Knowing Sunderland supporters as we do, the easiest guesswork in this week’s competition would be to predict the answer to the question in the headline.
Decades of disappointment have made most of us professional gloom merchants. So Chelsea’s latest defeat, 2-1 at refreshingly table-topping Leicester, damages our prospects for Saturday at the Bridge rather than improves them.
Jose Mourinho has blamed his players in such strong terms that they are bound – are they not? – to want to prove a point to him. Much as we may long for a character-building relegation for the glittering west London team with lower attendances than ours, the rise up the table is bound to start sooner or later.
But ….
To be honest, it is difficult to know how to follow the “but”. Except to say we matched Arsenal, top of the league as Leicester v Chelsea kicked off, should have scored early, should have equalised late and are entitled to regard 3-1 as desperately harsh. Can we play, at Chelsea, as well as we did for long spells at the Emirates and also take our chances? Must we really bow to the logic of an inevitable home win?
Have a shot at Guess the Score. David Jobling won last week’s rollover, two mugs from our sponsors, Personalised Football Gifts, so we’re down to one for this game’s prize, though I bet he’d rather have had three points for SAFC.
Usual rules: anyone can enter and a Chelsea winner would receive a mug with suitably amended design. Where the prize is as seen, the name of your choice appears as No 12 on the short. You must be the first to post the correct scoreline between now and kickoff, have a UK delivery address and accept that Monsieur Salut’s decision is always final.
Ha’way the Lads. Members of Salut! Sunderland‘s learned jury can share their thoughts on how the Lads can respond with a win or a draw, remembering that we have won at the Bridge three times since Peter Reid’s days.
Paul’s 3-0 got close but no winner, least of all us lot
2-1 to us.
Borini and Fletcher.
3-0 to The Lads, Fletcher(2),Borini(1)
Chelski 1 – SAFC 3
Mags 1 – Villa 2
Malcom if that come I will buy you a free beers all night at pub of your choice
1-1 score draw
Fingers crossed my tea leaves are right then!
Reverse logic, i.e. optimistic illogicality: 3 nil to Chelsea.
0 – 1 to SAFC. Not sure about this nor if I should of waited to find out if Mourinho is still manager
My score has gone so
Chelsea 2 Sunderland 0
I would love a Sunderland win. I was there sitting in with the Chelsea fans, keeping quiet, when we lost 4-0, and it could have been eight. Not that I had much to shout about.
I think it will be a ” park the bus ” performance. 0-0
As my brain is addled after constant Ho Ho Ho ing, I will also go for a 2-1 win and Mourinho to be applying for Universal Credit by Sunday afternoon. No prize required; I will be “over the moon” with the points.
Before the much sought after score goes……………
3-2 win to The Lads
My guess is Big Sam will set us up to be difficult to break down, however Chelski have such quality I can not see us keep them out so or us subsequently scoring….
Chelski 1 – 0 SAFC
Lets hope reverse psychology works here!!!!
3 goal win to allow us to leapfrog Chelski and put them in the bottom three ( what a lovely xmas pressie that would be) Borini to come good 4-1 to the lads
Chelski1 – 2 Sunderland. I am going BOLD.
I have a bad feeling that we might just kick-start Chelskis season and be on the wrong end of a hiding. However ’tis the season of good will so the lads will win 2-1.
1-0 to the lads,Lens to score in the 89th minute.
We win, 0-2