Big Geordie

Ranger involved in some afters with one of the Plymouth lads.... Ranger booked as well as Duguid.

Pitch is cutting up really badly, by all accounts.

Coloccini with a volley just wide..... Half Time.

Guthrie with a chance - keeper saves.

Sounds like Shola is doing well so far. Our most creative player, it would seem.

Pancrate sounds like he's having a blinder!

Pancrate should have scored, apparently. Has to go down as another good chance.

Pancrate hits post - from rebound, a freekick has been given to Plymouth.

Pancrate misses a sitter, apparently.

Radio Newcastle - 95.4FM.

Simpson at LB, Ryan Taylor at RB. Guthrie wide left, Pancrate wide right according to Radio Newcastle.

Howay!

Nobby could throw in a bit of Geordie now and then though. Julio Geordieo eat your heart out.

Worried about the who's playing wide, issue. Assume Guthrie will be down the right and Pancrate left? Why Hughton won't play Guthrie in the middle is beyond me. Expect plenty of hoofing it forwards today.

Yup - that sounds about right if memory serves.

Are these Shearer haters the ones that were content and too eager to stick the knife into Keegan before the truth came out as well? To blame Shearer for our relegation last year is unfair and madness. You cannot flog a dead horse, which is what he was having to do. As for Bolton - it may be a good opportunity for him, but I'm not sure he'd want to become embroiled in another relegation scrap so soon.

Just watched the match - wish I hadn't bothered. Seemed to be an air of complacency amongst some of our lot. Some again seemed to be running on half steam. And once again, our lack of a Plan B was there for all to see. No-one in the midfield who could offer something a bit different and with our most creative player (Guthrie) sitting on the bench, Derby defended well (Addison looks like he could be a player) and were worthy of their point. Our lot need to seriously need to buck their ideas up because this league is far from won. Desperately need a quality playmaker sourcing in January.

Looks cold outside (but fine) and the rain that we've had overnight has probably frozen on top of the snow/ice that was already there. Hopefully the council have had the gritters out!

Greg - I'd take Viana back in a heartbeat at the moment. He's the sort of player we are crying out for. And as for Barton - he's a lost cause and cannot be relied upon.

So why has it not been addressed then Greg? The last creative MC we had was Emre, and he never played enough. Time to splash the cash, methinks - but that won't happen of course.

With regards to the midfield (particularly the centre) - we just don't have the caliber of players that can take control of a game from the start and see it through. Ball retention, particularly away from home is dreadful. It invites un-needed pressure onto the back 4. Surely a creative midfielder must be a priority for the window, nevermind a new centre back or striker?

Bloody hell!

Poor performance from us, but am happy with the point. Keeps on happening that we don't have enough in the middle of the park to take control of a game and see it off, at present. Thought Wednesday deserved their point and if their lads can lift their game like that every week, they should be OK. As for us - need to improve for Derby at home on Monday. Kind of got the impression that some players (Jonas especially) were holding something back, with one eye on the next game.

Sunderland do have a fair historical support in Ashington - think it's to do with many mackems shifting up here to work in the pits, at the turn of the 20th century. Sunderland do enjoy good support but in terms of numbers on a consistent basis, they do lag behind us.

How many of you's actually are old enough to know what this is all about, without using google or Wiki? It's a shite thing to do and there's no excuse.