please log in to view this image I dare say this is very early indeed But plenty of time then to chew, Over this game between two friends in need Who both know what they have to do Friendly relations are both sets of fans Since meeting at Wembley one day, And irrespective of just how the game pans I expect them to remain that way But both sets must know that only a win here Will do their chances any good, In short supply for both as they prepare To see sweating of tears and blood Thunderous tackling and man to man duels Will most likely be in the air, And to see if either can pick up the jewels Dowd P. to make sure things stay fair That seems a good choice to me, I must say With so much for both teams at stake, He´s not a ref to be awed by the fray Where a decision could make him quake For Poyet and Hughton, they know that the line ´Twixt success and failure is thin, Three points here and things will start to look fine But less, and the gloom will set in Two good clubs who, in quite different ways Have tackled the Premier League´s test, So far so good, at staving off the days Of the three who depart the rest And I hope that this year is no exception And both can still retain their place, So that the recurring friendship reception Occurs in the Premier League race. Referee: Phil Dowd Ass 1: H. Lennard Ass 2: D. Eaton 4th official: Martin Atkinson
Hello guys, wondered if you could give some insight in how you'll set up? I remember at the SoL you sat quite deep and seemed happy with a point, given that you're at home this time, will you come at us or does Houghton always deploy your team deep? We struggle to break down teams that sit deep (as most bottom half teams would!!) so I do hope it's an open game.
In the same way, so do we, and I´m sure if your lot come to park the bus, we´ll have terrible trouble getting through, but then again it´s hardly in either teams´ interest to do that. I´m sure we´ll try and show attacking intent, we just never quite know how effective it will be.
THat was real quality real quality real real real quality. Good to see the passion. Thanks for sharing fella
Wise men say - I'll see your vid and raise you this one (Is Mick Shannon the first player to have his son on the pitch?)[video=youtube;KaXZWNXQmNA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaXZWNXQmNA[/video]
(4)  (5)  + On Saturday at Carrow Road the battle for The Friendly Cup resumes. It is never going to make headlines or spark an open top bus parade through the deliriously happy streets of Wearside or East Anglia, and obviously precious Premier League points are the real prize on this occasion, but it is nevertheless worthy of acknowledgement and just a smidgen of pride. For those who are unaware, Norwich City and Sunderland have competed for the Friendship Trophy since the Milk Cup (League Cup) Final of 1985. The game was dubbed 'the friendly final' due to the warmth and sporting spirit displayed by both sets of fans towards each other. Following the final, won by Norwich thanks to a Gordon Chisholm own goal, supporters in East Anglia launched the Friendship Cup to commemorate the occasion. The trophy has since been contested every season during which the clubs have met, with the spoils going to whichever side gains more points from the two league meetings or whoever wins a cup encounter played when the clubs do not share a division. Many younger fans at this point may well be wondering what the big fuss was all about. Well-humoured joviality between supporters has become common-place in the modern game, as was evidenced in the League Cup final this year once again, and the advent of the technological age has seen friendly banter between fans a daily occurrence through message boards and social media. But the football climate in 1985 was very different indeed. At this time, football was probably at its all-time low. It was a game blighted with hooliganism as hot-headed unsavoury characters used the inherent tribalism of our national game to satisfy their own sinister agendas. Amidst a torrent of lurid press reports of crowd violence, match attendance had fallen to the point where perhaps fewer spectators braved the games than ever before. A mere 11 days before Norwich and Sunderland took to the field at Wembley in front of a reported 100,000 crowd, large scale rioting had taken place in a cup tie at Kenilworth Road between Millwall and Luton prompting Margaret Thatcher to set up a "war cabinet" to combat football hooliganism. A mere two months following the final, 39 Italian supporters would lose their lives in the Hysen Stadium disaster when a wall collapsed as a group of Liverpool fans charged their Juventus counterparts. It was an incident which saw all English clubs banned from European competition and the most shameful thing about it was that it surprised no one. But whilst football was fighting what looked like being a losing battle against the hooligans, Sunderland and Norwich fans steadfastly refused to be dragged down into that world and were there to not only enjoy the occasion, but to create one. Merriment reigned as fans of opposing teams mixed seamlessly before the game, all interested in nothing but the game itself, supporting their team, and representing their club with dignity and class. When southern based 'casuals', the unofficial term for the various hooligan hoards attaching themselves to different clubs, tried to infiltrate the atmosphere looking for a fight, they found no one willing to reciprocate. One Norwich fan recalls, "the jovial atmosphere was severely punctured by an unwelcome invasion of so-called Chelsea fans wielding knives and threatening City and Sunderland fans alike". The atmosphere would not be punctured for long, however, as behind the Wembley fences - the anti-hooligan weapon of choice for Thatcher's government - pockets of fans were happily accommodated in areas allocated to the opposing club. Fans sang loudly and proudly from the minute the pre-game formalities started on the pitch and carried on until stadium-wide applause broke out when Dave Watson lifted the trophy. Norwich manager Ken Brown would later say: "There wasn't a bit of disturbance in the crowd, Sunderland supporters were tremendous and everyone seemed to mix and it didn't seem to matter where you went in the stadium it was very light-hearted, free and easy and very nice and a great atmosphere - and I think it was a tremendous day." Following the game and after approaching each other to offer both condolences and congratulations, fans exchanged club scarves and merchandise as a souvenir of the day. On the London Underground system as supporters began their journeys home, a Norwich chant of "we won the cup" was met with a Sunderland one of "we scored the goal". In the cut-throat and greedy world of modern football, that there is still room for traditions such as the Friendship Cup is heart warming. The winner shall receive no prestige, no prize money, no tacky streamer-laden ceremony covered in the logos of corporate sponsors. But the contest shall serve as a reminder of a day when, in times that attending football was potentially literally cut-throat, two sets of fans chose to respect each other and embrace everything good about the game whilst rejecting the bad. In that sense alone, it is a tradition and a competition that celebrates the essence of football in a far greater and more tangible way than the more prestigious competitions could ever hope to, and one that both sets of fans can feel genuinely proud to see their clubs contest.
/i\ So obsessed he prep talks our opponents. Still, it does get boring on the darkside /i\ Anyway, in a language anyone outside Newcastle can understand. Match thread is up, you're very welcome to pop over and say hello http://www.not606.com/showthread.ph...rland-Official-Sunderland-Not606-Match-Thread
By Chris Young VITO MANNONE says Sunderland can prey upon Norwich City’s Carrow Road jitters this weekend. Sunderland have struggled to make the most of home advantage against their fellow strugglers at the Stadium of Light over the last three months after failing to secure victories against Norwich, Hull and Crystal Palace. But the pressure will be on Norwich to pick up maximum points on their own territory on Saturday when they face a crunch relegation showdown against the Black Cats. The stakes are high for Norwich, particularly with the Canaries’ final four games being a daunting run against Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. And with Sunderland proving to be far more adept on their travels than at the Stadium of Light under Gus Poyet, goalkeeper Vito Mannone hopes the Wearsiders can capitalise on their trip to East Anglia by securing a first win in four Premier League outings. Mannone told the Echo: “It suits us playing away from home because when we have the ball we can control it, and no-one likes it. The home crowd gets nervous. “It’s something that happens to us even at home because the crowd really want you to do well. “We understand that and try to push and push and push. “But sometimes that’s not easy because teams come here and put 11 bodies behind the ball. “It will be the reverse situation on Saturday though, so hopefully we can make the most of that.” With the onus on Chris Hughton’s Norwich side to attack, Mannone expects Sunderland to have more space in which to operate than they enjoyed against Palace. And if Poyet’s side can reproduce the same hunger and application shown last weekend, ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Mannone believes Sunderland have every chance of securing what would be three crucial points in the survival battle. Mannone, who kept a clean sheet against Norwich in the close-fought goalless draw at the Stadium of Light back in December, added: “The next game is another massive one and maybe, the opposition will come out a little bit more because they need to win. “We’ll probably find more spaces. “We just need to play at the same standard. That’s really the main target for us.” Sunderland have visited Carrow Road in the Premier League twice, losing 2-1 in each of the last two seasons.
I'm really not sure what the team is going to do tomorrow after witnessing last weeks horror show at st.Marys tbh. I just hope that this week they've watched the DVD back and it's sunk in just how bad they've been & that they want a reaction as badly as the fans do. Glad to read Fletcher's missing for them & I hope Turner gets to partner Yobo in defense. If I was picking the team I'd play Hoolahan and RVW up top as Elmander has finally found the net so to must Ricky soon. Pilks was very poor against the Saints so for me Redmond has to get the nod with Snoddy on the right. And most importantly Lady Luck, if she's fit and available then she goes straight in to.
I'm over the moon, He's been ****e and we actually look like scoring a bit more when Altidore or Borini lead the line (and the stats back it). Altidore because he brings others into play well so we tend to pick up goals from all positions and Borini because he looks like scoring when ever he plays. Chances are it will be Altidore leading the line with Borini inside left but I'd much rather Borini lead the line.
