Sunderland (A) Match and Post Match Thread

[Chris]

You can guess a result hasn't gone our way by the posters that suddenly appear. Absent after the city game mind

Haha yep, it's utterly pathetic. Not a word after City but now he's suddenly available to post non stop.

[Lecter]

You can guess a result hasn't gone our way by the posters that suddenly appear. Absent after the city game mind

If this is a dig at me then so be it then thats fair enough

I really dont give two ****s really what you think

I have been banging on a long time for the need for a holding player, win lose or draw that doesnt change for me

For the record I think the league is gone (I said as much a few weeks back)

The important thing is to get top 4 and ith Mane now away and injuries catching us out its going to be a tough few weeks

[ChesterDave]

United playing against 10 men. Benefit from a man being sent off for a 2 footed challenge. Odd that.

[Lecter]

Haha yep, it's utterly pathetic. Not a word after City but now he's suddenly available to post non stop.

I was too busy going to the match and getting pissed

Surely a superfan like you can understand that

[Ams12]

What the **** mannnnnnnn!!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Buzzo]

It is a decent return but need to be put into perspective when you're 5 points off the pace. There's still a way to go, so it's not a disaster. Terribly frustrating result though.

Yep, frustrating is the word.

Can't help but feel that we'd have done them with a few more days rest. Worrying amount of injuries just now.

[Buzzo]

There's no way that the Leagues gone in January, impossible to say that.

[Chris]

There's no way that the Leagues gone in January, impossible to say that.

We might even gain on them after this round of fixtures yet! But if they win again we can probably only afford one or two more slip ups. We need a crazy run like they've gone on.

So gutted after today. I guess it shows how far we've come under Jurgen, 2nd to a team who are on target for 98 points and feeling down! Seriously ****ing irritating though that whenever we get good someone else comes and does something mental.

[Fredo]

Yeah, league is not gone by any stretch. Hopefully Matip and Coutinho will both be back soon and it will ease off our injury worries a bit.

[gratziani]

The squad is thin

A few injuries and the bench is full of kids

I know Klopp keeps saying they only want to buy top quality players who will contribute long term but I would also like to see a few bodies brought in during January

Agree on this , looking very thin now

at least only cup next week to maybe get Coutinho and Matip back for United week after.

[Irishnev]

10 points out of 12 over Christmas is an excelllent return.

top 4 is still the target and hopefully we can better that

[Rigadon]

Didn't see the game but incredibly frustrating result. Match stats suggest that we were very unlucky - 71% possession and 15 shots on target:

It was a busy afternoon for Vito Mannone, who made a total of 13 saves to deny Daniel Sturridge (number 15), Roberto Firmino (11), Ragnar Klavan (17), Emre Can (23), Adam Lallana (20) and Georginio Wijnaldum (5)

Without the penalties, sounds like Sunderland would have easily lost.

We're a very good team and our football is brilliant to watch, we just need a little bit more luck.

[Exiled_red]

We always have an amazing season while another team has a stupendous one.

We never capitalise on other teams failures.

So now we have chosen to challange for the title the same season Chelsea have become unstoppable.

meh

Still time, but I think we need a couple of big reinforcements, especially in defence. You cant argue with our defensive record, and its not like we allow hundreds of chances.

I don't think that we can really feel sorry for ourselves in this regard, if you take the points totals of our two best seasons 86pts (2008-09) and 84pts (2013-14), and compare them to the total number of points a PL winning side has achieved, since the turn of the century 86pts would only have won you the title 4 times (2000-01, 2002-03, 2013-14 and 2015-16), while 84pts would only have won it 3 times (2000-01, 2002-03 and 2015-16). If we had a achieved a points total than would more often than not won us the title then I guess we could consider ourselves unlucky. The truth is that we haven't done enough to win the title, our record at the mid-point of the season would (assuming an identical record in the 2nd half of the season) put us on target for 86 points.

[Fredo]

The squad is thin

A few injuries and the bench is full of kids

I know Klopp keeps saying they only want to buy top quality players who will contribute long term but I would also like to see a few bodies brought in during January

Because we are not in European competitions this season. We lose Mane for a month but we have Coutinho and Matip hopefully coming back soon. I don't think it's a big issue this season as it also allows us to bed in some talented youngsters.

For the bigger picture we do need a central midfielder though, and I think this will be addressed in the summer. Not too much of a concern this season I think.

[Buzzo]

21 shots with 15 on target from us today suggests we were unlucky.