My first memory of a proper big occasion was the play off final in 98, so thanks for that
At the start of the season I predicted play offs for us, and the one team I wanted to avoid was... Charlton. That feeling has probably grown of late as we’ve been poor for a while, whereas your team seems to have grown in confidence. Can only think that all goes out of the window as realistically we’re two fairly evenly matched sides. If I had to stick my neck out for a prediction I’ll go with Charlton winning it in extra time. Our key players like Maguire and McGeady are returning from injury, or potentially still injured. We might run out of steam late on.
Hoping for a good day out regardless, particularly as Charlton fans seem to be a good bunch in the main. Unlike Pompey
We only win play offs when we play Ipswich in the semi finals .. your turn to win mr Sunderland... I called a play off final defeat a long time back for us and haven’t seen anything that will change that .
Can't we have one thread where you don't post about us losing? It's really tedious.
Alreet soft lads. Thought I'd drop in and say hello.
You are mostly very confident I see. I'd say its a pure 50/50. No favourite at all.
We go into it ok-ish. Obviously the season end was flat but beating what many seemed to think was an unbeatable (for us) Portsmouth has given us a boost. I think the poor season end was overplayed, with the Southend on last day especially being a nothing game for us.
We won't have Mcgeady of course and that is a blow. He might make the bench but he hasn't trained for a month and in the minutes he has played with the fractured foot, he's looked understandably off the pace.
But I'm still reasonably confident. Despite what some Sunderland fans think, personally I think this squad has good mental strength. The defense has been ok and although we are not high goalscoring, we can get one of two.
I think we will set up for a tight game. Can't see anything like a 3-3. Think your best opportunity against us is height and pace.
Despite all the talk of biggest budget in the league when you analyse our squad it's slow and small.
On the crowd front we are not convinced we will sell out. The checkatrade final seems to have blown everyone out in several ways. Money seems to be the main issue, and having already been there only weeks ago, there is not the same motivation to push the boat out again. It's only Tuesday though, they might have been sold by the end of the week. I'm not expecting the Trafalgar Square display again as many more are there and back in a day to save money. What it might help with though is the atmosphere, with everyone being completely ruined by time CT kicked off from the day before.
There won't be any trouble anyhow and there seems to be good relations between the two sets of fans.
Anyway, that's enough for now.
Bloody relieved by what you say about McGeady's chances of missing the game
Do you think your season has been ruined by the fact that Josh Maja left?
In the two games against Portsmouth I was shocked at how slow your players appear to be, correct assessment would you say or am I missing something?
I think our problem has been buying injured strikers.
Wyke was injured and is only looking match fit now. Grigg has been very poor, but again he was injured when we bought him. I don't think he's anywhere near fit and my reading of his body language is that he doesn't want to play injured.
Maja had an uncanny knack if finding bottom corner every time.
We've not looked that threatening all season in my opinion. I reckon my son u10 team break faster than Sunderland.
Wyke has looked a handful at times since he’s been fit but ultimately lacks quality.
Maja should not not have been scoring the goals he was by rights. He was either the best finisher in the world or on a lucky streak. I know what my money is on - he hasn’t torn up trees in France.
I never saw Maja play, but I remember seeing a graphic from Experimental 361 that included him. He was converting shots at a ridiculous rate compared to the other top scorers in the football league. This lines up exactly with that graphic.
We only win play offs when we play Ipswich in the semi finals .. your turn to win mr Sunderland... I called a play off final defeat a long time back for us and haven’t seen anything that will change that .
Can't we have one thread where you don't post about us losing? It's really tedious.
Maybe so but you’re just as boring moaning about my tedious opinion , you never moaned when I said we’re definitely going to Wembley !
I think you can adapt your system. The issue with Grigg seemed to be that he was not fully fit. It was a bit of a desperate buy, but when fit, he is proven at this level.
In terms of confidence - I think Bielik, Cullen, Aribo, Sarr, Pearce, Bauer and Taylor would walk into their team and you could make a case for a few others. Now football is more complicated, but I would say that given this, we ought to be standing up throwing the punches on Sunday rather than trying to avoid them. Not literally
Still amazes me that they paid 4m for Grigg.............and then play a system (from what i've read) that doesn't even suit him.
At league one level that's crazy money, even 1-2m is. They could've gone out and bought four 1m players and smashed promotion.
Tbf to them i think the 4m fee is dependent on promotion, and he's been suffering from an injury since they signed him, they were after a few others before him and it does look like a panic buy, hopefully he continues to be crap for at least another game.
We know all there is to know when it comes to panic buys, and it starts back in the 60's when we replaced Len Glover (sold for £80,000) with Jimmy Mullen (cost £7,000 and hardly played a game).
Nope,he reckons he's still trying to sell the club and that he's scared of being hit with a thermos lobbed from the stands at Wembley so he's not going 😉
Alreet soft lads. Thought I'd drop in and say hello.
You are mostly very confident I see. I'd say its a pure 50/50. No favourite at all.
We go into it ok-ish. Obviously the season end was flat but beating what many seemed to think was an unbeatable (for us) Portsmouth has given us a boost. I think the poor season end was overplayed, with the Southend on last day especially being a nothing game for us.
We won't have Mcgeady of course and that is a blow. He might make the bench but he hasn't trained for a month and in the minutes he has played with the fractured foot, he's looked understandably off the pace.
But I'm still reasonably confident. Despite what some Sunderland fans think, personally I think this squad has good mental strength. The defense has been ok and although we are not high goalscoring, we can get one of two.
I think we will set up for a tight game. Can't see anything like a 3-3. Think your best opportunity against us is height and pace.
Despite all the talk of biggest budget in the league when you analyse our squad it's slow and small.
On the crowd front we are not convinced we will sell out. The checkatrade final seems to have blown everyone out in several ways. Money seems to be the main issue, and having already been there only weeks ago, there is not the same motivation to push the boat out again. It's only Tuesday though, they might have been sold by the end of the week. I'm not expecting the Trafalgar Square display again as many more are there and back in a day to save money. What it might help with though is the atmosphere, with everyone being completely ruined by time CT kicked off from the day before.
There won't be any trouble anyhow and there seems to be good relations between the two sets of fans.
Anyway, that's enough for now.
Bloody relieved by what you say about McGeady's chances of missing the game
Do you think your season has been ruined by the fact that Josh Maja left?
In the two games against Portsmouth I was shocked at how slow your players appear to be, correct assessment would you say or am I missing something?
One of our biggest weaknesses is the four players who tend to be used in the two central midfield spaces at various times (Cattermole, Leadbitter, McGeough and Power) are all much of a muchness. None of them are especially athletic, Power seems the fastest by virtue of youth alone. They’re all about 5’10/5’11. Loads of games this season you can see we’ve been crying out for a proper athlete in midfield.
Our centre halves are even slower. Flanagan, who is very much our first choice, turns slower than a battleship.
Flanagan doesn't look like he'd be strong enough to be a centre back, looks quite scrawny but I guess that can be deceiving.
Other than McGeady and Maguire what creative players do you have?
Morgan, Leadbitter from set pieces, then failing that probably Oviedo
Is Grigg even that good? Other L1 strikers have stepped up and done it in the Championship and higher but he hasn't.
Yes he's scored lots of goals in L1, but always for top of the table teams who create lots of chances. The MKD team he had that season with scored 101 goals in getting promotion, so scoring 20 is hardly exceptional. Similarly at L1 level, Wigan have always been really good
The goal scoring feats of the likes Ian Henderson to me are more impressive.
Comments
well, you taught me one thing in your short appearance
But so do Sunderland. If they turn up and we don’t, we lose the game.
If both sides turn up, I don’t want to call it one way or the other. My heart says CAFC, my head is torn.
We can understand and appreciate it because we are a club with personality and history surrounded by arrogant other London clubs and fans
We also have a shared experience, voted the third best game at the old Wembley.
I’d say we have much in common and should create a cracking atmosphere on Sunday without the undoubted arseholes from both clubs taking centre stage
At league one level that's crazy money, even 1-2m is. They could've gone out and bought four 1m players and smashed promotion.
this is where I'm at, for me it's a proper 50/50 game
In terms of confidence - I think Bielik, Cullen, Aribo, Sarr, Pearce, Bauer and Taylor would walk into their team and you could make a case for a few others. Now football is more complicated, but I would say that given this, we ought to be standing up throwing the punches on Sunday rather than trying to avoid them. Not literally
Perry
Moir
Bell
yep must be this one , cheers Charlton Stu
Can we have a second referendum?... I mean vote?
Yes he's scored lots of goals in L1, but always for top of the table teams who create lots of chances. The MKD team he had that season with scored 101 goals in getting promotion, so scoring 20 is hardly exceptional. Similarly at L1 level, Wigan have always been really good
The goal scoring feats of the likes Ian Henderson to me are more impressive.