The penultimate weekend of the Premier League season is upon us and there are a number of important clashes as teams jockey for final positions in the league table with European places still up for grabs as well as the battle to avoid relegation. Read More »
This week we are picking a match from each of England’s top three divisions as we look to end a run of unlucky results on the betting front. Our first choice is at the Hawthorns where we are backing a rejuvenated West Brom side to back up their sensational win at Liverpool with a victory at home to a lacklustre ... Read More »
For this week’s treble, we are picking a team from each of the top three tiers of English football in the hope that variety can produce results, starting by backing Reading to continue their excellent run of form to beat Sunderland at the Madejski Stadium. Next up we are putting our faith in Watford to win at home to Bolton ... Read More »
The start of the 2012/13 season was a frustrating one for Arsenal, who drew 0-0 against Sunderland on a sweltering day at Emirates Stadium. Despite the departures of Robin van Persie and Alex Song, there was an unusual sense of optimism coming into the game, as if it was a fresh start, a new chapter, a time for the team ... Read More »
Speak about humble pie to Nicklas Bendtner and he will be thinking you are on about an actual pie made of deer entrails, or so his reputation would have you believe. It is very easy to dislike the Dane, especially when he potters about with a daft trilby on or declares himself one of the best strikers on the planet. ... Read More »
Sunderland came within a whisker of emulating their Stamford Bridge heroics from last season – denied a double over Manchester City and their first top flight win in Manchester since 1981. City needed the victory to temporarily return to the summit of the Premier League, whilst seventh beckoned for the Black Cats. Wayne Bridge’s ineligibility meant midfielder Jack Colback was ... Read More »
Both teams went into this fixture on the back of contrasting fortunes in their mid-week Premier League games. Sunderland had a dismal time at Ewood Park, whilst Queens Park Rangers made an astonishing comeback at home to beat Liverpool having been 2-0 down. Sunderland made three changes to the side who were truly awful against Blackburn, two enforced as Sebastian Larsson and ... Read More »
Sunderland arrived at Ewood Park with a sense that the club had arrived at a crossroad in their season. Clearly, FA Cup the priority, but there was still a genuine opportunity for the Black Cats to catapult themselves further up the Premier League table. It’s down to the nitty gritty as far as the season goes, and it is certainly ... Read More »
Things could not have been tighter coming into this intriguing FA Cup Quarter Final, with Sunderland and Everton deadlocked in pretty much every conceivable Premier League statistic. Both had the same number of points, wins, draws, losses, goals conceded, even the league fixture at the Stadium of Light ended as a 1-1 stalemate. Both clubs knew that a memorable season ... Read More »
1) Dubious decisions help Bolton over the line. Ivan Klasnic’s late goal gave Bolton three precious points over QPR but Mark Hughes and Rangers were left seething by a goal that was never given. The victory for Bolton, their first win in five, helped them climb out of the relegation places in place of QPR, although QPR will be wondering how ... Read More »
It was back to the grind for the North East after the dust finally settled from last week’s pulsating derby. Liverpool visited the Stadium of Light desperate for a win to keep what little hopes they had of a Champions League spot alive, while Sunderland’s main aim was to hunt down their visitors for seventh spot and a potential Europa ... Read More »
1) AVB gone after Hawthorns defeat AVB, the seventh manager under Abramovic’s reign, must have known that Saturday’s game against West Brom was a must win. However, after a flat performance and a Gareth McAuley winner, AVB was condemned to a board meeting on the Sunday. After just 27 league games, the young Portuguese coach was given his p45. The ... Read More »
The definition of a derby game is a full blooded, passionate affair between a couple of local rivals, yes? Well, the 134th Tyne-Wear derby was no different, with no less than 9 yellow cards, two reds and plenty more tasty action to talk about in the pub afterwards for both sets of fans. As I say, no derby is a ... Read More »
Seldom has there been a Tyne Wear derby competed with both sides vying for major accolades in English football. Newcastle are chasing a European qualification spot and Sunderland are in the last eight of the FA Cup and have an outside chance of Europa League qualification via the league. All well and good, but it’s time those aspirations were put ... Read More »
Trapattoni has single-handedly disappointed an entire nation by deciding to ignore James McClean. With Euro 2012 fast approaching, Irish eyes were smiling when news broke that Sunderland winger James McClean would be handed his first cap in the friendly game against the Czech Republic. McClean was at first omitted from the squad but after a rare change of heart from Giovanni Trappatoni, McClean was ... Read More »
Following on from our fantastic win against local rivals Wolves, how could Roy Hodgson and the team better that performance? By beating an in-form Sunderland team 4-0 and completely outplaying them; that’s how! Oh, and we finally beat the home hoodoo, picking up our first win at home for three months and the first clean sheet for two months. These ... Read More »
It’s safe to say England have been dealt a major blow with injuries. Rooney, a man who loves England friendlies is unavailable, while the poacher Darren Bent has picked up a worrying injury which could rule him out of Euro 2012. With Rooney set to miss the first few games, who can England turn to? 1. Danny Graham Danny Graham ... Read More »
This is going to be the first of many weekly posts looking at the weekend’s action and cramming them into ten simple talking points. And what a weekend to start with. This weekend has seen a thrilling derby, Liverpool winning the season’s first silverware and Manchester United’s scorers having a combined age of 75. 1) Arsenal surprise everyone with derby day ... Read More »
Despite looking a long way off, the summer transfer window is already starting to begin with Eden Hazard – one of the most exciting talents in Europe – apparently agreeing a move to Tottenham. However, in this article I will look at who might be on the move this summer. Stéphane Sessègnon: The Beninese international is playing out his skin for ... Read More »
Even the most diehard of Sunderland fans would have found it difficult to begrudge Thierry ‘The King’ Henry glossing his glorious Arsenal career with one more goal, and what a vital goal it turned out to be. Martin O’Neill has instilled a ‘how high can we go’ buzz into the Stadium of Light since his impeccably timed arrival, with four ... Read More »
It's Round and It's White
