retired_dbaguado

We started discussing it in the NUFC thread so i may aswell start a match thread for it (dont care if its early tbh)

Early bits from nufc.com

NUFC: To follow....Butt is suspended while Given is added to the injury list. It's hoped that Viduka will be able to appear after missing our last four games.

SAFC: To follow...the mackems lost 1-0 at Manchester City on Monday, extending their winless run to six games.

The dog wa*ker selected: Gordon, Nosworthy, Higginbotham, Collins, Harte, Stokes (Chopra), Miller, Etuhu, Leadbitter, Murphy (Wallace), Jones. Subs n/u: Ward, Kavanagh, Connolly.

Dwight Yorke remains sidelined with a calf problem while Graham Kavanagh was an unused sub, having returned from a loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday.

Paul McShane will be eligible to return against after serving a suspension but Greg Halford will still be banned.

Dean Whitehead, Andy Cole and Carlos Edwards are lacking match fitness after recovering from various injuries.

The latter two both played for an hour and scored in the reserves' Durham Cup tie win over Wearside League side Wolviston on Wednesday evening.

After scoring in his first two games, Chopra is now without a goal in eleven appearances, while fellow former Mag Cole is yet to appear at senior level.

Cole has scored twice in 2007 - once in the Championship for Birmingham and before that in the FA Cup for Pompey, but his last Premiership goal came in December 2006 - against Sam Allardyce's Bolton.

Ref: Martin Atkinson - last spotted taking charge of a Toon game when Everton were beaten at SJP last month

Stats

This will be the 138th senior competitive Tyne-wear derby and we go looking for our 51st win, hoping to avoid our 44th defeat or 45th draw.

207 goals have found the back of the mackem net to date, with 204 going the other way.

We've won the last five derbies home and away and are unbeaten in the last seven.

Mags @ dark place since losing:

2005/06 won 4-1 Chopra, Shearer(pen), N'Zogbia, Luque
2002/03 won 1-0 Solano
2001/02 won 1-0 Dabizas
2000/01 drew 1-1 A.O'Brien
1999/00 drew 2-2 Domi, Helder
1996/97 won 2-1 Beardsley, Ferdinand
1992/93 won 2-1 OG, L.O'Brien
1991/92 drew 1-1 L.O'Brien
1989/90 drew 0-0 (playoffs)
1989/90 drew 0-0
1984/85 drew 0-0
1979/80 lost 0-1

TV

UK TV: Live on Sky

Overseas TV:
Starsports (Asia)
Foxsports (Australia)
C+ Sport HD (Scandinavia)
Eurosport 2 (HU/RO)
Fox Turk
Galaxie Sport
Premiere Sport Portal
Show Sports 1&2
Sport 1 (Ned)
SportKlub (Slovenia)
Supersport 3 (ZA)

PS: The Sunday Sun claim that Newcastle owner Mike Ashley won't be appearing on wearside this Saturday in his usual match garb for fear of unsettling the natives - and may avoid dirtying his (cut-price) trainers in the dark place at all....

The ubiquitous club source commented:

"Mike understands just how passionate an occasion this is, and would do nothing to put any extra pressure on police or stadium security staff at Sunderland.

“And there’s a strong possibility that he will have to miss the game through business commitments.”

There's a simple answer Mike - come in with the lads!

Travel

Metro : Despite one or two rumours circulating to the contrary, the metro to the dark place is running this Saturday.

After the game, St.Peters station will be closed to home fans and any away fans requiring the metro will be escorted there from the stadium.

Travel - Back Page buses:

A limited number of places remain for Saturday - call 0191 261 5005 for availability (£11, departing 10.15am)

Travel - Club free buses:

Announcement from the club accompanying successful applications for mackem away match tickets, which are departing at 10.30am prompt:

"The club will be operating free return coach travel and bookings can be made from Monday 5th November. When making a booking you will require a valid season ticket membership number that has been allocated a ticket.

"Bookings will be made on a first come first served basis and seating will be allocated on arrival by our stewards."

We can confirm that unlike previous seasons, the tickets don't have any bus numbers on them, which may or may not prove to be a good idea....

The club have also confirmed that they received a reduced allocation of tickets for this fixture - but stopped short of specifying the size of the allocation or reduction.

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Must win game tbh, if we lose then the pressure will be on FS as we havnt lost at Stadium of Sh*te since 79/80 (im sure BG would of been around for that one!) and ofc them being our main rivals. We need to keep an eye on Jones as he's playing well & also Chopra as it will be sods law that he scores against us.

Id go

------------Harper----------

Beye------Taylor----Roz-------Enrique

Milner----Barton----Emre------N'Zogbia

---------Owen-------Viduka (Martins if unfit)

DebSchiff

No, it really is too early.

retired_Monica65

I think you mean Stadium of Barry

retired_mcecig23

butt the only player to try at the weekend. bit harsh to drop him

retired_fabricodalacosta

Butt is suspended for this one (5 yellow cards so far this season).

As I've said in the club thread, we have to go for the win. The mackems will turn us over if we go there and try to play for the draw, as we did at Reading. Hopefully Fat Sam will have adjusted his tactics after the last two defeats.

retired_mountainsong

hate when people do the whole "havent lost since '79" stuff, its 11 games and 6 were draws

retired_heidigoebel

Isnt there an unwritten rule about home team supporters starting match threads?

Should be listed in the rules above being racist.

Anyway, hope someone blows the stadium up and evferyone but Nicky Butt dies. Alternativly a draw would be a good result

retired_fabricodalacosta

I don't remember that last defeat at their place (I was only 6/7 ffs ). All I know is that Stan Cummins scored and Sunderland got promoted that season.

And 11 games is still 11 games undefeated, even if it does stretch over 27 years. It can't last forever, but hopefully will for a while yet. :thup:

retired_prettygirl9156

You don't care about an awful lot of things lately...

retired_mountainsong

yeah but my point is, why dont they just say 11 games? saying you havent lost against someone for almost 30 years is a bit misleading