Sunderland Football Club

Sunderland football club is one of the oldest clubs in the Premier League having been founded in 1879. Sunderland had a golden period soon after its inclusion in the Football League winning back-to-back first division titles. Sunderland initially played at Roker Park till 1997 and moved to the Stadium of Lights- a 49,000 capacity stadium- after 1997.

Sunderland soccer team is nicknamed 'The Black Cats'. The club's crest contains two lions holding a shield on both sides. The home outfit sports a vertically striped red and white shirt with black shorts.

Club Owner:
Ellis Short

Club Manager:
Steve Bruce was appointed the manager of Sunderland football club in 2009.

Club Legends:
Jimmy Montgomrie, Charlie Buchan, Bobby Gurney

Current Captain
Tenacious midfielder Lee Cattermole currently captains the club.

Club Records:
Sunderland has won the first division title six times, the last title coming in the 1935-36 season. The club has won the FA Cup once while has never tasted success in the League Cup.

Club Rivals:
Newcastle United, Middlesbrough

Interesting Fact:
Sunderland Football Club last won a major trophy in 1973 when they beat Leeds United in the FA Cup final and last competed in a major cup final in 1992's FA Cup final with Liverpool.

Written by Moiz Siddiqui

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Latest News About Sunderland Football Club

Sunderland vs. Stoke City Review |EPL| Sun, 18 Sep, 2011

Final Score:  Sunderland 4-0 Stoke City

Goal scorers:  Bramble (5th minute), Woodgate (11, o.g), Gardner (28th minute), Larsson (58th minute)

Bookings:

Sunderland: Larsson

Stoke: Huth, Crouch

Man of the Match: Sebastian Larsson

 

Sunderland secured their first win of the new season with a stylish 4-0 win over a Stoke side that looked jaded after their European commitments. The Stoke players looked tired and did not show any of the determinedness that they showed against Liverpool in their last fixture. Their defence was at sixes and sevens which allowed Sunderland to win easily.

Sunderland struck early as Titus Bramble latched on to a Sebastian Larsson corner after Rory Delap was unable to clear it and his low shot was spilled over the line by Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic. Sunderland got their second in the 11 minute when defender Jonathan Woodgate beat his own keeper in trying to shepherd the ball out of danger. Craig Gardner scored Sunderland’s third with a deflected shot. The scoring was completed by Larsson with a beautifully taken free kick in the second half which gave Begovic no chance.

The win was vital for Steve Bruce’s side as it takes them out of the relegation zone and give much needed breathing space for the under fire manager. Stoke would want to forget this defeat as early as possible and would like to look at the defensive errors that led to the goals for Sunderland.

 

Sunderland vs. Stoke City Preview |EPL| Sun, 18 Sep, 2011

Sunderland were very ordinary against Chelsea last week and lost out to the Blues 2-1. They are desperate for a win in this match as they have not been able to win so far in the Premier League. Stoke on the other hand are coming of the back of a splendid win against Liverpool and are in very confident mood ahead of their clash against Sunderland this Sunday.

This is going to be the first match for Sunderland after it was revealed that their top striker Asamoah Gyan is going to be loaned out for the season to UAE club Al-Ain. Sunderland would have to put in a dogged performance against a Stoke side that is riding high on the back of good results in the Premier League and the Europa League.

Sunderland would consider themselves lucky if they can avoid defeat in this game but they are desperate for a win and must try to win this match. Stoke will be on the lookout for another win so that they can solidify their position in the top half of the table.

Both teams do not have any injury concerns for the match and the managers have a fully fit squad to choose from.

 

Sunderland Player to Watch: Dong-Wong Ji

Stoke Player to Watch: Walters

Venue: Stadium of Light

Form guide:
Sunderland: DLLDL
Stoke: DWWWD

Injuries:

Sunderland: None
Stoke: None

USoccers Prediction: Sunderland 0-1 Stoke City

Sunderland vs. Chelsea Review |EPL| Sat, 10 Sep, 2011

Final Score: Sunderland 1-2 Chelsea

Goal scorers: Sunderland (Dong-Wong Ji, 90) Chelsea (Terry, 18; Sturridge, 51)

Bookings:

Sunderland: Colback

Chelsea: Bosingwa

Man of the Match: Raul Meireles

 

Chelsea continued their pursuit of the two Manchester clubs by a fine away victory at the Stadium of Light defeating Sunderland with ease. Goals from John terry and Daniel Sturridge were enough to win Chelsea the game despite the late consolation goal scored by Dong-Wong Ji.

Chelsea played the better football and put pressure on a Sunderland side that was without their influential striker Asamoah Gyan who had been loaned out to Al-Ain in a bizarre fashion. Chelsea pressed away from the start of the game and managed to get ahead with a goal from a very unlikely source. John Terry scored from a very tight angle when Sunderland were unable to clear their lines after a free kick. Sturridge doubled Chelsea’s advantage with an improvised back heel that went in to the back of the net despite Wes Brown trying to hack it away from goal.

Dong-Wong Ji scored in the last minutes of the game to give the score line a more dignified look but Sunderland were really very poor in the game and failed to exert any kind of pressure on the Chelsea back four.

Raul Meireles was the star of the show for Chelsea who bossed the midfield and passed the ball with complete precision and poise. It was his through ball that led to the Sturridge goal. Sunderland have to regroup after the departure of Gyan and would have to come back strongly after a series of bad results.

 

Sunderland vs. Chelsea Preview |EPL| Sat, 10 Sep, 2011

Sunderland have been poor and have not been able to get a win so far. Sunderland were held to a draw by Swansea last time so they would like a win from somewhere. However, the chances of Sunderland getting a win are slim as Chelsea pay a visit to the Stadium of Light fresh from their comfortable win against Norwich in their last fixture

Chelsea have had a slow start to the season drawing their first match but have since started playing better. Chelsea would like to give start to their new acquisition Raul Meireles in midfield while Sunderland are likely to give a start to their loan acquisition from Arsenal, Nicklas Bendtner .

Chelsea manager Andre Vilas Boas still has his first choice goalkeeper Petr Cech out of contention and Michael Essien too is sidelined due to injury. Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan got injured on international duty with Ghana and is in a race to get fit to face Chelsea.

Chelsea must win the game in order to keep the pressure on the two Manchester clubs at the top. Sunderland would happy with a draw from this game as they get their campaign back on track.

 

Sunderland Player to Watch: Larsson

Chelsea Player to Watch: Mata

Venue: Stadium of Light

Form guide:
Sunderland: DDLLD
Chelsea: WWDWW

Injuries:

Sunderland: Gyan
Chelsea: Petr Cech, Michael Essien

USoccers Prediction: Sunderland 0-2 Chelsea

 

Swansea vs. Sunderland Preview |EPL| Sat, 27 Aug, 2011

Swansea will face Sunderland on Saturday as both teams would be looking to grab their first win of the season. Swansea opened their account with a 0-0 draw against Wigan while Sunderland lost to bitter rivals Newcastle last week.

Swansea have yet to score a goal in the PL as the team lost 4-0 against Manchester City in the opening week and only managed a goal less draw against fellow strugglers Wigan.

Steven Bruce’s men earned a good draw at Anfield against Liverpool but ended up losing to Newcastle at home. Bruce has spent big this summer and fans will start to get impatient if the team does not win their match against Swansea this Saturday.

Swansea are still missing club captain Monk while Sunderland will miss goalkeeper Gordon, Meyler and DJ Campbell for the game.

Swansea should be looking to win their home games and the team would try their best to win against Sunderland while Steve Bruce would be expecting his team to teach the newcomers a harsh lesson.

Swansea Player to Watch: Scott Sinclair

Sunderland Player to Watch: Gyan

Venue: The Liberty Stadium

Form guide:

Swansea: WDWWD
Sunderland: WLWDL

Injuries:

Swansea:  Gary Monk
Sunderland: Craig Gordon, Meyler, DJ Campbell.

USoccers Prediction: Swanse 1-2 Sunderland

 

Sunderland vs. Newcastle United Preview |EPL| Sat, 20 Aug, 2011

We will be treated to a passionate Wear-Tyne derby as Sunderland will collide with traditional rivals Newcastle United. Both teams were happy with their performances last week as Newcastle drew with Arsenal and Sunderland with Liverpool.

Newcastle United hold the upper hand in the last 13 derby matches with Sunderland only winning one of them. Sunderland’s home record has also been woeful ever since the turn of the year while the Black Cats have also kept only two clean-sheets since the New Year’s Eve.

Newcastle on the other hand have been woeful on their travels and have just won only one of their last nine away games.

Both teams don’t have many injury concerns with Hatem Ben Arfa and Morveaux the only absentees for Newcastle and Gordon, Campbell and O’Shea for Sunderland.

Both teams lack good forwards but have industrious midfielders. The team which shows the hunger and desire to win can walk away with the three points from the Stadium of Lights.

 

Newcastle United Player to Watch: Shola Ameobi

Sunderland Player to Watch: Larsson

Venue: Stadium of Lights

Form guide (last season):
Sunderland: LWLWD
Newcastle: LWDDD

Injuries:
Sunderland: John O’Shea, Meyler, Craig Gordon, Campbell
Newcastle: Shane Ferguson, Ben Arfa, Sylvain Morveaux

USoccers Prediction: Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle United

 

Liverpool vs. Sunderland Preview |EPL| Sat, 13 Aug, 2011

Liverpool begin their effort to regain top4 status by welcoming Sunderland at their home turf. Both clubs have added a number of players in the transfer window with Sunderland adding 9 and Liverpool 4 with another player set to arrive soon.

Kenny Dalglish rejuvenated a deflated Liverpool and steered them to 6^th spot last season. He had added two quality strikers- Suarez and Carroll- in January and built on it by signing Jordan Henderson, Stuart Downing, Doni and Charlie Adam.

Steve Bruce is also looking to build on a stop-start season which saw Sunderland finish in the top half. He has added nine players to compensate the loss of Henderson and Bent with Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Conor Wickham some notable names.

Both teams have injury issues with Gerrard and Skrtel missing for Liverpool and Craig Gordon, John O’Shea and Lee Cattermole won’t be available for Sunderland.

The spot light would be on Jordan Henderson as he faces his former club just after leaving it around two months ago. New signings Downing, Henderson and Adam are all expected to start while Sunderland may well give their new signings a go.

Liverpool’s home record improved after a poor beginning last season and Liverpool would want to make a statement of intent in their first game at Anfield.

 

 

Liverpool Player to Watch: Andy Carroll

Sunderland Player to Watch: Asamoah Gyan

Venue: Anfield

Form guide (last season):
Liverpool: DWWWLL

Sunderland: LWLWLW

Injuries:
Liverpool: Gerrard, Skrtel
Sunderland: Gordon, O’Shea, Lee Cattermole

USoccers Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Sunderland

Sunderland 2011-12 Preview-Aiming to get higher up the Premier League table

Sunderland would want to get higher up the table this season. Having made some good signings the club is looking forward to a better season than last year.

Star Man: Asamoah Gyan

Asamoah Gyan proved last year how a valuable player he was for the club. He is again going to be the focal point of attack for the club this season.

One to Watch: Connor Wickham

Connor Wickham is a bright young striker which is a very good prospect for the club. His impressive goal scoring in the lower leagues prompted Steve Bruce to invest in this youngster.

Manager: Steve Bruce

Steve Bruce has added quality to the side both in defense and in the midfield. He would be hoping to improve upon the 10^th place finish they had last year. However, the lack of striking options is a worry for the club.

Ins:

Connor Wickham (£ 8,100,000 from Ipswich-Striker)

Ahmed Elmohamady (£ 2,000,000 from ENPPI Club-Winger)

Craig Gardner (Undisclosed from Birmingham City-Midfielder)

Sebastian Larsson (Free Transfer from Birmingham City-Right Winger)

John O’Shea (Undisclosed from Manchester United-Right back)

Wes Brown (Undisclosed from Manchester United- Centre Half)

OUTs:

Steed Malbranque (Undisclosed to Saint-Etienne)

Jordan Henderson (Undisclosed to Liverpool)

Best Signing:

Wes Brown is the most important signing made by Steve Bruce. The experienced centre back is going to add solidity to the Sunderland defense.

 

Likely Top Scorer:

Asamoah Gyan is Sunderland’s main striker and is the most likely candidate to be the top goal scorer for the club this season.

Possible Best XI:

Gordon, O’Shea, Turner, Wes Brown, Onouha, Cattermole, Gardner, Elmohamady, Larsson, Sessegnon, Gyan

Predicted Finish: 8^th

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Premier League Preview

Its a busy week in the English Premier League as all 20 teams play after a weekend of FA Cup action.

Leaders Manchester United are facing an injury crisis, with at least 7 first choice players out, but they will still fancy getting all 3 points away to bottom club West Bromwich Albion. United beat WBA 4-0 at Old Trafford earlier this season, and another victory will kepp them top of the table.

Level on points with United are Liverpool, and they travel to play in form Wigan Athletic. A win is necessary for the Reds after 3 consecutive draws have left them a little short of confidence. 3 points will help them regain some self-belief as the title race heats up.

Chelsea may have fallen off the pace in recent weeks, but they are still in with a good chance of winning the title this season. They host Middlesbrough, looking for a win to put pressure on the front two.

In other games, Arsenal play Everton, Aston Villa face Portsmouth, Spurs are up against Stoke,  Manchester City play Newcastle, Hull City play West Ham and Bolton will lock horns with Blackburn Rovers.