Almost forgot. It is a big game tonight, says Martin O’Neill, at the same time denying those tweeted claims that he had offered his resignation after the West Brom defeat.
Sadly, when you’ve won only twice and it’s almost December, every match is big. In the short time left before the match gets under way, here’s your opportunity to say how will this one end up.
The arrival of Harry Redknapp can be expected to put a bit of spirit into our opponents. The way our results have been going, QPR at home did not seem a walkover even before his apppointment. Now we practically start as underdogs.
Sunderland can and should win. The players have raised their game in the last three outings, at Everton and Fulham and at home to WBA, but not by enough to collect more than three points. So further improvement may be needed if we are to counter the new-manager boost QPR may enjoy. The league record since the last win before Fulham, is a depressing P7 W1 D2 L4 F7 A12 Pts 5.
That is relegation form and there is no need to add what kind of game that makes tonight’s.
Be the first to predict, before kickoff, the correct score and you will qualify for the deeply ungenerous buy one-win one prize. In other words, for the price of one Martin O’Neill mug, £9.50 post-free, you get two. Two or three winners have chosen that option so far while others have entered purely for the fun of it, if predicting the outcome of SAFC matches has ever been fun.
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You never know, a new manager coming in and players wanting to impress can have a magical effect. We had a team playing badly under Bruce almost instantly transformed. I think Harry is a manager who can bring this.
I guess now might not be a bad time for us to play QPR since the players are not drilled by Redknapp and still might be in a foggy period between the transition from Hughes.
We haven’t actually played too badly against West Brom and Everton and of course Fulham. And we’re starting to get others on the scoresheet like Sessegnon and Gardner and Johnson. I think we’re on the up and expect us to win.
Having said that, midweek games are sometimes a bit funny with players sometimes not “turning up” as much as they would for a weekend game.
My prediction: Sunderland 2 – QPR – 1
Never under estimate the new manager effect. I fear too many of our players have not ” turned up ” too often this season. I hope O’Neill picks his most committed players, and gives them the licence to be offensive. This is not a match for 4.4.1.1.
I think QPR are going to be invigorated by the ‘Arry effect for the first 30 mins, bouyed up by the manager and eager to impress. And, this is the key: perhaps they will be too eager.
If we can frustrate them in the first 30 mins and let them run their socks off just by intelligently keeping the ball, then I think we’ll see a pretty tired QPR and we can capitalise on that.
Also remember that they played Man U just a few days ago so they’ll be more tired than us (in theory).
My concern is O Shea out and Catts out. However much you are not a fan of Catts, I can see that we lack some midfield steel without him. He’s very good at breaking up the other team’s play. I hope he plays.
No winner. Shouldn’t we all have guessed?
An ambitious 3-1 home win for me.
‘Arry will be going back to the Smoke with his tail between his legs. His Houdinin act will have to wait.
I was going to stick my neck out and say Sunderland 7 QPR 3, but realised nobody would take such a suggestion seriously.
So, all in all seriousness I will go for an equally ridiculous suggestion, that we will win 1-0.
We will win, because we have too, by scoring more than them.
Sunderland 5 QPR 0
2-0
Repeated from the QPR Who are You? thread (https://safc.blog/2012/11/sunderland-v-qpr-who-are-you-keep-the-faith-wed-have-mon/) …
You never know, a new manager coming in and players wanting to impress can have a magical effect. We had a team playing badly under Bruce almost instantly transformed. I think Harry is a manager who can bring this.
I guess now might not be a bad time for us to play QPR since the players are not drilled by Redknapp and still might be in a foggy period between the transition from Hughes.
We haven’t actually played too badly against West Brom and Everton and of course Fulham. And we’re starting to get others on the scoresheet like Sessegnon and Gardner and Johnson. I think we’re on the up and expect us to win.
Having said that, midweek games are sometimes a bit funny with players sometimes not “turning up” as much as they would for a weekend game.
My prediction: Sunderland 2 – QPR – 1
Never under estimate the new manager effect. I fear too many of our players have not ” turned up ” too often this season. I hope O’Neill picks his most committed players, and gives them the licence to be offensive. This is not a match for 4.4.1.1.
I think QPR are going to be invigorated by the ‘Arry effect for the first 30 mins, bouyed up by the manager and eager to impress. And, this is the key: perhaps they will be too eager.
If we can frustrate them in the first 30 mins and let them run their socks off just by intelligently keeping the ball, then I think we’ll see a pretty tired QPR and we can capitalise on that.
Also remember that they played Man U just a few days ago so they’ll be more tired than us (in theory).
My concern is O Shea out and Catts out. However much you are not a fan of Catts, I can see that we lack some midfield steel without him. He’s very good at breaking up the other team’s play. I hope he plays.