The Cup Thread

[SF_]

Sunderland at home tonight in the Carabao.

Actually interested in this now Loweball is a thing of the past.

Mike Marsh in charge who has decided on a different lineup to the one Lowe was going to go with, so that's a good start.

 

[SF_]

Comfortable win but the average age of the Sunderland team was about 21.

 

[barryspang]

Made 8 changes, beat Peterborough 2-0. El Mizouni looked great and was good to get minutes into Phillips and Ebiowei.

 

[91SPP]

Chesterfield did us 4-0 in preseason, so it was good to get the win in a competitive game. We started really well, conceded on the counter (again) and then worked hard to get the win. A lot to like - a lot of good chances missed. Dajaune Brown had a handful of good chances, frustratingly didn't put them away. The best chance he had which was plated up to him perfectly, he just lost his bollocks in the moment. A goal or two would've made it really interesting for Saturday, but think he'll be back on the bench.

I was really impressed Blackburn on Friday, particularly their two new strikers. I know they came up against a very undercooked Stockport team, but still got to be good for confidence when all 5 strikers on your books score in the same game.

 

[Tea Towel]

Made 11 changes last night, looking at Hull’s side they had 6/7 starters out

Although we won, I don’t think any of them will have played their way into Rohl’s plans for Sunderland

Positives were definitely Charlie McNeill getting 2 on debut and young Sean Fusire

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

First of a QPR doubleheader for us on Tuesday night in the cup. Hopefully an opportunity for us to get minutes to players who have been out injured for extended periods and start to freshen things up.

Most promising is Nakamba could feature in some form for the first time since early December last year.

Result not especially important I don’t think but would be nice to win a game for once just for novelty. One win since January at the moment

 

[SF_]

Harrogate away on Tuesday. I imagine Heckingbottom will rotate as he needs to assess the squad. Definitely a potential banana skin.

Complete guess:

Woodman
Whatmough, Lindsay, Best
Ledson
Potts, Holmes, Greenwood, Okkels
Keane, Osmajic​

 

[Kenneth E End]

First of a QPR doubleheader for us on Tuesday night in the cup. Hopefully an opportunity for us to get minutes to players who have been out injured for extended periods and start to freshen things up.

Most promising is Nakamba could feature in some form for the first time since early December last year.

Result not especially important I don’t think but would be nice to win a game for once just for novelty. One win since January at the moment

Part of me wants to rest the majority / the whole starting XI from Saturday, but we need a win just to get defeats out of the system. Suspect he'll go something along the lines of:

GK James Shea
RWB Reu Walters
CB Mads Andersen
CB Reece Burke
CB Tom Holmes
LWB Joe Johnson
CM Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu
CM Liam Walsh
CM Zack Nelson
FW Chieo Ogbene
FW Joe Taylor

Subs: Thomas Kaminski, Amari'i Bell, Alfie Doughty, Mark McGuinness, Marvelous Nakamba, Jordan Cook, Carlton Morris, Cauley Woodrow, Elijah Adebayo

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

We have gone pretty strong with key players starting and mixed in with some returns for big players like Nakamba and Burke.

Funny looking side though as Nelson is listed among the defenders, when he’s very much a midfield player. Maybe we are going to 4 at the back.

Either way with the strong side it’s a bit of a gamble from us, both on the injury front but also potential meltdown if we lose is now bigger than with a changed side. As above we could really do with winning ANY game though at the moment so I understand it

 

[SF_]

Good to see Osmajic back in the starting line up and I'm very intrigued to see Okkels for the first time.

Also interested to see what role Sam Greenwood is given.

 

[SF_]

Feels like a friendly. No intensity to the game and a half-empty stadium.

We've just moved the ball around at half-pace and helped ourselves to 4 goals.

It looked like a dodgy penalty but it would have had no impact on the game.

Nice free kick by Greenwood and a thunderc*nt of a strike by Osmajic for the 3rd.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

We changed to a pretty old school looking 442 tonight. Might be the way forward as Edwards clearly wants to build around Chong but also wants too play both Adebayo & Morris at the same time. This feels a better way to do it than we have done so far.

Started really well and highly intensity they got a goal through a bit of sloppy keeping from Kaminski spilling a pretty routine looking shot to the striker. We responded well and a wonder goal from Nelson to get right back in it.

Felt we were well on top in terms of the momentum of the game but we do not create good enough chances for me. I know xG is a maligned stat by some but 19 shots and only 0.79 xG created tells a story. Add that to 20 plus corners and loads of touches in their box and you get the picture of a side who is decent up a to a point but cannot create good chances. Very similar to PNE at the weekend for me.

 

[SF_]

Just strolled that one tonight, Harrogate looked like they accepted they'd lose from the first minute.

Kesler-Hayden looks a very good player.

Happy for Osmajic. Hoping for a big season from him.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Lost on Pens in the end. Awful penalties from Woodrow who totally telegraphed his & Chong who didnt hit the target.

On general play we did pretty well but the chance creation just isnt where it needs to be & just in general we cant seem to get out of our own way at the moment.

Still good to get minutes in legs for a few players that have missed extended periods & Nelson had a good game and scored a wonder goal.

 

[Kenneth E End]

The fundamentals are heading in the right direction but now 1 win in 22 games. We’ve forgotten how to win and instead it’s like they’re finding new ways to lose matches. Today being a penalty shootout!

22 corners and 39 shots in 4 days this week. Yet one speculative chance taken by an academy product.

I don’t want to bemoan luck (the harder you work and all that…) but not a lot is going our way at the moment. Even Chong’s penalty hit the underside of the bar and came out.

 

[Super_horns]

Enjoyable second half after a scrappy 1st one with a fussy ref.

Got two and it could have been a lot more tbh .

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

The fundamentals are heading in the right direction but now 1 win in 22 games. We’ve forgotten how to win and instead it’s like they’re finding new ways to lose matches. Today being a penalty shootout!

22 corners and 39 shots in 4 days this week. Yet one speculative chance taken by an academy product.

I don’t want to bemoan luck (the harder you work and all that…) but not a lot is going our way at the moment. Even Chong’s penalty hit the underside of the bar and came out.

I’ve just read we have only won 6 times in the last 50 games and 3 of the wins were in the cup. We’re totally lost the ability to find ways to win.

Thought there were promising signs tonight but we don’t create nearly enough clear chances with the play and territory we have. Adebayo is so off form, when he’s like this he really is like Bambi on ice and finds ways to make half decent opportunities bad ones. Surprised Taylor didn’t get on for him tonight

 

[SF_]

Fulham at home.

Proper dog shit.

 

[Super_horns]

Fulham at home.

Proper dog shit.

Man C away.

Just play the kids.

Waste of time .

 

[91SPP]

We were frighteningly bad against Barrow, who looked a much better team than us - certainly on the ball. Impressed with them, horrified by us. It was a small win for football that Barrow did us on penos - Collins smashing his over looked more of a protest than an actual effort on goal.

 

[SF_]

Imagine Fulham's pace will kill us tomorrow.

Hopefully some more minutes for Bowler, McCann, Osmajic, Okkels, and Best.

 

[Super_horns]

Blimey - what a shoot out at Preston .

Only 3 missed in 34 penalties.

 

[SF_]

That was a bit mad ha, no blame on the keepers either. Probably only 1 should have been definitely saved.

Good performance. Defensively great, but obviously had a bit of luck at times. Had chances ourselves though.

No chance we even compete in that game if Lowe was in charge.

 

[Super_horns]

Coventry had loads of chances but didn’t take them and made to pay .

Going by Saturday and tonight seems to be a common theme for them .