Barclays Premier League - Countdown: Sunderland

Eurosport - Thu, 30 Jul 16:24:00 2009

Eurosport.yahoo.com continues its countdown to the Premiership season with a look at the Black Cats.

FOOTBALL Sunderland fans generic - 0

Manager: Steve Bruce

Last 10 Seasons

(1999/00 to 2008/09): 7/7/17/20/-/-/20/-/15/16

POSSIBLE STARTING XI:

Craig Gordon

Phillip Bardsley - Anton Ferdinand - Paulo da Silva - George McCartney

Steed Malbranque - Lorik Cana - Kieran Richardson - Andy Reid

Kenwyne Jones - Fraizer Campbell

BACK-UPS FROM:

Trevor Carson, Marton Fulop, Danny Collins, Nyron Nosworthy, Jean-Yves Mvoto Owono, Paul McShane, Michael Kay, Teemu Tainio, Grant Leadbitter, Nathan Luscombe, Jordan Henderson, Dean Whitehead, Robbie Weir, Conor Hourihane, Carlos Edwards, David Meyler, Jack Colback, Jamie Chandler, Jordan Cook, Daryl Murphy, Martyn Waghorn, David Dowson, Roy O'Donovan, David Healy, Anthony Stokes

TRANSFERS:

In: Lorik Cana (Marseille, £5m), Fraizer Campbell (Manchester United, £3.5m), Paulo da Silva (Toluca, free)

Out: Dean Whitehead (Stoke City, £3m), Michael Chopra (Cardiff City, £4m), Nick Colgan (Grimsby Town, free), Greg Halford (Wolves, undisclosed), Peter Hartley (Hartlepool, free), Arnau Riera, David Connolly, Dwight Yorke (all released), Darren Ward (retired)

POSITIVES: Steve Bruce has proven himself a well-equipped manager at this level and Sunderland fans can feel optimistic with him in charge. Signing Lorik Cana from Marseille is a real coup as some of Europe's top clubs were interested in the tidy midfielder. Niall Quinn will always give his manager the support he needs and they have assembled a good-looking squad for the coming season.

NEGATIVES: The Black Cats haven't finished higher than 15th in their last five attempts in the Premier League. Flirting with relegation has been the norm and they have never looked like replicating their back-to-back seventh-placed finishes between 1999 and 2001.

VERDICT: Sunderland are a very good side with a very good manager and a very good chairman. They can give any team a run for their money with the players they have; however, they shouldn't do much better than in the recent past. 15th.

Mario Hajiloizis / Eurosport

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  1. "guy came to service my boiler this morning"­ at first I thought it was gonna be a seedy monologue­ about you and your partner's sex lives cameron ha­ ha yeah I had a similiar experience with a client the­ other night,he saw the funny side of it when I refused­ to give him withdrawal reducing Diazepam because he had­ the NUFC crest on his arm

    From jack torrance, on Sat 1 Aug 1:07PM

  2. I really hope that Craig Gordon doen't start our­ season in Goal, it has to be Martin Fulop in the no.1­ spot.
    He has been one of the most consistent players in­ the team from all last season. he has don well in the­ pre season Games and deserves his chance again in the­ premiership. Craig Gordon has had his chance and was­ found to be sadly lacking in performance..Besides ­ which, the team and new players are use to having­ M.Fulop Behind them and to have a keeper Like Gordon­ who doesn't talk to the defence is suicidal.

    From MALCOLM D, on Sat 1 Aug 11:41AM

  3. Is it me or has anyone else noticed that the two most­ prominent N/Castle posters that come on here ,don't­ talk much about football??? ( do they play football in­ that City???) they seem to get all their pleasure­ from being abusive and petty name calling..
    I am quite­ hopeful of a good season this time round and I think­ that The D Bent saga will be resolved within the next­ 24 hrs and he will be a S/land Player. he will­ accompany Kenwynn Jones quite well and together­ theywill pose a lot of problems for opposition­ defences.

    From MALCOLM D, on Sat 1 Aug 11:27AM

  4. Re comment 5: even i gotta laugh at that'un!!
    Re­ everything Tony K(nobhead) says: even i gotta laugh at­ them'uns!
    FTM

    From downy100, on Fri 31 Jul 5:33PM

  5. Tony K(nobhead)he "had a monkeys heed" you­ clown!!
    How about you give us some of your famous FACTS­ about your favourite football team or does your crystal­ ball only work for Premier League­ teams?
    ...................and meanwhile down at­ SJP.........................?????
    FTM

    From downy100, on Fri 31 Jul 4:22PM

  6. safc top 7 i think so!

    From Sean A, on Fri 31 Jul 12:58PM

  7. 34: The trouble with breaking into the top 4 is that­ there is only enough room for.....4! So, if we take the­ London clubs , Chelsea, Arsenal and eventually Spurs,­ then Liverpool and Everton, then Man U and eventually­ Man C, not forgetting Aston Villa, we end up with 8­ trying for 4 places, not including our optimistic­ selves and numerous others who would claim to have the­ right to be there. This is the myth, the Holy Grail.­ Spain, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Portugal and most other­ European leagues have operated like this for years,­ three or four teams snapping away for the title, the­ rest swimming behind with the occasional 'blip'­ (Blackburn?). Its what drives supporters to dementia,­ 'we should be up there'....of course we should,­ but so should teams like Wolves, Sheff Wed, Leeds and,­ dare I say it, even the frantic zebras (although that­ WOULD break me little heart). I don't get so­ frustrated anymore, as long as we strive to do our best­ and give reasonable value for money.

    From JojO, on Fri 31 Jul 11:08AM

  8. Tony K...I've just discovered that FACT is an­ acronym for 'Fans Abandon Championship Toon'­ NOW will you stop using it! PS Bye to Sir Bob, a real­ honest to god gent who will be sorely missed. If only­ more managers (and people!) were like him.

    From JojO, on Fri 31 Jul 10:59AM

  9. Can I have a pint of what Ian M's been drinking,­ please (comment 5). As a fan of Sunderland since the­ ealy 60s, it's safe to say I am not an anti-Mackem­ Barcode. It's incredibly difficult for anyone to­ break into the Top 4 due to the tidal wave of­ Champions' League (misnomer, of course, but­ that's the reality now) money that they have been­ enjoying for years. Even well organised (mostly) teams­ like Everton and Villa find it really tough to do so,­ so what price Sunderland, who've been poorly run­ for years until the last three seasons? We survived­ last season because of other teams' ineptitude, not­ our own ability. Mid-table would be a good start;­ anything above that would be excellent, and could­ provide a springboard for future success. Oh, and how­ about taking the cup competitions seriously, for a­ change? Since the semi in '04 we've mostly been­ pretty dire, not helped by management team selections.

    From lawrie_potter, on Fri 31 Jul 8:40AM

  10. Guy came to service my boiler this morning, he clocks­ the Toon crest tattooed on my upper arm, and blurted in­ a distinctively mackem tone, 'What da ye­ reckon's ganna happen next season­ then?'
    'It's a nightmare', i­ replied.
    'It's a bloody disgrace that's­ what it is mate', he blurts!
    'That fat cockney­ bar steward . . . . . '
    We then proceeded to have a­ good old-fashioned bit of banter over a cup of coffee;­ he admitted how he was partying the last game of the­ season when his team survived, and 'the Mags went­ down'!
    I asked him what happened to all the ha, ha,­ Harrods signngs . . . etc, etc!
    However, the stuff he­ ranted about ashley and co would do any self-respecting­ NUFC man proud!
    It's a small world isn't it; a­ mackem servicing my boiler - what next, a mackem in­ Europe . . . . . . surely not . . . . . . nah, defo­ not! Still, he was a canny bloke and i gave him a­ not-needed set-top box for his troubles!!!!!

    From cameron w, on Thu 30 Jul 9:52PM

  11. TONY K ARE YOU THE FIRST PERSON I HAVE SEEN TO SAY­ LORIK CANA WAS A BAD­ BUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    HE­ WAS THE BEST PLAYER IN FRANCE

    From Sean A, on Thu 30 Jul 8:14PM

  12. FACT - the whole Harrods thing was b.ollox......its­ been more like shopping at patels mini mart

    From Tony K, on Thu 30 Jul 7:25PM

  13. Good man jack - they'll grow up big and strong

    From Tony K, on Thu 30 Jul 7:22PM
  14. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    FACT - SAFC have not improved their squad at all

    FACT­ - This massive warchest has failed to materialise

    FACT­ - The big plank is ellis' puppet and is putting up­ smokescreens to the gullible public of sunderland to­ cover the fact the club have no intention of spending­ big

    FACT - SAFC do much better when they have a­ manager who has a f.ucking monkey on his heed

    FACT -­ downy100(brain cells) loves me

    From Tony K, on Thu 30 Jul 7:21PM

  15. tony k I represent that statement my kids get kebab for­ tea . . well they've gotta have their veg­ haven't they!

    From jack torrance, on Thu 30 Jul 7:19PM

  16. liam (comment 6) you must be a southerner? we call it ­ f ucking up here mate

    From jack torrance, on Thu 30 Jul 7:17PM
  17. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Look at the fat kid at the front....i bet he's only­ 4 years old! Thats what a typical mackem diet of chips­ for breakfast lunch and tea gets you

    From Tony K, on Thu 30 Jul 7:12PM

  18. Jojo.....paperboys always doing this. I reckon the­ nurses at his retirement home should ease up on the­ medication. Bless him, he's actually a boro fan you­ know, a combination of senility and horse tranquilizers­ make him think he's a mackem

    From Tony K, on Thu 30 Jul 7:09PM

  19. Paperboy, what are you on? Your opinion bounces around­ like a frog in a space shuttle, one minute we are going­ places, next minute we are down the pan....try a­ different soup bud, someone's slipping something in­ yours...

    From JojO, on Thu 30 Jul 5:38PM

  20. A very good side? Well, its all relative isn't it?­ Compared to a lot of Permiership sides we probably­ aren't VERY good...but next to ALL of the­ CHAMPIONSHIP sides we are GREAT! After all, the leagues­ don't lie, do they?

    From JojO, on Thu 30 Jul 5:36PM
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