by Steven Fletcher (Sunderland). 15:46 Foul by Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City). 15:46 Emanuele Giaccherini (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 12:56 Attempt missed. Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Sebastian Larsson with a cross. 11:01 Jack Colback (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 11:01 Foul by James Milner (Manchester City). 7:30 Attempt saved. James Milner (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Álvaro Negredo. 6:38 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Phillip Bardsley. 0:00
First Half begins. 0:00 Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Sunderland 1 Man City 0: Bardsley inflicts fourth away defeat on Pellegrini's poor travellers
Sunderland recorded a fourth consecutive 1-0 defeat of Manchester City at the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats took a deserved lead in the first half after previously outcast defender Phil Bardsley finished from a rare assist by another former Manchester United player Wes Brown.
Sweden international Sebastian Larsson was fortunate to remain on the pitch after a horror tackle on City midfielder Javier Garcia went unpunished by referee Mike Dean.
Manuel Pellegrini's side spurned a succession of chances in the second half before falling to their fourth defeat of the season - all away from home.
More to follow...
Match facts:
SUNDERLAND: Mannone 7; Celustka 6, O’Shea 7, Brown 8, Bardsley 7; Ki 7; Giaccherini 5 (Gardner 73, 6), Larsson 6, Colback 7, Johnson 6 (Borini 87); Fletcher 6 (Altidore 77)
Sunderland are a small club so they didn't deserve to win! Referees are meant to ensure teams like man city are given protection against results like this!
Name:
Anonymous2013-11-10 15:01
>>632 Yeah, how many times do man city have to kick the ball at players hands before they get a pen, even diving didn't help stupid ref! there was that leg breaking tackle by Toure that should have had 7 sunderlands sent off!
SUNDERLAND'S LAST FOUR HOME GAMES VS CITY HAVE FINISHED 1-0
Here, Press Association Sport looks back at Sunderland's three previous wins over the big-spending Mancunians.
August 29, 2010
Darren Bent slammed home a penalty four minutes into stoppage time to hand Sunderland the points in a game also notable for an astonishing miss from Carlos Tevez.
Tevez was gifted an open goal in the first half after a powerful surge from Yaya Toure but the Argentinian somehow placed his shot over the bar.
Sunderland rode their luck and an improved second-half display was rewarded in the dying seconds when Micah Richards bundled over Bent inside the area and the England international made no mistake from the spot.
January 1, 2012
Riding on the momentum generated by Martin O'Neill's arrival as boss, Sunderland snatched a dramatic win, again in injury-time, courtesy of Ji-Dong-won.
City twice hit the woodwork through Edin Dzeko and Richards but the Wearsiders also forced Joe Hart into action, the visiting goalkeeper denying Nicklas Bendtner and Stephane Sessegnon.
The match seemed to be drifting towards a goalless draw when a City attack broke down and Sunderland countered, Sessegnon slipping the ball through to Ji for the South Korean to round Hart and slot home.
December 26, 2012
Adam Johnson came back to haunt his former club as Sunderland maintained their domination of City on Wearside.
Johnson's 55th-minute drive proved the difference although it was an effort which City keeper Hart should have kept out.
David Silva had City's best chance although Sunderland could have added to their lead with James McClean, Sessegnon and Fraizer Campbell all coming close.
November 10, 2013
Sunderland today recorded their fourth successive 1-0 win over Manchester City at the Stadium of Light.
Phil Bardsley's first-half goal proved enough for Gus Poyet's men to see off a City side who dominated for long spells, particularly after the break.
Sunderland’s N’Diaye could get recall as Poyet ponders squad options
GUS POYET insists he will consider all transfer options in his summit talks with director of football Roberto De Fanti, including recalling Sunderland’s loan rangers.
Poyet is due to meet with De Fanti this weekend to plot Sunderland’s strategy for the January window, plus discuss his recommendations for which of the nine players who are out-of-contract at the end of the season merit talks over a new deal.
The Echo understands that Poyet is keen to have more of a say on the identity of any incoming players than his predecessor Paolo Di Canio, who was happy to simply describe the attributes he was looking for in Sunderland’s fresh faces.
But two players available to boost Sunderland’s ranks are Danny Graham and Alfred N’Diaye, who both departed the Stadium of Light on season-long loan deals during the summer, yet could be recalled in January.
Graham is unlikely to be brought back to Wearside after failing to find the net for Hull City, but N’Diaye has scored twice in 11 starts for Turkish side Eskisehirspor and has impressed sufficiently to force his way into the Senegal set-up.
It is possible for Sunderland to recall N’Diaye, although they would have to reach a financial arrangement Eskisehirspor if they cut short the 23-year-old’s loan.
N’Diaye would want reassurances over his playing time too after being offloaded without any explanation from Di Canio.
But Poyet says it would be foolish to ignore the pair in his recommendations to De Fanti for the areas of the squad that need strengthening for the survival battle ahead.
The head coach told the Echo: “I think we will consider everything.
“I like to have everything on the table – my ideas, my report, what I think about every single player.
“If I think we need to change something, whatever it is, we need to know what it is so they can start looking for it.
“If the option is bringing back someone from loan, then that is easier.
“And sometimes there are players who are not happy and they want to move.
“So you put everything on the table and then make a decision.
“That’s a part I love because for me, it’s the key.”
Sunderland made 14 signings during the summer, yet new boys Cabral, Modibo Diakite, Charis Mavrias, David Moberg Karlsson and El-Hadji Ba are all yet to feature under Poyet.
The Uruguayan has far from written them off, yet admits Sunderland’s recruitment, headed by new chief scout Valentino Angeloni, is pivotal to his hopes of success on Wearside.
“When you recruit players and bring players in who really do what you want, for the manager it’s easier,” he said.
“So the better we recruit, the easier it is for me.
“And I’m going to do everything I can to make it easier.
“It’s difficult enough so far so I don’t want to make it even more difficult!
“I’m going to do my part and give a physical, mental and technical report on the players we’ve got and what I need.”
After taking charge of five contrasting games though, Poyet believes he has drawn up an accurate picture of his squad prior to his talks with De Fanti.
Poyet added: “The Man City game last weekend was perfect timing.
“We’ve played five games, one of which was in the cup, but the City one was our first against one of the top teams so I’ve got a complete picture (of the squad) now.
Sunderland’s Altidore is going to be just fine – Klinsmann
USA boss Jurgen Klinsmann says Jozy Altidore will emerge as a stronger character from his Sunderland goal drought.
Summer signing Altidore is yet to find the net in the Premier League for Sunderland, with his only Black Cats goal coming in August’s Capital One Cup victory over League One MK Dons.
Klinsmann was at the Stadium of Light on Sunday to watch Altidore in the flesh, although the 24-year-old was restricted to a substitute’s outing for the last 15 minutes after head coach Gus Poyet opted for Steven Fletcher as his lone striker.
The two Sunderland frontmen are expected to go head-to-head on Friday night, with Scotland hosting the USA at Hampden Park.
But former Germany striker Klinsmann is not concerned by Altidore’s lean spell, particularly as the £6million arrival has been in prolific form for his country after setting a national team record of scoring in five consecutive internationals earlier this season.
“We are very satisfied with the way things are going with Jozy even with him being in a tough situation right now,” said Klinsmann.
“The Premier League started and he hasn’t scored yet. Sunderland are a new club for him. It’s a big club and the way they were playing their game, he was not getting many opportunities to score.
“So I went there myself, watched it myself and have proof of what I saw before when I watched it on TV. It’s really difficult for Jozy, but this is also what he needs to go through.
“He has a very positive attitude and has come a long way already in his young career and will get stronger.
“I told him, ‘You will score your goals sooner or later’ if you have that mentality that you develop now, if you have that drive to get through those periods where you haven’t scored, which for a striker is always the most important thing.
“But he has also had a tremendous 2013 scoring goals for us in World Cup qualifying, scoring big, crucial goals for us in friendlies as well.
“He’s really matured a lot over the last year and deserves a huge compliment.”
Klinsmann hopes Sunderland’s upturn in results under Poyet will boost Altidore’s domestic fortunes too, with the Black Cats winning three of their last four games.
“Now we need to give him patience and I think the club has done that very well bringing him through that stretch,” added ex-Tottenham man Klinsmann.
“Hopefully for Sunderland, he starts to score more goals.
“They will produce chances and eventually he will score.”
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Pickford makes quick return after Sunderland training stint
ROOKIE Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford will resume his Burton Albion loan spell at Dagenham and Redbridge on Saturday.
Academy product Pickford was brought back to Wearside late last week to provide cover for injury worry Keiren Westwood after the Republic of Ireland stopper was forced off at Hull City.
While Sunderland fell short of formally recalling the England Under-19 international, Pickford did train with the Black Cats first-team squad and was absent from Burton’s FA Cup win at Hereford United last weekend.
But the 19-year-old, who has made 12 appearances for the League Two side this season, returned to Burton yesterday and will resume his loan spell this weekend.
Brewers boss Gary Rowett said: “Jordan wasn’t actually officially recalled by Sunderland. They just called him back to training because Keiren Westwood was injured.
“They needed him to train with the first-team, but he was back yesterday.”
Meanwhile, fellow teenage Sunderland keeper Joel Dixon resumed his loan spell with Conference North side Workington Reds last weekend.
Middlesbrough-born Dixon was on the bench for Sunderland’s Capital One Cup victory over Southampton last week after being recalled, as Pickford was cup-tied.
But the 20-year-old helped Workington to their first away point of the season in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Solihull.
H Former Sunderland boss Terry Butcher declared himself “very excited” about his new job as Hibernian manager but admitted he had left Inverness Caley Thistle with a heavy heart.
Butcher was unveiled as Hibernian manager yesterday afternoon after signing a three-year contract.
He and assistant Maurice Malpas leave the Highlands with Inverness second in the Scottish Premiership following a 2-0 win at Easter Road on Saturday.
Butcher said: “It’s been a difficult week, it really has, because of what we have left behind up there. We left some fabulous players and it’s hard to say goodbye to that.”
“We have really enjoyed ourselves. It’s been nearly five years up there.
“It was really bizarre for me on Saturday to watch the team play. It was hard for Maurice as well.
“If you look at the way Caley Thistle played on Saturday, that’s the way we want to get Hibs playing from now on.
“But it was great to be at the training centre today. A few meaty tackles were flying about with everybody trying to impress.
“So it’s been a whirlwind eight days but we are just delighted to be here.”
Hibs chairman Rod Petrie, who was flanked by Butcher and Malpas at a media conference, added: “It can be a difficult job appointing a manager but it’s easy when there is an outstanding candidate who is head and shoulders above everyone else.”
Everton Want Sunderland Midfielder as Roberto Martinez Seeks to Strengthen Toffees Squad
Goodison Park boss keen on Black Cats battler.
Sunderland are keen to tie down young midfielder Jack Colback to a new contract amid apparent interest from Everton according to The Journal.
New Black Cats boss Gus Poyet has been impressed by the displays put in my the youngster and will look to get the 24 year old to put pen to paper on a new deal before the Toffees come calling.
Colback’s current deal comes to an end in the summer and Poyet intends to sit down with the player during the international break to seal a new contract.
Everton boss Roberto Martinez is looking to strengthen his squad in January after a strong start to the current campaign and if the Goodison Park side fail to keep hold of much sought after left-back Leighton Baines at the club then the Spaniard will have the funds to make a good offer for Colback.
However it seems another Stadium of Light midfielder, Craig Gardner, will be allowed to leave in January as Sunderland look to wipe his high wage packet off the balance sheet.
JACK COLBACK has been impressed with Gus Poyet’s brand of football since taking over as Sunderland manager, and is enjoying his new lease of life in the centre of the pitch.
Away defeats at Swansea and Hull City have undermined the recovery Poyet has instigated at Sunderland, but in the Black Cats’ 1-0 victory over Manchester City, supporters have been given a hint of what to expect from future Sunderland performances.
And Colback, who has been a key figure in this chapter of Sunderland’s revival, is enjoying life under the new manager.
Poyet’s style of play is less cavalier than Paolo Di Canio, though more productive than the style employed by Martin O’Neill before his departure in March. Moves start from the back, with midfield dropping deep to collect the ball and patiently dotting it around the pitch until gaps appear.
The 24-year-old midfielder has embraced this new ideology at the Academy of Light and, when allied with results, feels it could be a winner on Wearside.
“He has shown he likes to play from the back and pass the ball”, said Colback of the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager. “I remember playing Brighton a couple of years ago in the league cup, we didn’t touch the ball for the first 20 minutes, I don’t think.
“If he can get us playing like that it’ll be great. It’s a style of football the fans have not really had up here.
“If we can play good football, and get results, that’s perfect.”
Colback had been used as a makeshift left-back under previous managers Martin O’Neill and Paolo Di Canio, but one of Poyet’s first decisions was to move him from the defensive role and place him in the centre of midfield, where the academy graduate feels he is stronger.
“He sat me down,” explained Colback. “He said he wanted me to know I’m not a natural full-back. He knew I had been filling in there trying to do a job for the team. If it means I could get a game in the middle that would be good too.
“I don’t see myself as a natural full-back but I can do a job there and be consistent. It’s not my natural position though. In midfield, I feel I can give more for the team and I feel a lot more relaxed there. It’s something I hope to do, now the new manager has come in.”
No, YOU'RE a charlatan! Di Canio hits back at O'Neill and claims 'he is not very big'
Paolo Di Canio has hit back at Martin O'Neill as the war of words between the former Sunderland managers continued.
Di Canio succeeded O'Neill at the Stadium of Light in March and, on his arrival, criticised the fitness levels in the squad.
O'Neill took his time to respond but following his appointment as Republic of Ireland boss earlier this week, he dismissed Di Canio's barbs and labelled the Italian a 'managerial charlatan'.
Di Canio, who led Sunderland to Barclays Premier League survival last season before being sacked after five games of the current campaign, told Sky Sports news on Friday: 'I don't know if he knows the meaning of this word charlatan. Probably I can teach him, even if I am not English.
'I respect the opinion of manager Martin O'Neill but the fact that he spoke after six months, not straight away, that proves what kind of level he is. He is not very big.
'A charlatan is a manager who spends £40m to be a top 10 club and then sees the club sink into the relegation zone.'
Di Canio stood by his claim that the Black Cats players were not in peak condition when he arrived on Wearside.
'The fitness levels were pathetic,' he said.
'I had players who told me they had cramps from driving the car.
'I had three players with injuries in the calf after 20 minutes of a game. Six different players with problems means they were not fit.'
Di Canio was dismissed after a 3-0 defeat at West Brom, a result which was reportedly followed a day later by a training ground bust-up with senior players which led them to ask the board to take action.
Di Canio insisted, however, that no argument took place.
'It never happened,' he said.
'There was a typical meeting, as there was after every game to see the clips and analyse the game.
'Maybe there was opinion but this happens in every good family.'
Even though his first foray into top-flight management ended in acrimonious fashion, it has not quelled Di Canio's confidence and he remains hopeful of finding another job in England.
'I was too good, my level was too high,' he said of his experience at Sunderland.
'What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. I can't wait to have another chance with the right people. I feel a better manager than before.
'Even if I have requests from around Europe I say no.
'There is no space for me in England at the moment but I will wait. It would be stupid for a chairman not to call me. Even if it's at a Championship club with a project.'
Sunderland boss Poyet sees Fletcher, Altidore draw Hampden blank
GUS Poyet spent his 46th birthday watching his two main strikers draw an international blank at Glasgow’s Hampden Park last night.
Both Steven Fletcher and Jozy Altidore played 90 minutes for Scotland and the USA respectively and each would have been eager to impress their club manager watching on from the stands
But there was no happy returns for either as the sides played out a goalless draw, though both had chances.
The strikers were just two of eight Sunderland players on international duty last night and while Scotland and the USA were involved in a friendly, Seb Larsson was on the losing side in an important World Cup play-off qualifier against Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave his side victory with a goal in the 82nd minute but up until then his side had been frustrated by a disciplined Swedish side which had three times gone close to scoring - once from Larsson himself.
The two sides meet again on Tuesday in Sweden to see who will win the play-off contest.
The game of the night which boasted by some distance the most Sunderland connections was the Republic of Ireland’s 3-0 win over Latvia in Dublin.
Former Sunderland bosses Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane were in the home dugout as the Republic’s new manager and assistant manager, while Keiren Westwood was in goal, John O’Shea skippered the side and ex-Black Cat James McClean produced a Man of the Match display before being replaced by another former Sunderland player, Anthony Stokes.
Sunderland’s big summer signing Emanuele Giaccherini was an unused sub as Italy fought out a 1-1 draw in a friendly against Germany.
But there was better news for Ondrej Celustka who scored on his full international debut -the 24-year-old putting the Czech Republic ahead against Canada just three minutes into the game when he glanced a near-post header across goal from a free-kick.
And his team-mates worked hard to ensure that the Sunderland defender’s first international goal came in a home win - Petr Cech saving a Dwayne De Rosario penalty before Tomas Horova made sure of the friendly victory with the Czech’s second goal eight minutes from time.
Meanwhile Ki Sung-Yueng played the full 90 minutes and countryman Ji Dong-won was an unused sub as South Korea recorded their first back-to-back victories in 15 months with a victory over Switzerland.
The two Sunderland players were involved in a South Korean squad that went into the game as underdogs - Switzerland not having lost a game in 18 months - but eventually ran out 2-1 winners.
And Sunderland’s summer signing Charalampos Mavrias got on the scoresheet in the UEFA European Under 21 championship as the Greek Under 21s walloped Sweden Under 21s 5-1 with Mavrias getting his side’s second goal.
Sunderland U18s 1 Liverpool U18s 3: Greenwood penalty can’t halt Reds
Liverpool got the better of Sunderland in today’s Barclays Under-18 Premier League clash at the Academy of Light.
Seyi Ojo gave the visitors the lead after catching out keeper Max Stryjek, then Jerome Sinclair doubled Liverpool’s lead wafter being allowed to turn in the box.
An own goal from Jordan Blinco, as he tried to head clear a corner, made it three before Sunderland staged an impressive fightback, going close several times before Rees Greenwood pulled one back from the penalty spot, after being fouled in the box.