Neil

The way the league is going they could well finish 8th. Look at Stoke, when we beat them they were in free fall and near the bottom. Now they are breathing down our necks and while that says a lot more about our own poor form than their good form, it says even more about just how unpredictable this season is and just how up for grabs most of those spots are, even the top spot itself. I agree about there being numerous teams who could finish in any such order, but personally I don't think Sunderland will finish any higher than 10th.

Oh right. Thought you had your tongue firmly in your cheek. They have a decent manager in charge who's put some belief back into the players, and they're riding that mix of renewed enthusiasm and fortune you often get with a new manager. They however are still 13th, you make it sound like they're likely to finish in the top 8 this year.

On the balance of play, Man City should have knobbed them. But they didn't bring their shooting boots (in particular, Dzeko was utterly woeful) and Sunderland survived. They then got (another) massive slice of luck with the winning goal that somehow wasn't disallowed for being blatantly offside. Sunderland fans will rightly laud their team for being so resolute in the face of a far superior opposition. However, you have to question how far this luck is going to stretch for them. As I said, people are already forgetting the 2 huge decisions that wrongly went their way vs Blackburn (no penalty vs Bramble, and the disallowed goal). They'll be enjoying their little run under O'Neill currently and you can't blame them - he was always likely going to inject some enthusiasm into them. A manager who knows how to set up a team, but a manager who can develop and change things effectively? We'll see.

Thought they typified what a new manager who knows the basics of setting up a team well can do. Mix that in with a fair quantity of luck and you're always going to pick up points.

Wouldn't call it shocking, they were camped in Sunderland's half for large periods of the game. Mancini however will quite rightly be criticised for his initial team selection.

I'm struggling to find a team - and I'm including Liverpool and Man Utd in this - that gets as much luck as Sunderland on such a consistent basis. Just take O'Neill's few games - a clear penalty against Blackburn and a bizarrely disallowed goal both not given for Blackburn, then a late Larsson goal causes the O'Neill wankfest. Today, after more than riding their luck (which you do need to do against a far superior team, admittedly), they then get that goal, which isn't even a close offside call. However, I must admit there was something very satisfying about seeing Man City lose that.

Offside.

Interesting.

Nasri was rubbish, Johnson at least has looked a bit lively.

Dzeko. Lost count of the amount of times the camera's gone to his face and he's looked up in a bemused fashion after fluffing a chance.

Should have scored.

Been fucking up for me a bit this afternoon. Not sure if it's my net though, Youtube is playing up for me too.

For De Jong, too.

Not particularly surprising that Sunderland have performed fairly well here. Still got a new manager buzz probably, and Man City's best 2 players are on the bench.

Mancini is going to be in for it if they don't win this.

Silva's going to come on isn't he? Have 10 point (probably more bonus points) Walters sitting on the bench, taunting me for not starting him.

Never in doubt. In all seriousness, we were poor yet we were the better team and deserved to win. Have to question what Hodgson was doing. Also, that doesn't stop questions needing to be asked of Moyes. Another drab display lacking ambition - WBA's cock-up at the back gifted us the actual goal.

Class. :lol:

Poor stuff, but predictable. Better team, lots of "controlled" possession going absolutely nowhere, but look more dangerous. Fuck all atmosphere, not helped by fuck all going on in front of them. West Brom will probably win by knowing how to put the ball in the net.

Absolute bollocks.

I'm trying to look at him as an unbiased spectator and in numerous games I've seen, he hasn't done much. I appreciate he has undoubted quality about him and he's probably still recovering from a horrible injury and also a major setback from that injury, but I currently am not understanding the massive hype about him. I guess the 2nd half of the season will start to provide some solid answers. I'm certainly not just saying because he didn't do much last night that he isn't good enough, hell, he could sit down on the pitch in the penalty area and he'd have contributed more than Obertan yesterday. Regardless of all this, there's surely something going on with him and Pardew. He's an obvious starter but Pardew's seeing something he isn't happy with.

He'd have contrived to have got himself sent off by that point, tbf.

I hate him so much that it's at first funny how bad he is, but then I realise he's playing for us, and then hate him again. Fucking tosspot. I get the same feeling mate. But 10x worse.

I hate him so much that it's at first funny how bad he is, but then I realise he's playing for us, and then hate him again. Fucking tosspot.