Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
After what was arguably the most forgettable F.A. Cup match in history last Saturday, Sunderland return to life in the Premier League and their ongoing battle against the drop. Today’s skirmish offers up the visit of Stoke to the Stadium Of Light.
Last Saturday saw an unfortunate number of fans witness a bore draw between Sunderland and Burnley in the 3rd Round of the Cup a game so dull that although the game ended goalless had it been at all possible then both sides would have been awarded negative scores.
Sunderland will probably feel that the fact that they have to go to a replay somewhat of a burden and whisper it quietly but if they did get knocked out then it would give them the opportunity to fully focus on trying to get out of the bottom three.
Their last league outing was the impressive draw at home to title chasing Liverpool. A game which ended 2-2 as Jermaine Defoe was on hand to slot away two spot kicks to give The Black Cats a vital point one that means they are now just a point from safety.
A win Today would see them leapfrog Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace and that in itself creates an interesting sub plot where the man who was the saviour for Sunderland last season could ultimately play a huge part in their demise this time around.
This Afternoon they play host to Mark Hughes’ Stoke side who were dumped out of the F.A. Cup by Wolves on Saturday. Some teams use the competition as a chance to rest key players and make full use of their squad but what will have been worrying is the fact that is was a near full strength side that was dumped out by Paul Lambert’s men.
That result puts a bit of pressure on Hughes in regards to his managerial status and although he’s nowhere near close to getting the sack especially as chairman Peter Coates tends not to be sack happy, many will still wonder if the former Wales manager days at The Bet365 Stadium are coming to an end.
Should Stoke fail to finish in the Top 10 then perhaps a parting by mutual request may well be in the wings. That we will ultimately have to wait and see but to alleviate that pressure a win on Wearside would be very welcome for all connected to the club.
Their last league outing saw them win 2-0 over Watford with goals from Ryan Shawcross and Peter Crouch enough to see them currently sitting them in 11th, if Stoke are to make any real progress especially after such a bad start then they must be looking at a top half finish as the target come the end of the season.
After Sunderland’s vital run of wins their form has deserted them slightly but I think it’s something that they will be able to rediscover this afternoon as this place does not seem to be a happy hunting ground for Stoke. I reckon Sunderland will get a huge win and maybe even move up to 17th by the end of the day. A home win for me.
