What is it about Sunderland? That’s what poor old Nick Barnes was asking on BBC Radio Newcastle just before he spilt tea down Simon Pryde’s back. Other teams put out much-changed teams for the Capital One Cup and still romp to victory against lower league opponents. Sunderland fail, even against other weakened sides. At half time, Pete Sixsmith was beside himself with barely suppressed rage: “We will do well to win a game this season.” Listening to Barnes and Benno, I wondered whether even Messi would struggle to succeed in our colours. Then, after 75 appalling, embarrassing minutes for any Sunderland supporter, 0-2 was suddenly 1-2, 2-2, 3-2 and finally 4-2. Exciting stuff, albeit only at the end. And PDC still has plenty to ponder. But credit to Connor Wickham for his two-goal burst, to Jozy Altidore for breaking his duck to start the late comeback and to Adam Johnson for a cracking fourth. Was Pete impressed? Read on. This is the place to find his instant seven-word verdicts on the many games he attends …
MK Dons
SAFC vs MK Dons Guess the Score: goals galore or banana skin?
It’s that time of the year again, the first fortnight of a new season when Sunderland supporters tell themselves the spirit of ’73 will be revived by the start of a new march all the way to a Wembley final.
We look at the draw for the first round in which SAFC are involved and, assuming progress, wonder who we’ll get next and at each subsequent stage before the Lads triumph in the final. Come January we are thinking similar thoughts about the FA Cup. This, we say, will be our year and not before time.
Sunderland v MK Dons ‘Who are You?’: exorcising the Wimbledon ghosts
Last season we played them away and won despite the obligatory Cattermole red card. This season we’ve drawn them at home. Sunderland owe it to the fans to make a decent stab at the Capital One cup for a change. Can we notch our first win of the season, a good confidence booster before the trip to Palace, of will we fail yet again? John Brockwell, who chairs the MK Dons Supporters’ Association shares his thoughts with us, covering the old Wimbledon/Milton Keynes controversy, Karl Robinson’s progress as the league’s youngest manager and MK Dons’ prospects for the coming season …
Soapbox from MK Dons: Cattermole’s collision with authority, Saha shows his worth
Pete Sixsmith braved flooded roads, concrete cows and Cattermolian excesses to bring you this report of an otherwise satisfactory night out in Milton Keynes …
Sixer’s Sevens: MK Dons 0 Sunderland 2 – making amends for Cattermole
Pete Sixsmith reports from Milton Keynes where Lee Cattermole’s reminder that his dark side has not been overcome – “sent off for a late lunge” having a familiar ring – did not stop Sunderland’s onward march in the League Cup. A classic Gardner free kick and a neat McClean dribble and finish sealed it …[/caption]
Sixer on MK Dons, awayday blues, John Terry bashing, misfired Liverpool moans
It starts with back-of-envelope calculations that explain why young supporters are being driven away – or, rather, not being driven away – but Pete Sixsmith then moves smartly on to discussion of tonight’s League Cup game in Milton Keynes, a snipe or two at John Terry and a mighty defence of Mark Halsey’s Anfield performance (probably just as well Pete doesn’t bother much with Twitter) …
The MK Dons ‘Who are You?’: meet Mick Harford, still supporting Sunderland
It was late in Mick Harford‘s career before he was able to play, as he had always wanted, for Sunderland, …