Can Wanderers Mackem pay? - Official Match Thread

[Bruce Rioja]

I believe Cattermole is also injured

My word. Such a splendid irony!

[Eire_Trotter]

On my way over for this match now , uber excited!!

[Salford Trotter]

On my way over for this match now , uber excited!!

Have a great day ET! Oh and don't forget to phone home

[jaffka]

Come on you white men.

[Lofthouse Lower]

There in spirit. COYW

[spikeykev]

Just been doing some spying in the Sunderland forum...

He has added five youngsters to his squad, just enough to manage a six-a-side game in training on Friday.

At the Reebok Stadium, Sunderland will start with Egyptian midfielder Ahmed Elmohamady upfront for the first time in his career. He has played at right-back for the last month and has yet to score a Premier League goal in 33 games.

Read more: http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread ... z1LegB1wbk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lofthouse Lower]

He's in my fantasy team, so an 8-1 win wouldn't be too bad

[Bruce Rioja]

On my way over for this match now , uber excited!!

I can only hope that the players put as much effort into turning up for this game as you are, ET.

[keveh]

Please tell me others are nervous?

This should be an easy win, Sunderland can't even get a decent five-a-side team together at the moment, never mind 11.

It just sounds like a classic Bolton loss!

Six home wins on the bounce would be amazing though! At least we have got our season ticket moneys worth this year. I just feel sorry for the people going to the away games!

[spikeykev]

There's some stuff going round on Twitter that Klasnic has just walked out the Reebok and drove off, hopefully there's nothing behind this!

[keveh]

I heard he's in Scott's having a quick pint.

[spikeykev]

I heard he's in Scott's having a quick pint.

That's alirght then, as long as he aint gone too far!

[Verbal]

Team news:

Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Knight, Cahill, Robinson, Chung-Yong, Muamba, Elmander, Taylor, K Davies, Sturridge
Wanderers substitutes: Bogdan, Petrov, Gardner, Cohen, Klasnic, Rodrigo, Wheater

Sunderland: Mignolet, Bardsley, Mensah, Zenden, Malbranque, Henderson, Onuoha, Colback, El Mohamady, Sessegnon, Ferdinand
Sunderland substitutes: Carson, Muntari, Riveros, Knott, Noble, Adams, Lynch

[Lofthouse Lower]

Elmander

[Beefheart]

Elmander

What's wrong with that?

[wanderers_on_tour]

Cracking selection with Davies injured, especially against Sunderland reserves.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Elmander

What's wrong with that?

Presumably LL's not a fan of our new central midfielder. Assuming he's playing in central midfield - which I rather hope, given that the alternative is him up top with SKD, Sturridge wide left and Taylor central midfield...

Basically, and this isn't a dig at LL, OC can't do right for doing wrong. None of his options are fully up to scratch: Elmander isn't a central midfielder, Gardner is injury-prone and rusty, Cohen in all honesty isn't quite up to scratch.

Two other things. With one or two question marks (Wheater for Knight?) it's arguably our strongest possible XI - obviously OC wants a good show for the home fans. And somebody better get on the phone to Klasnic, tell him he's on the bench...

[wanderers_on_tour]

Elmander

What's wrong with that?

Presumably LL's not a fan of our new central midfielder. Assuming he's playing in central midfield - which I rather hope, given that the alternative is him up top with SKD, Sturridge wide left and Taylor central midfield...

Basically, and this isn't a dig at LL, OC can't do right for doing wrong. None of his options are fully up to scratch: Elmander isn't a central midfielder, Gardner is injury-prone and rusty, Cohen in all honesty isn't quite up to scratch.

Two other things. With one or two question marks (Wheater for Knight?) it's arguably our strongest possible XI - obviously OC wants a good show for the home fans. And somebody better get on the phone to Klasnic, tell him he's on the bench...

And isn't really at home at centre mid, give me Gardner over Petrov on the left any day though, unless we're already comfortable and winning by a couple..

[2399]

Bolton manager Owen Coyle made five changes against Sunderland as they looked to chalk up six successive home wins for the first time in the top flight since 1997.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Bolton manager Owen Coyle made five changes against Sunderland as they looked to chalk up six successive home wins for the first time in the top flight since 1997.

Simply not true. Here's our 97/98 results (96/97 we weren't in the top flight). CAPS and I think we haven't had a better top-flight home run since 1979.