Sunderland v Cardiff - 12pm - Sky Sports 1

Paully D

No idea if there's much interest, but Sunderland v Cardiff kicks off todays treble header on Sky Sports.

Massive game for both sides. A win for either would take them out of the relegation zone, a defeat for either would see them all but relegated.

Sunderland have completely sold out for this one. Insane when one considers how crap we have been this season. We've looked dead and buried for a long time but this really is our last chance. Time for the players to step up.

Sunderland: Mannone, Vergini, Alonso, O'Shea (c), Brown, Cattermole, Larsson, Colback, Johnson, Borini, Wickham.

Subs: Bardsley, Gardner, Altidore, Giaccherini, Bridcutt, Scocco, Ustari.

Cardiff: Marshall; KTC, Caulker (C), Cala, Fabio; Cowie, Medel, Whittingham, Dæhli; Mutch, Campbell.

Subs: Lewis; Turner, Jones, Eikrem, Zaha, Bellamy, John.

kfallon

Amazing that a win for Sunderland will see them out of the relegation zone, think it'll be a relatively comfortable 2-0 home win.

mike65

I think Sunderland can win this with Altidore on the bench.

Paully D

Interesting stuff from Niall Quinn on Connor Wickham, saying what has been rumoured a lot. That he had a poor attitude and was always the first on off the training ground as he thought he had made it.

Hopefully his extended loan time in the Championship has caused him to buck his ideas up a bit.

jdooley28

Sunderland on form at lest over the last 2 games, if someone wins this theyll stay up, Norwich won't be getting any more points

Paully D

jdooley28 wrote: »

Sunderland on form at lest over the last 2 games, if someone wins this theyll stay up, Norwich won't be getting any more points

They could easily get three at home to Arsenal on the last day. They'll have 4th wrapped up and will rest players ahead of the final. Never write off the team with something to play. It won't be enough though, just a question of whether Sunderland, Cardiff or Fulham get out ahead of them.

Agueroooo

C'mon Sunderland.

JPA

C'mon the draw.

Patser

JPA wrote: »

C'mon the draw.

Can they not both lose? Just this once.

Other than that a 0-0 with lots of red cards, suspensions etc.

No offence Paully, just desperate Villa fans.

Mushy

Patser wrote: »

Can they not both lose? Just this once.

Other than that a 0-0 with lots of red cards, suspensions etc.

No offence Paully, just desperate Villa fans.

Villa in a fortunate enough position (again) that there are just more teams worse than them. I speak from experience of being a bray fan where it always happens.

Fans need to ramp up the noise again.

RikkFlair

Wickham again!

messinkiapina

C'mon Sunderland. Liverpool fans everywhere are shouting for you!

dirkmeister

Jordan Mutch just got one of the most idiotic yellows I've ever seen.
He almost ran away from the ball to get cartermole

Agueroooo

This will not finish 11v11

Johner

Bye bye Cardiff.

keith16

Agueroooo wrote: »

This will not finish 11v11

And there we have it.

Johner

Shocking decision.

mightyreds

Good decision from the ref there should of blew earlier.

Edit scratch that he was miles outside the box, what was the ref thinking

mike65

Jasus if Sunderland don't win from here.....peno

Borini from the spot (Conor Wickham was pulled back) and he scores!

upstairs for coffee

Cardiff Fulham and Norwich it is then.

The standard of this years Premier League has been awful.

Johner

mightyreds wrote: »

Good decision from the ref there should of blew earlier.

Was well outside the box.

razorblunt

I thought there was a rule that no advantage is allowed in the penalty box?

O'Shea pulling a double shift today? Turning up in a Cardiff jersey with Mutch on the back? Podpeas!!!!

mightyreds

Johner wrote: »

Was well outside the box.

Just seen the replay and edited terrible decision

Guy:Incognito

He could have gone down when the keeper barged in to him too. If that was a defender with no keeper behind him hed have walked.

Agueroooo

About time a ref punished a defender with a red after the attacker stayed honest.

They usually just let it slip.

Mushy

mightyreds wrote: »

Just seen the replay and edited terrible decision

He tugged him again inside the box. I know it should've been a free, but what was the player thinking?

Also thought it could've been foul against keeper for obstruction, but that would've been very harsh.

Tipsy McSwagger

Great decision by the ref the foul continued inside the box.

mike65

upstairs for coffee wrote: »

Cardiff Fulham and Norwich it is then.

The standard of this years Premier League has been awful.

In what way? Three teams always go down and they are usually ****e by definition, three or four teams usually have many nervous weeks until they confirm their survival in the last week or two. Then you have that narrow band of sides that hit the beach in late March as they can neither drop or play in Europe and then the business end of five/six.

Johner

Yeah watching it again it looked like the contact continued inside the box. Very tight though.

klose

Sacking the manager that brought ye up and replacing him with a novice, its gone great.

thebaz

mike65 wrote: »

In what way? Three teams always go down and they are usually ****e by definition, three or four teams usually have many nervous weeks until they confirm their survival in the last week or two. Then you have that narrow band of sides that hit the beach in late March as they can neither drop or play in Europe and then the business end of five/six.

every year folk are giving out about how ****e the Premiership is - and every year people watch it , whilst publicly saying how ****e it is - its cool

Go on Sunderland , love to see them stay up

Mushy

Souness says the penalty as great....if the keeper had danced to his left it was right into him. Placed way too central.

mightyreds

Mushy wrote: »

He tugged him again inside the box. I know it should've been a free, but what was the player thinking?

Also thought it could've been foul against keeper for obstruction, but that would've been very harsh.

Yeah it continued into the box alright it's a tough one though, red card for definite great call back for that

razorblunt

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Great decision by the ref the foul continued inside the box.

Yep confirmed by Gary Neville on the twitter box just now.

JPA

The ref played the advantage but still called it back and gave the pen. Wrong no?

LuckyLloyd

Cya Ole, don't think we'll be catching you again at this level.

Tipsy McSwagger

JPA wrote: »

The ref played the advantage but still called it back and gave the pen. Wrong no?

He let play continue to see if there was an advantage, when it was clear there was no advantage he gave the peno.

Guy:Incognito

JPA wrote: »

The ref played the advantage but still called it back and gave the pen. Wrong no?

There turned out to be no advantage.

Mickeroo

Beautiful goal.

Grayditch

Mon Sunderland.

Johner

Great ball and finish.

LuckyLloyd

Sunderland could have had five if they were calmer in these men over scenarios

WoollyRedHat

Sunderland really has been given a new lease of life these lasts few games.

Flirting with relegation only to escape at the last breath, the new Wigan?
Wickham has been a revelation.

OwaynOTT

Well done Sunderland! See ye next year.
Cardiff- when Sunderland beat ye 4 nil, going down is highly likely.

upstairs for coffee

Wonder if Cardiff, Fulham or Norwich will pursue legal action against the league and Sunderland?

I hope they don't but Cardiff's owner is an oddball and Fulham have a history of odd lawsuits.

WoollyRedHat

Poyetic justice

upstairs for coffee wrote: »

Wonder if Cardiff, Fulham or Norwich will pursue legal action against the league and Sunderland?

I hope they don't but Cardiff's owner is an oddball and Fulham have a history of odd lawsuits.

Sue them for what? For pretending to be relegation candidates?

retalivity

Somewhere, malkay mackay is having a drink and smiling ear to ear

Paully D

We haven't played as well as that since the 0-3 at St James' Park, before that, I wouldn't even be able to tell you.

On the penalty, it seemed a good decision to me. He tugged him outside the box, Wickham broke free a bit, Cala tugged him again inside the box. Dowd allowed play to continue to see if there was an advantage, there was none, thus a penalty. Now being honest I can't recall seeing the advantage rule played inside the box, but whether that is down to it not being allowed or just because referees don't usually play it, I don't know. I'd like to hear from someone more knowledgeable on that aspect if anyone knows?

In any case if Wickham goes down it's a penalty and red card, I suspect Mike Riley had a word with the referees in the wake of the Matt Jarvis at Arsenal incident and told them they have to give players decisions even if they stay on their feet after being fouled.

No coincidence that as soon as we get a striker we put a run together, but two homes wins against West Brom and Swansea needed now, it's still all to play for. 4 points might do it depending on what Norwich and Fulham do. The suitcase remains in the shed for now.

Agent Coulson

Bye bye Ole

blueser

Watching Cardiff crumble today, how the fcuk did we lose to them early in the season?

SantryRed

Paully D wrote: »

We haven't played as well as that since the 0-3 at St James' Park, before that, I wouldn't even be able to tell you.

On the penalty, it seemed a good decision to me. He tugged him outside the box, Wickham broke free a bit, Cala tugged him again inside the box. Dowd allowed play to continue to see if there was an advantage, there was none, thus a penalty. Now being honest I can't recall seeing the advantage rule played inside the box, but whether that is down to it not being allowed or just because referees don't usually play it, I don't know. I'd like to hear from someone more knowledgeable on that aspect if anyone knows?

Referees generally just give the penalty immediately just because it's a free shot from 12 yards. Dowd played it perfectly. He was giving Cardiff an advantage almost, as if Wickham scored, Cala would have stayed on the pitch.