What's the crack? 

• Aye that was shite. The mistake was shite and the response was also. That being said, does this present an opportunity to build momentum for a playoff run? 

• Wembley or bust; we're doing it the hard way again, lads and lasses. Think of the scenes though. 

• Patto and that fumble; he's not exactly helped himself there but why isn't he taking command of the situation or his area? Does he need real competition? 

• If it ain't broke; The way we've set up all season has got us this far, so is it fair to say we need to simply find our rhythm again, get back to basics even? 

• If it's all about the sides above falling to pieces to let us pass, it's probably best we ignore all that now and focus on ourselves isn't it. Aye it is.

• Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• Sheffield or Burnley could slip up so we need to keep up, that's the message in a nutshell here lads and lasses. 

• Martin thinks we should maybe just.. go for it aye. What do we have to lose at this point in the season? 

• Must win? Must not draw? Just win please. Cheers. 

• Gav regrets nothing he said about Joffy or Burstow but we expect at least one to do something here because Sunlun/footy. 

• ATTACK; Hull have had some decent results on the road but f*** that it's Hull we need to beat them. Should we use every attacking option here? 

• It ain't over til we're down Trafalgar getting pissed again. 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC

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What's the crack?

• Drama. Heartbreak. Torture. Sadness. This is Sunderland - would you expect anything else?

• Sunderland controlled the majority of the game on their terms, so what went wrong?

• The positives - a cracking goal from Wilson, and a gameplan that was almost perfectly executed;

• Leeds are superb, but we kept them at arms length...

• Two mistakes, two goals. Were we architects of our own downfall?

• All this and much more! We'll be back to preview Hull at some point soon.

• Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• A routine win for Sunderland - it was much needed after a tough few games at home recently;

• How good were Enzo Le Fee and Dan Neil?

• The difference in Luton is remarkable - are they headed to League One?

• Leeds are the most in-form team in the country and have kept eight consecutive clean sheets - so naturally, we're confident of going there and getting something...

• The big decision for Le Bris is who plays at centre half at Elland Road;

• We'd snap your arm off for a point now... would you?

All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• Just give the ball to Enzo a bit more. 

• Luton are in an absolute state currently, so how do we use any of this to our advantage without falling victim to.. an act of Sunlun? 

• How many changes do the lads think Reg should make from the side that started on Saturday, and is he likely to make many anyway? 

• Are we making the most of our attacking options at this stage? 

• Is this a game for Samed or not? Should Mayenda be starting instead of Roberts? Should Rigg be rested? 

• Are we looking at a must-must win or a must win, or a must-not-lose-but-must-not-draw-either-so-just-win? We do need the win aye. 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• So is that a negative or a positive? Feels a bit like a negative aye. 

• Four points from six ain't bad; but it's not helping any hopes of catching up with the few above. Then again, it isn't really helping anyone below either. 

• A frustrating day for Wilson and his attacking partners; O'Nien and Cirkin sort of made up for it... 

• PGMOL officials took a break from a month-long coke binge in a brothel on some island in the med to demonstrate yet more sensible, reliable and highly accurate decision making. 

• So how are we feeling ahead of Luton on Wednesday and some key results coming up? Confident? Bricking it aye? Good. 

• All this and more! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

*Rogue missing content from Boro/covering the transfer window will appear after a little bit of surgery. Let's call it damage limitation aye. Not so much 'ghosts in the machine' as 'poltergeists down the pub'.

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What's the crack? 

• *It's not a derby debate klaxon*

• Seriously it isn't. If Hartlepool got their arses in gear and left the monkeys alone we'd probably not have this debate at all. 

• Right so it is a big game for other non-derby reasons but only because they're just about up there with us; how have Michael Carrick's men been getting along since we last faced one another? 

• Boro players always take this more seriously than our own, so do we think Reg will have found a way to get our lads to kick that weird habit passed down from generation to generation? 

• Bit of a weird game overall; live on ITV a few hours before Transfer Deadline Day ends... Are we looking forward to that sort of possible mayhem? 

• Are the lads confident given our long history of not getting the result we want down their way and yet again: is this a must win? Are they all must wins? 

• This was recorded just before the announcement of Wilson Isidor signing a permanent deal with SAFC, which we're all delighted about aye, and before more strange rumours surrounding Mike Dodds and Wycombe Wanderers but... we'll cover that after Boro in more detail.

• Gerrin Wilson marra! Falling in love with a loan player has rarely ended so well. Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• The lads weren't exactly apoplectic after the result at the Stadium of Light against a Plymouth fresh from a mauling, but they weren't exactly delighted either... 

• The team selection was a little confusing; what did the lads make of Le Bris setting us up how he did? Was Samed the right choice for that match? 

• Chris suggests that Dan Neil should do what Dan Neil does best. 

• WILSON GOT A GOAL; Bless the lad he bloody well deserved one. 

• Defensive daftness; was Patto at fault for either of Plymouth's goals or was it a collective failure? This leads the lads back into a familiar discussion about the future of our young number one. 

• We're still in a good place despite two points dropped but does that mean Boro is another must win? 

• Apologies for the lateness. It was unfortunately a matter of life and death. 

• Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• Well. Speaking of crack, the match officials seem to be smoking a fair bit if decision making is anything to go by; The lads discuss the goal that should've stood, but didn't. 

• Will PGMOL actually let poor Isidor score on Saturday or is this going to be a regular thing? 

• What did we make of our overall performance against Derby; Did Enzo continue to impress? 

• How are the lads feeling about our chances this season now we have lads returning from injury and new signings settling? 

• We'll be looking to take all the points tomorrow, but are Plymouth capable of causing us problems in their current wounded state? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC 

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What's the crack?

• Aye you guessed it. It's the penalties. They talk about the penalties.

• Wilson Isidor has fully embraced Sunderland since arriving and some people can make right ****s of themselves; 

• Enzo Le Fee's debut - what did the lads make of his performance? 

• How did we view the game generally before preparing to take on Derby? Did the lads get their predictions right? Did we mention how mint Wilson is enough? Good. 

• Aye as we said, this is basically just catching up. For new current chatter about… Wilson Isidor… you'll find our Derby reaction just above this episode, complete with rage at the injustice of it all! 

• Ha'way the Lads! 

#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC

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What's the crack? 

• SO IS IT MASSIVE OR ISN'T IT? It's pretty big I'd say, but I would say that. 

• Seriously though, how do the lads feel ahead of our return to league action? 

• Our Chris Wynn breaks from another trip down ye olde memory lane with some sobering and of course absolutely properly thoroughly researched tactical analysis of our opponents; It turns out they're pretty good at not conceding. So we need to score at least one more than them. We've cracked it again aye. 

• Good Luck Aaron; It looks like Connolly is off to Millwall after a brief stay with us and we wish him all the best! 

• What's this about Tom Cannon? This will all likely change rapidly but it seems we're looking at a deal to bring the 22 year old Leicester City forward to Sunderland that would become a permanent move should we achieve promotion to the Premier League. So what do we make of it all, as of the time of recording? 

• How do we think Regis Le Bris will approach this? Will he be tempted to go for it and try catch them, do they offer teams many opportunities to catch them really? Will Enzo get a chance this soon? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #SkyBetChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• Aye we lost it's terrible and very sad we're obviously devastated... but fear not, it's not a league game so it doesn't count. 

• Is it bad that we'd rather focus on the league? We don't think so. 

• Aleksic got a goal for his troubles which only a few of us will remember admittedly but who else stood out? Did any of our young lads impress? 

• A bad day for Dan Neil in particular, which is rare nowadays, but did he really need to be on the pitch? 

• Enzo Le Fee got a nice reveal at a fairly empty and freezing Stadium after the announcement the night before the game; it looks like we may need a few other faces though. 

• Aji Alese went down and had to be stretchered off the pitch in considerable pain; it's not looking great for the lad and we're gutted for him, so what do we do in the meantime? 

• Last of the summer Wynn; Chris gets wistful and nostalgic about the magic of the FA Cup again but he has good reason to. It's just not the competition it was... 

• All this more! Burnley next! Ha'way the Lads! 

#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC

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What's the crack? 

• It's been a decent start to the New Year hasn't it? Chris gets aggravated by belated new year greetings, but the football has been alright so there's that. 

• What will Reg do against Stoke City on Saturday? We're looking at a fair few changes surely so who is likely to make an appearance and who do the lads think should get a break ready for next Friday? 

• Welcome Enzo! A player Regis Le Bris rates extremely highly and a much sought after talent secured for the second half of the season; what do the lads make of him? Is this yet more good but highly predatory business from the club? 

• Gav keeps reminding Chris how old he is, which makes everyone older than Chris feel class aye, cheers marra. 

• Again trying to talk about Stoke is a bit difficult looking ahead to the coming league fixtures, but do the lads give a shit? Does the club? Do you? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #EmiratesFACup

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What's the crack? 

• We won a game for the first time in what feels like forever, so another one this week will do us nicely, cheers Reg. 

• A brace for a brilliant young talent: he's not really flying under any radars here is Tommy. Especially not announcing himself on Sky repeatedly. 

• Just how many goals could we have won that game by exactly? Should Mayenda get more of a chance midweek or does Connolly have a shout for a place? 

• Is Patrick Roberts just misunderstood? Are people not seeing what he offers us or is he not offering enough of what we need? 

• How much rotation will we see from RLB on Tuesday when we face a Bristol City side with a decent away record... 

• Who starts in that back line and who gets dropped? Does Luke O'Nien make way for Ballard and Mepham or does Ballard sit the game out? Will this decision mean anything longer term? 

• Martin goes full ragebait, Gav has some plugs for you and the lads try to find something significant to complain about. Aye. 

• All this and more. Once again - please and only if you can - donate to our annual SCSK Christmas fundraiser by clicking on this link or heading over to the Roker Report site for more info! If you can't donate then a share will do! Thank you! 

#EFL #SAFC #EFLChampionship #SoupKitchen24

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What's the crack?

• Three games against Stoke in just over five weeks, starting on Saturday... this is football 'eritage.

• Despite losing on Friday we looked pretty good, so surely that sets us up nicely for Stoke, no?

• Tommy Watson is hitting his stride, but Paddy needs an arm around him...

• With Mepham banned, the defence needs a re-shuffle, but we're otherwise fine... so how much do we really need to change? Will Cirkin start on the bench or will Alese let him rest a little longer? 

• Does Régis need to loosen the reins slightly in order to free us up at the top end of the pitch? 

• Stoke have been in canny enough form themselves, but the lads still fancy our chances to get back to winning ways...

• All this and more. Oh... and make sure you donate to the SCSK Christmas fundraiser 2024 by clicking on this here link or heading over to the Roker Report site for more info! 

• HAWAY THE LADS! 

#EFL #SAFC #EFLChampionship #SoupKitchen24

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What's the crack? 

• Another draw aye; we'd probably have taken it before the game, just not in those circumstances… 

• Tired legs and tired minds; could we have done better to see the game out?

• All comes down to those moments; There are actually positives to that performance aye?

• Where does that leave us going into a rare home fixture against fellow draw specialists West Bromwich Albion; Will it be another point each or will the curse be broken? 

• Jobe, Hume and Roberts will be back which are huge positives, so does Mayenda start on the wing again or does Patrick slot straight back in? Do we go back to Mepham and O'Nien in the centre or did Ballard stake enough of a claim? 

• All this and more. Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #SkyBetChampionship

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What's the crack? 

Club before country - Have we mentioned how much we hate not just international breaks, but international fixtures? Aye that hasn't changed at all. 

Safe to say reaction not just to Coventry, which the lads discuss a fair bit here, but just to the last few draws has cast a bit of a shadow on our achievements so far; Are Gav and Chris as concerned? Does this say more about the rising expectations that come with our position in the league? 

The Coventry draw was definitely a situation where two points were lost, but is it a sign of anything significant besides just being a bit too relaxed coming back out and a few slices of luck for them in that second half? 

Injuries - Apparently Romaine Mundle is looking at a while out and Browne won't be available for a little while either so which players would be looking to take advantage of this? 

Ahead of Millwall and the puzzle presented to Regis Le Bris given Jobe Bellingham, Trai Hume and Patrick Roberts are suspended.. what are we expecting Regis to do? Will he actually look at a different formation and setup? Would he consider a switch to three at the back? Luckily it's not up to us like…

All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship 

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What's the crack? 

• Still top, just the three points separates us from Leeds but Régis Le Bris has a challenge on his hands and there's a distinct possibility he's genuinely loving the chance to solve this puzzle. We're serious too, the man loves a challenge. 

• Wasn't our finest performance of the season by some margin but was it really our worst? 

• Shit happens; Bellingham accepted the red with grace after a clumsy challenge in the second half to reduce us to ten men, but he's mint and we love him so aye. 

• The Chris Rigg scare is over (we think) and RLB stated he'd be back in training this coming week so that's a relief, but just in case we're without everyone but Dan Neil by Preston, who do we think we'll bring in and how do we approach it?

• We're playing too many away games here like but is it better to get them out of the way early? 

• Chin up Jobe. Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #SkyBetChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• How good have we been since returning from the international break? We remain FIVE POINTS CLEAR at the top of the Championship and if we're not careful we might end up in a promotion race... 

• WILSONNNN; He keeps scoring, he keeps smiling and Mayenda is returning but will the latter get a look in currently? 

• JOBE; The better Bellingham just keeps getting better aye. How do we keep hold of him without promotion? Or Riggy for that matter? 

• If at first you don't succeed, Trai, Trai again; Hume is finding his feet again and Patrick Roberts seems in a decent mood. 

• RLB and injury; He's calm ahead of QPR and quite pleased with the Oxford result, but Reg has a few injury headaches and a lot more to prove in the division this season. 

• Patto out? Aye it looks like it. Can Moore do a decent cover job until he returns? 

• Looking at QPR away, trying not to get carried away and so much more!

• Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL #SkyBetChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• CHRIS RIGG OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ; The lad stuck at it after Regis stuck with him and what a goal that was! 

• ROMAINE F***ING MUNDLE LAD! He only went and won it for us didn't he the absolute legend! 

• Heed the balls; The Hatters threw absolutely everything including the kitchen sink and plenty elbows, as well as a right hook here and there and a tantrum after it didn't go their way. Do we care? 

• How did we manage to deal with that bombardment of the box? Mepham and our boy Luke took care of business yet again. 

• So aye how do we feel heading into the match against Oxford on Saturday at the Stadium of Light; We can't go and win both our away games and slip up there can we? Of course not…

• HA’WAAAAAY THE LADS! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #SkyBetChampionship

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Also stopping to preview (sort of) our trip to Kenilworth Road as we face Luton on Wednesday night!

What's the crack?

• Aye it's a quick one and Gav and Chris managed somehow to stick to that...

• He tore up Russia, he started out in France! He came to Sunderland to make the mackems dance! When he gets the ball you know he's gonna score... his name is WILSON! WILSON ISIDOR!

• So were we lucky or not there? Did the ref assist or are the Hull fans being dramatic?

• How class is Mepham man?

• Got a few lads waiting to come back but it may be too soon for them to face Luton; how do we feel about the madness coming?

• Score predictions for Wednesday night, Gav forgets stuff, Chris remembers stuff and we all lived happily ever after. The end.

• Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #skybetchampionship

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What's the crack? 

• First and foremost the lads get straight down to trying to establish the sort of game we'll see tomorrow against an unstable but still dangerous Hull City; 

• Football is back aye, everyone else is in a state and we don't seem to be. Nice isn't it. 

• How do we think we'll line up, not just tomorrow, but looking ahead at the coming fixture pile up? Are we going to need to rotate for a few weeks? 

• Just how class are things at Sunlun right now? The lads are really feeling it. How long can this last… 

• How far have we come in a short space of time? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

Divot blame it on the pitch man, we just had it done; The lads launch straight into that goal. 

What did we make of the performance on Friday; where we evenly matched with a still very expensive Leeds Utd side? 

Another game of two halves/three thirds; Was the flow even?  

RIGGY; The wunderkind strikes again with another goal to his name. What a lad eh. 

Was that Cirkin's best game in the last three? 

So aye we sit top of the table with two weeks of pointless internationals to get through, but nobody can take the throne yet. How do we feel? 

The lads will return with a Q&A to answer all your questions soonish…

All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• Sunderland are the league leaders currently, but with Burnley playing tomorrow afternoon and ourselves facing Leeds this evening (before the international break) will it last another few hours or a couple more weeks?

• Chris asks if Gav's and the wider fan's expectations have risen since the start of the season; are we where we expected us to be? 

• WILSONNNN; Bless him he's so happy man...

• JOBE; What a fucking goal. What a lad. What a player he's been so far this season. 

• Le Regis Le Bris Standards; He's never too happy with a win and his honesty is refreshing without being damaging, so do the lads agree with his assessment of the win over Derby? 

• The lads review the last win and wander off into a bit chat about the quality we have waiting in the wings; 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What's the crack? 

• Just can't stand losing a game like that. It stings. 

• What did the lads make of that first half performance? Besides of course it being shite aye.

• WILSON IS A DOOR; Aye the happiest Sunlun player since Luke O'Nien bagged his first goal for the club, so what did we make of his first start overall? 

• That Dan Neil challenge and the apology that followed; We were comfortable at the time. What was he thinking man? 

• Another bounce needed as we head into the game against newly promoted Derby County on Tuesday night, so with Ballard and Mayenda fit, and given the short recovery period between fixtures, what changes do we think Reg will make? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• The last Binns has, luckily for us all, closed down. Leaving Gav with no window but his own.

• So our new signing then.. is he another rehabilitation project in a similar vein to Clarke and Roberts? Or is he just here to provide some strength in depth? 

• Watford play Man City in the cup tonight, could this work in our favour? 

• What do we think will be the focus for Regis Le Bris as we approach the weekend; 

• How things are going at Vicarage Road; It's been almost 6 months since Tom Cleverly took charge and it looks like he may keep his job for a little while longer.

• How do the lads think we'll set up against them? Will RLB settle on the Mepham/O'Nien partnership and what does that mean for Ballard? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• Getting Riggy with it; If you do nothing else with your evening just stick that finish on repeat. 

• We're top as we record but possibly second if West Brom beat Plymouth in the rest of todays Championship fixtures, but still it's not a bad start this for Regis and the lads is it? 

• Discipline and control; How well coached are the Lads now? How delighted will the head coach be with that result getting us back on track? 

• Gav explains why Romaine Mundle is better than Clarke; 

• Everything is pretty good aye. This is nice isn't it..

• Enjoy your weekend lads and lasses! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• They aren't Newcastle no matter how much they want to be, they aren't what we are to the mags either, they just exist in a permanent state of pointlessness. 

• Parmos were invented by Italian Americans; this isn't discussed enough here. Look it up.

• Stockton has always had a smell that lingers and doesn't wash away; again not discussed anywhere near enough. 

• How do we think the lads will perform against whoever plays for this lot? Is whoever their manager is decent or not? Has anyone paid any attention to them at all besides Craig Johns? 

• Not really. The lads are actually quite thorough about the Boro but they shouldn't be in my opinion. 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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Not really. 

What's the crack? 

• We started a petition to ban international breaks but gave up 5 minutes later;

• This was always bound to happen; Gav and Chris set about telling themselves and everyone else that this was coming and while it was unlikely we were going to win everything… should we have won this? 

• Anthony Patterson has conceded one goal (from an opposition player in open play) in about 8 hours of football so far this season but he's come in for some criticism here; is it justified? 

• Dan Ballard didn't have his best game and the lads do point this out quite a bit too aye; 

• How do we expect Reg to deal with this heading into a home fixture against our very distant cousins who we never think about at all? 

• Lots of picking ourselves up and moving on and drawing lines and the like, but seriously we should probably just get over it if we want another shot at topping the table. 

• ROMAINE MUNDLE IS STILL MINT JUST SAYING 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What's the crack? 

How are we feeling ahead of a busy weekend? 

It appears Aji Alese has suffered another injury following the Burnley victory that is rumoured may keep him out for an estimated eight* weeks; if this is the case can Dan Ballard pick up where he left off? 

*RLB confirmed injury on Thursday but estimation is currently 3-4 weeks

How do we think RLB will approach Pompey and will they prove more of a challenge than our recent opponents? 

What are Portsmouth up to anyway since we last met? Do they have pitch drainage yet? Is Luke O'Nien planning further vengeance against the locals? 

The lads try to work out when they'll next be recording…

All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC

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What's le crack? 

• ROMAINE MUNDLE; Upon stepping into the still flaming shoes of the outgoing Jack Clarke he only went and won the game for us didn't he. Unbelievable Jeff. 

• TOP OF THE LEAGUE; Aye we're only three games in we know but that's a historic run for Sunderland AFC and everything is falling into place for RLB. 

• Rigged again; Can you drop Chris Rigg at this point? Another brilliant performance from our young midfield, but a bit of déjà vu for our Dan Neil as he was sent off after a second yellow with 5 minutes to go. 

• Anthony Patterson hasn't had anything to do for weeks so what is he doing to entertain himself whilst Hume, Alese, O'Nien and Cirkin form a practically impenetrable wall around him; as far as we can tell it is the first time in our history that we have won three without conceding so aye. Impressive work lads. 

• Alexandre Mendy has been spotted swimming up the east coast of England but may have run into trouble through the night around Lowestoft, drones have been sent to look for Sunlun’s number one fan; 

• Jack Clarke's departure announced by Sunderland and Ipswich as well as more talk of incomings at the club and a few of your questions.

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC

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Fabrizio Romano announced on his social media feed at 22:24 on Thursday night that our Jack the lad will be leaving Sunderland AFC for Ipswich Town following a medical on Friday morning so... 

How are we taking this news? 

• Is the £20 million fee with an as yet unknown sell-on clause enough for one of our most talented players? 

• What do we think RLB will do for now to address the absence of Jack on the left? 

• Wilson Isidor is very close to an announcement as a Sunderland player; so what do we know about the former Rennes, Monaco and Zenit forward? 

• The promising young RB Salzburg striker Roko Simic could be a Sunderland player soon if reports are to be believed; do we like the look of him? 

• The Mendy saga continues with another statement from the player on his wish to join Sunderland; 

• Oh and we play Burnley tomorrow yes so the lads squeeze a bit in about their ever evolving squad and our prospects against them as they visit the Stadium of Light for a rare 3pm kick-off...

It's all going on. 

Thanks for the memories Jack! Ha'way the Lads!

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What's the crack? 

• ELIEZER MAYENDA: GET IN LAD! 

• We keep saying it but just how vital is Dennis Cirkin to the way we play? 

• Chris Rigg is just ridiculously good. How good is he exactly? What is his ceiling? Is he the second coming? 

• Luke O'Nien has been found out this season already as... he's a goal machine apparently; 

• A great start for Reg; two league games with two wins and two clean sheets, so can this continue? 

• Chris tries to calm Gav down a bit again and Gav doesn't get to listener questions, but has redeemed himself by recording a Burnley preview with Martin answering those questions that should be up imminently... 

• Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• How do the lads feel about that result? Reg isn't as happy as you might think but as first League games go in charge, that wasn't bad at all. 

• A clean sheet, two goals and three points; can't really ask for more can we? Especially away from home. 

• Dennis Cirkin. That's all. 

• Did Jobe have his best performance in a Sunderland shirt or just his best performance in a Hummel Sunderland shirt. No, they didn't pay us to say that. 

• What did the lads make of our general style of play and who - besides our goalscorers on the day Luke O'Nien and Jack Clarke - really made the difference for us? 

• Attempting to answer a few of your questions (quickly) and more! 

Ha'way the Lads! #SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• Regis lad; How is our new head coach settling in?

• Gav was over Shields on Saturday, so what did he make of the game? 

• Early recruitment seems to have focused on keepers and also strengthening the midfield, both areas getting the experience we asked for, so are the lads happy with it so far? 

• How significant a signing could Alan Browne be? 

• We definitely need a striker aye, but Chris and Gav disagree on how the club may go about it; 

• What should we be looking at in the coming Friendlies against Nottingham Forest on Friday and Eldense on Sunday? 

• Hummel and the club reveal the next kit design on Friday after the first went down so well we sold out... so are there ships on the horizon? Mainly ships carrying more stock aye. 

• Will we start to see some evidence of this philosophy we've heard about recently from RLB and Speakman on the pitch, and what does this mean long-term for the club itself? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What's le crack? 

• Welcome Reg! He hasn't actually arrived at the academy yet but he'll be there imminently. 

• So has everyone calmed down a bit? It's been a bit of a month for a few, so does this settle the nerves ahead of preseason? 

• Who is Régis Le Bris? The French footy analysts and pundits seem to think highly of him; 

• Is this a distinctly KLD appointment? It certainly feels like one; 

• Are the lads excited by the possibilities or more cautious? 

• What does he need to do first? Can he have a real impact on the players (and the fans) this summer? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #RegisLeBris #Championship

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What's the crack? 

• Now the lads are away on their hols and with plenty of time to reflect, who do we think stood out in the past season? Besides Jack Clarke aye..

• The lads try to sell Patto for a giggle; but how do we feel about the goalkeeping situation? Is Young a bit too young for a chance? 

• We may have the best pair of full backs in the league if Cirkin was able to stay fit, so what did the lads make of our attempts to deal with injuries this season, what exactly is Leo Hjelde and will Pembele stick around next season? 

• Are O'Nien and Ballard good enough for a promotion push or do they need further assistance and more experienced competition? Will Ballard be snapped up by someone or is it too early for him? 

• Dan Neil, Pierre Ekwah and that central midfield issue; The lads debate the qualities of both players and of course look at the risk of losing Neil in the summer. 

• Jobe; What do we do with the younger Bellingham brother? He's had a decent season for a lad his age but has he been mismanaged? 

• The Jack Clarke debate; Will he stay or will he go? Martin fights valiantly against the position of Gav and Chris on this, but we can all agree that the saga may go on for a while yet. 

• Paddy Roberts and the rest; Aye I won't list everyone but Gav does so what do we do with all these wingers, tens and alleged forwards? Should we have sold Roberts when we had the chance? Why did we bother with Burstow? Is Rusyn actually decent or a competition winner? What happened to poor Jewi? 

• All this and so much more!

Another pod will follow... Imminently.

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What's the crack? 

• That season was shit aye. So how is everyone? 

• Appointment announcement incoming? That's a genuine question like we have no clue if it's coming or not. 

• Mogga, Micky and Mike; Do any come away with any credit whatsoever? 

• Do we think we're going to go for the likes of Will Still - an up and coming coach from the continent type - or are we leaning towards someone with a bit more experience? 

• Can Gav get a word in here? No he can't and it's amusing. He talks too much anyway. 

• All this and more! We'll be back with a part two and possibly a part three and four if the lads survive those conversations. 

Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

Was that the most boring game we've seen this season/decade/century? 

Can we end the season now? Editors note/answer: Yes. Yes we can.

If Mike Dodds wants a career in management Mike Dodds might like to consider thinking about what Mike Dodds really has to lose by trying to win games at home. 

Did anyone try to win that game for us? Mike Dodds once again laid the blame at the players feet and doesn't think it's on Mike Dodds but is that fair in this case? Shouldn't he be shouldering responsibility for team selection and tactics? 

The lads try once again to address the issues at hand and look at the backroom as well as the head coach; should they be cleared out too when summer finally arrives? 

Answering your questions and more!

Aye, just get to the summer aye.

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• It wasn't a win - we couldn't get the ball to go in - but was it better? 

• A far improved performance from Pierre Ekwah yesterday; Martin thinks he needs to get a bit of consistency going ahead of potential competition arriving for his place in that midfield. 

• The lads just don't rate Hjelde, so apologies to Hjelde fans out there; 

• The tangents continue as is now tradition, as Gav and Martin try and dance around a lot of the actual football by getting lost in thoughts about the summer and next season; 

• Are we looking to turn a quick profit on Jobe, hence his long run in the side this season? Should we be thinking more about any future deals with Rigg and prioritising his development in that area of the pitch? 

• Would we rather give Watson (or anyone else at all who we currently own) a chance over the likes of Burstow? What's occurring with Ba getting dropped from the bench? 

• Against all Dodds; Leeds coming up next as Mike attempts to take points from Daniel Farke again this season but Gav is a little nervous. Could we “do a Sunlun” though?

• We may be back tomorrow with our bumper International Fans Day special recording from the Fans Museum on Friday, or we will catch you all on the other side of the Leeds result however that goes.. 

• Cheers for listening and ha'way the lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• Those Good Friday vibes didn't continue, the lads would've talked about them but why bother? 

• Argh why us argh etc 

• Dodds was a mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake aye. 

• Would Heckingbottom be a good appointment and if so, would it be better to get him in now or leave it until the summer? 

• Craig attempts to get Kristjaan Speakman's attention by accusing him of picking the side himself, poor decision making, appointing his mate in a caretaker role unnecessarily, poor player recruitment for a while, resting on ancient successes and tells him to sort it out like because this isn't on like and we may get relegated next season if he doesn't sort it out like. No protests have been planned as yet. 

• The important/vital summer becomes more important/vital still as the "important/vital summer" quote extravaganza continues.  

• All this and more! Aye.

#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC

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What’s the crack?

• Our worst losing streak in a decade comes to an end, but we didn’t make it easy on ourselves; what did the lads make of it all? Nice quick minute or so spent on the game itself here.

• We got a clean sheet! Just the one for now but it’s good news? It is isn’t it? Tell me it is please I need something.

• Can we build on this result, however dull it might’ve been?

• We need this international break, we need this summer and ideally we need it all to come along a lot faster;

• Do we need to change up the backroom staff a bit as well as the head coach?

• This is exactly what our Chris Wynn said would happen aye.

• Just… aye. Ha’way the Lads!

#EFL #SAFC #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• BREAKING NEWS: WE'RE STILL SHITE

• It wasn't exactly an inspirational performance against Southampton but at least we got a couple goals aye? 

• Stop overthinking it Mike; the lads try to explain to Dodds where he might be going wrong... 

• Defensive injury woes continue to just get worse as Seelt is now absent for Saturday and likely the rest of the season; so how do we sort this mess until Luke gets back? 

• The lads both get a little ranty about it all and question the team selection, specifically regarding players like Adil Aouchiche.

• So with QPR retaining the services for now of a lad who allegedly hit someone with a brick back on the continent, we have to deal with a reasonably potent attacking threat. Especially if he's got a rock in his hand.

• The lads try to predict how things will look after the final whistle and sort of give up. Aye.

• All this and more. Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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This isn't something we'd necessarily advise you listen to, especially if you're feeling a bit low, but if that's your thing then we won't judge. Enjoy the descent into madness or switch to the Southampton reaction and QPR preview that's just gone up.

What's the crack? 

• The first half hour or so the lads looked at the defeat at home to Swansea City, tried to work out what exactly the players were playing at and started to show a little concern over the Dodds intervention on the pitch. Gav was not feeling confident at all.

• The second half hour is of course dedicated to the memory of Doddsy's sanity and tactical nous, as the lads just stood aghast at the complete lack of attacking intent against a Norwich side that could have been beaten on the day. 

• The final part of this glorious trilogy features further concern after our result against Leicester City and a complete lack of belief in the lads being capable of getting a result at Southampton which (spoiler alert) funnily enough turned out to be the case.

• We're very sorry we have to do this to you all. Good luck and Ha'way the lads! 

#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC

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What's the crack? 

• BurnerGate; Well that's not very a clever thing to do is it lad? The lads try and work out why it appears he did what he did and why it's a bad idea...

• Will Michael Beale get another job in coaching after this or should he take some time to consider everything that has happened these past couple months/years; 

• Away from all that and back to the footy as DoddsBall returns this Saturday; what are we expecting from the great one? How exactly does he get to grips with the situation he's been left to deal with? 

• Looking over Swansea this season and in spite of our poor record against them, Chris is optimistic about our chances… but Gav isn't. So what's wrong with Gav? 

• Do we expect to see Jobe or Rusyn up top and which would the lads prefer? 

• Can Mundle take advantage of a bit of a winger injury crisis? Will we start him and even maybe a young Chris Rigg? 

• The lads struggle with the concept of 'quick fire' as they attempt a short listener Q&A but end up going on a bit as they do. 

• Gav goes a bit funny at the mention of Benidorm. Don't ask. 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Dodds! 

#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC

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What's the crack? 

• Beale gets his name in the Sunlun record books; 

• How are the lads feeling after hearing the news and processing it a little? 

• A bit of a vague statement from the club about Beale's departure; what do they make of it all? 

• Should the club consider fan reaction to an appointment? Can Beale be blamed for that initial backlash? Did it help the situation? 

• The lads feel a bit relieved but not so much over the footy... was that all a massive waste of time? 

• All aboard for DoddsBall 3.0 as the club leaves footballing matters in Mike Dodd's hands for the foreseeable; at least we know the lads will play for him aye? 

• All this and more! What a club man.

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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The lads got together to chat all things Sunlun after a lovely win over Plymouth at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, as well as to answer a few listener questions and look ahead to a busy week as Michael Beale tries to fix our away form against both Huddersfield and a certain Birmingham City at the weekend! 

What's the crack? 

• The lads reflect on a nice performance against Plymouth, specifically in the second half...

• Is Jack Clarke the greatest winger in the world? Probably not, but he's getting there. 

• Ekwah, Jobe and Jack all scored some lovely goals, but who scored the loveliest? 

• Have recent performances and tactical decisions helped Michael Beale enough to ease some of the pressure he was under? Can he address our issues away from home this season? 

• What positive changes have we seen now our head coach has had time to settle? How has he got more from Clarke than Mowbray was getting towards the end of his time at the club? 

• How are we feeling ahead of Huddersfield Town on Wednesday night? Is this another must win or would Gav take a point if it meant we had the better performance at the weekend against Mogga? 

• Martin convinces Gav to get a few more of your questions in than we can manage! 

• All this and more! Ha'way little Poppy 💙

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• First threesome in a little while, they've not forgotten how it all works though. Aye.

• The transfer window; Covering everything from outgoings to Greece, new signing Leo Hjelde, the seemingly endless Amad Diallo saga and more! 

• Questions about the BealeOut hashtag trend and possibly taking things a bit far; Does anyone have an answer for why some people hate him so very much? The lads try to work it out and reiterate their feelings on the matter. 

• The RAWA meeting with the club, how the lads feel about things off the pitch generally and the brilliance of the wonderful Malcolm Bramley. 

• The Ownership; Does Chris like Kyril? Does Martin like Juan? Is Gav using Maurice like a sock puppet or is it his turn for the Wee Phillie treatment? 

• How do the lads feel about where the club is right now and how do they feel going forward? 

• So many questions, so little time. There's just so much going on aye. If we didn't get to yours this time, apologies. Send any abuse about anything you may have heard on this episode to Gavspersonalemail@itwasntme.co.uk

• Thanks for listening and ha'way the lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

WE WON. Doesn't that feel a bit better? 

Well played Mason; Young Burstow had one of his best performances, if not the best so far, in a Sunderland shirt. Congratulations to the lad for getting his first goal for the club! 

Alex Pritchard apparently plain refused to pull on his shirt this weekend. The lads debate how reasonable this is given his seniority and responsibilities and judge the fan reaction they've seen so far to the news. 

ABDOULLAH! The lad comes good again! 

Take a bow; Pierre Ekwah found the net again also! 

What did we make of the performance overall - does it look like we're starting to see any significant changes? 

How are Gav and Martin (who had no strong feelings on Michael Beale's arrival) feeling about the microanalysis of pressers and interviews; Beale got in trouble for calling out personal insults (when asked about them) and got himself in more bother trying to explain what he meant. Could he have handled that a bit better? Did the following wave of clickbait bullshit from impossible to navigate sites built by Satan's minions help matters? 

Would the Alex Neil approach to journalists work better for him or should he ask the group what their favourite chocolates are? 

RAWA meeting minutes and Speakman speaks; so did we learn anything new? 

How we feeling about the approaching end of the window? Nervous? Relaxed? Wanting a signing or three? 

All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What's the crack? 

• We didn't score. This is still an issue, surprisingly. 

• Why aren't we trying something different? Is Beale doing enough to hold off the baying mob? 

• Where exactly do the hierarchy go from here with two seemingly strongly held positions becoming more and more clearly defined in fan discourse and disputes over the direction and decision making from Kyril, the board and Speakman.

• With two horrible looking games on paper coming up... what do we do?

• Will they actually sack a manager after 7 games or will they double down on it?

• All this and more!

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What's the crack? 

• So we might need a striker aye; 

• Could we have taken at least a point from that game? 

• Martin shares his worries about the state of play currently at the club; 

• Should we actually go for the experience Tony wanted? Would it make a difference to Beale if he's always one game away from the noose? 

• What can Beale do at this point this early on to change hearts and minds? Is it actually possible for some of the fan base to forgive him for… Rangers? 

• Some more discussion about individual errors and how sick we are of discussing them; 

• It could be a long couple of months.

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack?

• The Mags game... did we set up properly? What did we make of the performance?

• The SO37 display and the treatment of the volunteers online; 

• The Ownership - some people aren't happy… 

• The Black Cats bar fiasco - whose fault was it, and what's going to happen next? Is anything going to happen? 

• The Transfer Window - who should we sign, who needs to leave... and will Jack Clarke go anywhere? 

• Michael Beale - what do we make of the job done so far?

• The Future - what will be seen as success this season?

• All of this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What’s the crack?

• Sunderland drew at Rotherham in what was a flat performance, so what did the lads think of what they saw?

• Weird team selection at the start seemed to make it hard for us to break them down, so what did we do to turn the game back in our favour nearer the end?

• Is four points from two away games a good return all things considered?

• ⁠Martin’s not a fan of Ba or Burstow, but what should we do with them both going forward?

• How much of the recent performances can be attributed to Michael Beale?

• ⁠Given all he’s learned about the team, how should he approach the Preston game — and will he start a striker up front?

• All this and much more. Happy New Year!

*Recorded at some point in the last 24 hours aye. Been busy hew. Ha'way the Lads!

#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC

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What's the festive crack? 

• Well, that was tough - so what went wrong? 

• Ba's performance left a lot to be desired, but he didn't deserve the boos in Gav's opinion. 

• The atmosphere in the ground was... strange. 

• Why couldn't Sunderland convert dominance into goals (again)

• Sunderland's defending was crap and it needs fixing ASAP but could it be helped by the attackers not randomly losing the ball after running into a dead end? Who knows. 

• Will Beale/Dodds use this performance to change things up at Hull? 

• All this and more! A Merry Christmas to one and all…

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• Coventry are always a tough opponent for Sunderland, so how much attention should we pay to their league position?

• After losing some good players, are they the same force as they were last season?

• Some interesting stats on this one, and all things point to a draw...

• What did the lads make of Beale & Speakman's presser?

• Gav was at the U21s game on Monday and reports back on how all the first teamers played...

• Cards on the table - are we gonna win or what?

• All this and more. Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack?

• Well, Michael Beale is here - so what do the lads make of it?

• How much stock should we place into what happened to him at Rangers?

• Has the reaction, particularly online, been fair? Chris allows his seething hatred of social media to resurface.

• What are the logical reasons for the appointment?

• Will there be any honeymoon period, or does he have to hit the ground running?

• What's the difference between a head coach and a manager, and why is it relevant?

• All of this and more - Back soon!

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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Other titles considered:

On a mission from Dodds

DoddsBall: The Sequel

Nectar of the Dodds

Dodds Day Sunrise

Who let the Dodds out

Live or let Dodds

Dodds, take the wheel

In Dodds we trust

All this and Mike fucking Dodds! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack?

Well, it's been a bit of a week, hasn't it? Chris catches us up on his thoughts on Mogga's sacking;

Back to basics in many ways - and it worked!

Jobe up front - what do we think about that?

How much credit does Mike Dodds deserve?

Potential red cards, a blatantly onside offside goal, dodgy free kicks and more - it was another day to forget for the EFL officials;

Expectations vs reality - what's going to happen when we play Leeds? 

All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack?

• "Argh ye killed me other pod, man" and other tales.

• Was it the right call to axe Tony?

• Was the writing on the wall after his post-match comments?

• Do you think we’ve got anyone lined up? A European maybe? A bald Austrian or something?

• What do we make of what Speakman & KLD had to say?

• Where do things go from here? Besides of course waiting for the new coach to be announced so we can record another podcast.

• Just... Aye. Good morning btw.

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #TonyMowbray

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What's the crack?

• If the 2-0 loss to Plymouth wasn't enough misery for one week we were treated to an absolute feast of terrible football on Wednesday night as we lost at home to Huddersfield Town; Safe to say it's not gone down well.

• What exactly is Tony doing?

• Without Clarke taking games by the scruff we look pretty toothless for all our possession; What should we (or Mogga in this case) be doing to solve this pretty significant issue?

• He may have just got a contract extension but does Patrick Roberts deserve to start at the moment?

• Just how much of a impact has losing our ability to field "proper" full backs to cover full back duties had on our ability to play our natural game?

• The Lads look back over the last 8 games or so and try to analyse our results, are we actually at risk yet?

• How many chances will Mowbray get before KLD and Speakman decide to change things up? We know moods can change fast with a few good results but are we confident we can get those results in this run?

• Looking forward to Millwall then?

• All this catharsis and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack?

• That's a lovely way to enter an international break isn't it? How we all feeling after that? 

• Huggins is the boy; after an injury to Cirkin in the warm-up brought in another of our less experienced lads in Nectar Triantis, Niall managed to not only be exactly where he was needed at the back, but also made a brilliant run to help secure all three points.

• Clarke's class and Jobe's job done; great performances from both but Roberts seemed to struggle after a dodgy challenge and then card from another terrible referee. 

• Some interesting subs from Mowbray paid off in the end as the Lads settled into a good rhythm in the second half despite losing a well performing Rusyn up top; Adil showed his class once again and got a goal for his troubles and Mayenda - who looks like some player - attempted to decapitate John Ruddy for a laugh.

• Was that a weird game to try and review? The lads try work out where exactly they stand and Gav remembers to slip in your three word reviews!

• Poor Wayne continues to look like he's not got a clue why he's in football management; good luck to Birmingham for the remainder of this season. 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• How are we feeling ahead of not just the Birmingham match itself, but the dreaded international break that follows? 

• So Wayne and friends; how are things going as the former granny sha… I mean England talisman.. tries to settle into his role at St Andrews? 

• How shite are Birmingham generally (no offence to Birmingham fans of course) and why have they been stuck to the lower end of the Championship for this long? 

• We've lost our primary defensive partnership for the game but are we too concerned over it? How do the lads think Tony will approach this issue? 

• How should we be approaching this side? Do the lads think we'll get another Norwich performance or could we make things more difficult for ourselves given it's a home game? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• How are the lads feeling after that result? Bit frustrated? 

• Did the red card for Swansea's Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino actually work against us? 

• Patto Lad; Another clean sheet and a penalty save to spare a few Sunlun blushes! 

• Tony isn't happy with Luke O'Nien or Dan Ballard as both pick up yellows to rule them out of our Birmingham fixture. Was he right to read them the riot act? 

• Mowbray also went after his strikers following on from some interesting comments about Hemir days before the match; what do the lads make of all that? 

• If one of our shots had actually gone in, would anyone be complaining about the quality of football we witnessed or the odd subs? Chris is feeling pretty relaxed about it all. 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack?

• PGMOL are still on a warning, but even they couldn't stop the Lads on Saturday; So how are we feeling after all that?

• Jack Clarke and Dan Neil may just be two of the very best players in the division but try keep that to yourselves aye; the lads try to convince everyone they should stick around Sunlun for a while longer.

• What a goal man. Just aye. Still got it on repeat.

• GO WATCH THE GOAL AGAIN!

• A brilliant performance from all the lads; besides the aforementioned not-so-secret weapons, who really stood out for us and how confident are we heading into the Swansea game this weekend?

• Play to the whistle Pierre; Was that offside? Should Ekwah be paying any attention to the linesman anyway?

• There's been a mixed reaction to Rusyn's first start; what did the lads make of what he brought to the side? Is he a better option in that position than who we've seen so far?

• Ah there's all kinds going on, from your three word reviews to Gav getting a couple goes at predicting the last result until he got it right to just pointing out how shite Norwich were. Should probably give it a listen and we'll be back midweek.

• HA'WAY THE LADS!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• God Save Dan Neil. He's just another level isn't he? 

• Patto had a bit more to do in this game and was just class aye. The lads will fill you in on the rest.

• What did they make of the performance overall and how good were some of the individual performances against a side who look destined to smash all championship records on their way back to the PL; 

• If we'd played like that against Stoke and other stories; the players really tried to show they had what it takes against quality opposition, so can they maintain that level against everyone? 

• There's a bit of a debate about Burstow going on and some confusion over what exactly is wrong with Hemir or Rusyn getting more of a chance to show they can work in this system; Is it time to change the player or adjust the system for better results in the final third? 

• How do we see Tony approaching Norwich on Saturday? Will he actually make the changes people want to see or will he stick with the lads he seems to trust most? 

• Predictions and possible outcomes; should we be approaching this run of games coming up looking to get maximum points? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the Crack? 

Two weeks of waiting for 90+ minutes of frustration; how do the lads feel about it all? 

Mowbray made some changes to the line-up and opted to keep all our strikers on the bench before later throwing all our strikers on the pitch; would he have been wise to maybe use one or two from the beginning? 

Though everyone was delighted to see Pierre Ekwah back on the pitch and Jobe did his best with the role he was forced to play, how much did we miss the presence of Dan Neil in the middle of the park? 

Another match, another terrible example of modern officiating; considering we only lost the use of a key player over 135 minutes of football because of the decision making of a referee whose general incompetence drew an official apology from PGMOL, we were daft enough to think they'd try a bit harder. Unfortunately they doubled down. 

How did that goal stand? How did they not see it? Were we denied a penalty again towards the end of the match and can we trade in these apologies for points or, if all else fails, alcohol? Maybe a consistent, sensible and professional official or two? 

Stoke are just so… Stoke. Has Alex Neil been imbued with the spirit of Tony Pulis? Suppose we should give him some credit for managing to take advantage of our weaknesses. 

So Leicester City away on Tuesday; how do Gav and Chris see this one playing out? Are we expecting some sort of response from both Mowbray and the players? 

The lads work their way through a wonderful list of enthusiastic, positive and glowing three word reviews from their fellow fans! 

All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What's the crack? 

• What the actual f*** was that? 

• How is that the standard of refereeing in this country? 

• The letter of the law versus the spirit of the law; it's not the rules, it's how and when you apply them. 

• A lack of consistency; the lads get to the bottom of the frustration with PGMOL. 

• Mowbray's game management; what did the lads make of the way Tony attempted to adapt to the situation? 

• Despite the result, how do the lads feel heading into this international break sat where we are currently? 

• All this and a bit of a long rant. Aye. 

• Ha'way the Lads! Free Dan Neil! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• What are Watford up to recently? They're not looking great sat where they are in the table; 

• Be nice to get another three points under the lights against a struggling side but there's always a worry that could work against us so will they come to frustrate or will they take the risk and try to attack?  

• Do we think Mowbray will make a few changes given we play Boro on Saturday? The lads try a bit reverse psychology on Tony this week.

• Gav takes a look at the Watford fans online and their take on it all; are they feeling any hope currently and if not, can we exploit that? 

Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What's the crack? 

• CLARK, CLARKE WILL TEAR YOU APART, AGAIN! 

• Just aye. Jack Clarke is too good for this division. 

• How good is this side? Do we know how high the ceiling is for some of the talent we have? 

• Burstow played his best game for the Lads so far, what did we think of his performance? 

• Cheers for the points Chansiri? Sheffield Wednesday are in a bit of a state at the moment, bless them, and he's not exactly helping matters; 

• Sunlun 2.0 - We often think of "doing a Sunlun" as a negative but has that changed recently? 

• What has actually driven our successes on the pitch, and how much has our new approach changed people's perception of the club? 

• We go through a few listener points and of course the three word reviews, as Gav once again gets carried away… Or does he? Are we good enough to challenge this season? 

• All this and a lot more! Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What's the crack?

• Chris needs this win as he's surrounded by their lot; but just because we should win.. well.. you know the rest.

• Yes things really are that bad down there. The fans are apathetic, agitated, annoyed, sick of the owner and the manager and the struggle. Sounds familiar.

• In all seriousness, can we take advantage of a side that currently share a terrifying statistic with a former striker of ours? Are we tempting fate with all this? Of course aye.

• The lads discuss the possible changes (if any) that Tony Mowbray could make, and wax lyrical about a couple of promising performances for the U21 side on Monday, as Rusyn, Rigg and Aouchiche got a decent run out;

• Is Patto fully fit? Was Bishop held back for a reason on Monday? Is Ekwah anywhere near ready to return? What about Dack for Pritch? How many question marks can I get away with?

• How do the lads see this all playing out? With the Sky cameras there will we be seeing a protest from their fans, or even (if he loses) the end of another Wednesday manager's time at the club?

• All this and much more! If you don't get a reference to Saxon or Def Leppard then ask your Da or Granda or Google. Haw'ay the Lads!

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What's the crack? 

• Gav bans his mate from attending any future home fixtures; 

• How can we dominate like that and yet lose, and why does it feel so Sunlun? 

• The positives: Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham to name a couple; how good is young Jobe, was taking him off a mistake? Just how exceptional a player is Dan Neil going to be? He's already a PL midfielder in our opinion.

• Do we play better without a striker? It would appear so currently, but can that change? 

• Aye you might've noticed this was actually recorded in the immediate aftermath of the game so Gav and Chris got stuck into the immediate fan reaction and many of our listener opinions; 

• All this and more! Back Thursday with a nice shiny new preview for our upcoming game against Wednesday on Friday. Aye.

Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What a match that was man. After picking themselves up off the floor our Gav and Chris sat back down to pick apart another three points on the road, try to put into words what we just witnessed and somehow preview our upcoming home fixture against Cardiff City on Sunday! 

(Cheers for the title idea @Rachaelthex91) 

What's the crack? 

• JACK THE LAD! He's only gone and done it again hasn't he the absolutely gorgeous b*stard. The EFL Championship's current top scorer is on fire! 

• DAN NEIL STRIKES BACK! Absolute stunner from our young midfield maestro to get us back in front; Has he been underrated so far this season? 

• Luke O'Nien plays where he wants; some insanity at the back but the Lads got it done any way they possibly could. Hopefully not too a serious knock for Dan Ballard? 

• Pure unadulterated chaos; Are we all ok after that? Everyone got their sedatives aye? Maybe some warm milk or some… valium… 

• Sunderland are now fourth in the league and our main "senior" forward hasn't kicked a ball yet. Not bad going really is it for the red and white wizards? 

• Aye. Cardiff at the Stadium of Light on Sunday so how are we feeling ahead of that challenge? Ridiculously confident? Nervous? Bit of both? 

• Gav gets carried away with it all (again), we read out your three word reviews and more! 

Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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• I'm alright Jack; The p*** biscuit saw red at Loftus Road after trying to snap Jobe's leg in half, before our very own Jack Clarke fired in a beautifully timed equaliser. Funny.

• Well that was f***in delightful; how do the lads feel after that performance?

• Ainsworth; what the f*** was he wearing honestly? A lovely 20% possession for the shithouse is all he's got to show for his tactical genius. Again... funny.

• Goals for Dan Ballard and an assist for one of our new French lads as Abdoullah Ba finished the game off in style! Just class from so many today wasn't it?

• So as it stands we sit 7th in the EFL Championship with a couple nice wins under our belt; looking forward to Blackburn on Wednesday?

• All this, your three word reviews and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What’s the crack? 

• Slava Ukraini! Welcome Nazariy Lad! 

• Are we feeling confident ahead of Saturday? 

• Tony Mowbray is probably unlikely to make any significant changes from the side that started against Southampton last time out, but we do have a few strike options available now; 

• Weird haka performances aside, how has Ainsworth been doing recently in his relatively new role? Are we expecting the same sort of tactics from one of the masters of lower league time wasting shithousery? 

• It's just nice to have options isn't it; the new lads seem hungry from what we've seen and we could even get to the point where Mowbray has a selection headache thanks to our new strength in depth.

• How do we see this match playing out? Would a draw be enough or should we be looking to take maximum points from sides like QPR?

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• Well it's been quite a week lads and lasses, so hope you're in the mood to revisit it all again as these two are! 

• That absolute battering of Southampton wasn't bad at all was it? Imagine missing that man. 

• The lads look at just how impressive Sunderland were last weekend and try and pick their standout performers from the match; 

• We dish out plenty of credit to lads (a certain Abdoullah Ba particularly) we've previously been critical of, as patience shows itself once again to be a virtue worth having. 

• How confident are we looking ahead with the sort of squad we have now? 

• Who were we most happy to have kept hold of when the window slammed shut last week? 

• Departures; Sad to see a few lads go but is it ultimately for the best for all concerned? 

• Who of the new deadline day signings are we most looking forward to seeing play for the club? 

• Gav struggles with saying Aouchiche for the 100th time in seven days; 

• Risk vs Reward; Every transfer is a gamble and we like to take more than most, but will they pay off? 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL

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What's the crack? 

• Clean sheet and a point - we'll take that all day long aye?

• How do we feel after that? Besides mildly infuriated that Ba didn't pass that ball.. 

• We're sticking with Dack but is it working? 

• Tomorrow never came, so new lad in tomorrow aye? 

• Everyone is concentrating on the need for striker by the end of the window, but Chris thinks we need to focus our attentions on the midfield too;

• Another brilliant performance (on the pitch and down the beach) from Luke O'Nien. Isn't he a good boy? Yes he is. 

• Your three word reviews and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack? 

• JOBE "STARBOY" BELLINGHAM - The lads wax lyrical about the maturity, skill and promise of our new young starlet as his two first senior goals secure our first few points of the 23/24 campaign! 

• Do the Bellingham brothers have more siblings hidden away anywhere? 

• So do we all feel a bit more upbeat after a win? I bet we do..

• Was anyone slightly concerned when they saw the starting lineup? 

• Bradley Dack impresses despite clearly not being a striker (that's Jobe now obviously) so how does this look for Alex Pritchard's future at the club?

• The name is Mr Sunderland - Luke O'Nien continues to prove his worth after a brilliant performance. 

• All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship 

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What's the crack? 

• The Sundered Lands; Aye we lost again and Craig's journey back home after the game was less than thrilling… 

• What did the lads make of the game on Saturday, and what do they all make of the first week or so overall?

• Is everyone feeling ok? Tensions are running high online and every day there's a bit drama but it seems offline the majority are taking it all in their stride; do the lads think the players pay any attention to X/Twitter... and how uninterested in social media is our Chris?

• Do the Daveh Moyeseh; Can we somehow recover over the remaining 44 games or are we doomed? 

• How do we feel ahead of Rotherham? They've had a couple interesting results, but do they look stronger than when we last played?

• Are we still looking forward to the rest of the season? Of course we are..

• All this and more! The only way is up.

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #HWTL

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What's the crack? 

• Don't Panic? Do Panic? Why are we panicking again? 

• How was the fan experience for these two daft lads who unaccountably turned up to watch the Crewe game? 

• What can we take away from that performance if anything and how did the rest of the Championship do against their respective lower league opposition? 

• How are we feeling ahead of our trip to Deepdale on Saturday? Confident we'll resume our away form and give the fans something to smile about? 

• Is it possible to be slightly concerned about something and not turn it into something else entirely? Should we wait until the window is over before the inquest begins? Gav thinks so.. 

• All this and more! Claps included.

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

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What's the crack?

• Gav has had a drink. He'll tell you in a second.

• Have ye had a drink Gav aye?

• The lads try to put their initial feelings into words after a bit of a rollercoaster of a match;

• Are we planning on learning from mistakes this season?

• Lacking that killer instinct; They may disagree on a few things here but both agree we need to make more of our dominance on the ball.

• Any point overreacting to the result?*

• Can Paddy and Jack stop losing the ball please?

• Mogga's subs; not exactly inspired yesterday.

• What can we take away from the game overall?

• All this and much more!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #HWTL

*No.

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What's the crack? 

• It's been a long time coming, so is everyone suitably excited for the long season ahead? 

• How has George been since we last spoke and what has he made of Sunderland's progress under Speakman, as well as our top six finish last season under Tony Mowbray? 

• How bold is the approach we've taken to recruitment (from the outside looking in) and should more sides be looking to implement such a model? 

• Does George see any reason Sunderland fans shouldn't be looking at the top six again this season?

• What's occurring around the division - are the sides who fell looking strong enough to make an immediate return to the Premier League? Could we see more shocks this year than last? 

• Chris had the misfortune to spend last weekend very drunk in Warsaw with a couple of very confident Ipswich fans (who George also happens to know personally) so are they right to be confident in his opinion? Does Chris want to know the answer? 

• Has anyone in League One missed us since we left (as we honestly don't really miss them) and the lads dip into a bit of discussion about the Wrexham trend..

• All this and much, much more! 

Ha'way the Lads!

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #ITFC #NTT20

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What's the crack? 

• Gav realises the United States is a big place…

• The lads reflect on watching matches at weird times of the night and why they're suddenly bothered enough to stay up that late with work the next morning.

• How do we feel as the tour comes to an end (at the time of recording the Lads flights hadn't yet landed*) and do we think the experience has been beneficial to the squad? 

• Bit of a breakdown of both victories since the last Pod; one over New Mexico United on a baseball field and the other against North Carolina on what turned out (thankfully) to be an actual football pitch..

• Did Mogga sound concerned about any knocks taken during the latter match? - Update: Since publishing this pod the club has announced that Jay Matete will be out for a while with a knee injury. Mowbray said "It looks as if he is going to need an operation... There are different levels so I can't be definitive on a timeframe but it looks as if it will be between six to ten weeks."

• What did the lads make of our reserve keepers? Do we still need competition for Patto, and would Nathan Bishop fit the bill for that or could we make do?

• Gav compares Danny Batth to that other Lineker, we reflect on the effort put in by our host clubs on tour and the wonderful efforts of our American commentators to pronounce English town names and learn a bit of EFL history.

• All this and a bit more about the upcoming fixture against Mallorca we're sure everyone will get tickets for soon…

Ha'way the Lads! 

#SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship

*Pod slightly delayed by Barbenheimer fallout. Honest.

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After a brief stint in rehab following the nerve shredding culmination of the 22/23 SAFC season, the pod returns to action for the season ahead, and as a few things have happened since our last episode... our Gavin Henderson and Chris Wynn pick up (sort of) where we left off. Chatting about our new arrivals, some sad departures, some weird rumours, a Shields/Gateshead double header, watching our beautiful Lads sweating in a US heatwave, our win over another SAFC, looking ahead to the next couple fixtures at daft o'clock and aye generally just trying to squeeze two months of news into an hour and a bit. Nee bother. 

What's the crack? 

• So what's been happening since the end of last season? Did that Russian coup work out in the end, can we really 'just stop oil' - and more importantly - who are these new boys Kristjaan has signed and do they increase the average height of the squad significantly? 

• What have we made of preseason so far? Did Gav enjoy his little road trip? How fit and sharp do the lads look at the moment and what updates do we have on the injury front? 

• The Lads currently seem to be competing to see who can be crowned 'most wholesome Sunlun squad member 23/24' and it's lovely to watch. 

• Clickbait reviews - Apparently everyone is buying our best players, they've just failed to inform the club and went straight to a random Journo. 

• The transfer window - what positions do we look like we'll strengthen now and how ridiculously relaxing is it knowing whoever we bring in will automatically be an absolute baller? 

• How do we feel about the running of the club on the business and retail side of things? A few fans are struggling to get the club to help with issues, it's just a shame Speakman isn't in charge of securing merchandise as well as footballing talent. Let's just say Chris isn't happy at all...

• All this and much more! It's good to be back..