Sunderland

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Sunderland visit Loftus Road on Tuesday November 28th and we travel to the Stadium of Light on the 14th April

Below is the guide to Sunderland with my opinion on how they will fare this season as well as the view of some Sunderland fans. I also have a guide to the Stadium of Light, how to get there etc as well as previous results and match reports from recent encounters between the two sides.

Sunderland Squad

Last Season

Sunderland were back in the Premiership last year and believed that it couldn't be as bad as their last year in the top flight when they went down with 19 points.

Sadly it was even worse as they were relegated this time with just 15 points. They had to wait until October for their first win against Middlesbrough.

Mick McCarthy was given very little money to spend and that showed as his good Championship side were embarrassed at the higher level. Highlights were few and far between and they were virtually relegated by Christmas.

The fans stuck with them but McCarthy was sacked and replaced by Kevin Ball as caretaker but results continued to be poor and really the less said about season 2005/06 the better.

How Will they fare?

There has been massive change at Sunderland this summer. Niall Quinn has come in and bought the club with a consortium and went out to get a top manager.

Attempts to being Sam Allardyce so Quinn stepped into the managers seat himself. The move will only be temporary but Quinn has already got the fans going again and optimism is high ahead of the new season.

Quinn has big plans and a move to bring back Kevin Phillips could be a massive boost to the club if it comes off.

Sunderland were not good enough for the Premiership but they still have quality in the squad that should do well at this level. Stephen Elliott and Jon Stead should score at this level whilst Liam Lawrence is an excellent midfield player.

The signing of Kenny Cunningham is also a brilliant one and he is a defender still good enough for the top flight.

At home Sunderland will be a tough opponent with the fans right behind them and that should stand them in good stead. The start to the season is vital to Sunderland, if they get off to a good start they'll take some stopping and if Quinn is able to bring in the kind of players he is talking about they'll be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.

I think though that they'll just miss out on automatic promotion and have to settle for the playoffs.

PREDICTION: 3rd

Sunderland Fans View

I asked Sunderland fans on the web site "ready2go " for their thoughts on the new season. Here's are just a few of the answers I got.

How do you think Sunderland will fare this season?

If we get off toa good start we'll at least make the playoffs

Who are your players to watch out for?

Grant Leadbitter

Is your Manager the right man for the job?

Yes I think Quinny will do an excellent job

Which three teams will be promoted this season?

Sunderland, West Brom and Birmingham

Which teams will be relegated?

Barnsley, Hull and hopefully Leeds

How do you think QPR will fare this season?

Probably mid table

What's The Ground Like

The Stadium of Light is probably the best stadium in the division. I've only been to the Stadium of Light once but the stadium impressed me that day.

It's about a ten minute walk from the train station with plenty of pubs along the way.

The stadium is an awesome sight when you first set eyes on it and gets even better once inside. The stadiums PA System is perhaps the loudest I've ever heard and once that goes off the atmosphere can be excellent. It all feels so big inside and the views are excellent no matter where you sit.

The Stadium of light is certainly at the top of the list for stadiums to visit this season.

Previous Results

QPR have faced Sunderland a few times since this site started and we’ve had some good games against them as well. In the 1998/99 season we started the season with a trip to the Stadium of Light. On a great sunny day it looked like we might get a point but a late penalty gave Sunderland a 1-0 win.

At Loftus Road we had a cracking game against them. Goals from Danny Maddix and Kevin Gallen looked like it would give us a 2-1 win but they scored a last minute equaliser to break our hearts and go home with a point. Sunderland walked away with the league that year whilst we stayed up on goal difference.

Our last visit to the Stadium of light saw Paul Furlong score the goal of the season to give us the lead. Stewart pulled the favourites level before Rowlands scored a cracker to make it 2-1 Sadly a last minute Caldwell goal was enough to earn the home side a point.

The return game was seen as a chance for us to push for the playoffs. Shittu gave us the lead and it all looked good but we fell asleep after half time and three quick goals were enough to give Sunderland a comfortbale win.

Click on the match for a report of the game from this web site.

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