Sunderland A.F.C 2023/2024

[Jack the Ripper]

Puolustuksen lukko jatkaa:

Two more years of Bailey Wright
We’re delighted to announce that the Australia international has signed a new contract on Wearside!

Vielä kun saisivat Ross Stewartille sorvattua jatkodiilin.

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Puolustuksen lukko jatkaa:

Tämäkin oli erinomainen uutinen.

Näiden lisäksi myös Anthony Patterson ja Lynden Gooch sorvasivat jatkosopimuksen kesäkuun aikana.

Vahvojen huhujen mukaan Arsenalin Daniel Ballard on seuraava kiinnitys puolustukseen. 22-vuotias toppari vietti viime kauden lainassa Millwallissa ja olisi tekemässä jopa neljän vuoden pahvia.

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SAFC sign Daniel Ballard!

Sunderland AFC is delighted to announce the signing of Daniel Ballard.

The defender arrives at the Stadium of Light from Arsenal for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract with a Club option of a further year.

Ballard, 22, returns to the Sky Bet Championship after enjoying an impressive 2021-22 campaign with Millwall, during which he made 31 appearances in the second tier as the Lions finished ninth.

The defender has also spent time on loan with Swindon Town and Blackpool, winning promotion alongside Elliot Embleton for the latter in 2021, and he has over 66 senior appearances under his belt.

Described as ‘a tough-tackling defender with the passing range of a midfielder’, Ballard twice captained the Gunners to the FA Youth Cup Final after joining the Londoners’ academy aged eight.

The 22-year-old has also earned international recognition during his ever-blossoming career, featuring 15 times for Northern Ireland and scoring two goals.

Ballard said: “It feels amazing to be here and I’m extremely happy. The fan base and size of this football club speaks for itself and having been up here to have a look around, it feels like an exciting place to be. Supporters can expect to see a player who loves defending and tackling – I’m more of a traditional centre half and I want to add those qualities to the team, whilst also bringing something a little extra. I’m now looking to take the next step forward in my career and I believe this is the perfect place to do it.”

Alex Neil added: “First and foremost, Daniel will add competition. Callum Doyle’s loan deal ended in May and Arby Xhemajli left the club, so we wanted to add in that area and Daniel fits into our structure of being a young, up and coming player who also has Championship experience. He fits the bill and he also knows what it takes to win, sampling success with Blackpool in the Play-Offs before having a year under his belt [in the second tier] with Millwall last season. We are really pleased to get this deal over the line.”

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Sunderland AFC will meet AS Roma on Wednesday 13 July (KO 11am) at the Estadio Municipal de Albufeira, Portugal.

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Jack Clarke tullaan hankkimaan pysyvällä siirrolla Spursista.

Julkaistaneen viimeistään ensi viikon aikana.

[haraldson]

Oli erittäin lupaava nuori laituri. Toivotaan hyvää valmennusta, vastuuta ja uutta nostetta uralle

https://youtu.be/mjWO9JzcUlI

[Sabu]

Jos ketä kiinnostaa, niin legendaarisesta 2006-07 nousukaudesta kertova Mackem Miracle -ohjelma löytyy nyt myös YouTubesta. Valitettavasti kyseessä on enemmänkin henkilökuva Roy Keanesta, ja aika pinnalliseksi moneen kertaan kuultujen tarinoiden toisteluksi tuo dokkari jää, ainakin heille jotka ovat esimerkiksi Keanen Second Half -kirjan joskus lukeneet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AulzcC_BA-c&

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Lauantain harjoittusottelu Glasgow Rangersia vastaan jouduttiin keskeyttämään ensimmäisen puoliajan jälkeen, koska Albufeiran stadion valaistus petti.

Tässä vaiheessa Sunderland johti ottelua 1-0, mikä siis jäikin lopputulokseksi.

Ainokaisesta vastasi Luke O'Nien. Maali syntyi minuutilla 28.

Sunderland AFC: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin, Evans, Neil, Pritchard, Embleton, Roberts, Stewart.

Subs not used: Carney, Richardson, Matete, Dajaku, Diamond, Winchester, Gooch, Kelly, Taylor, Johnson, Sohna, Batth, Spellman.

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AS Roma-Sunderland 2-0 (0-0)

Sunderland ended their pre-season tour of Portugal with a defeat against AS Roma at the Estadio Municipal de Albufeira.

The Lads held their own during a robust opening 45 minutes, as Jose Mourinho’s side went closest through England international Chris Smalling.
Nicola Zalewski and Leon Dajaku forced saves following the restart, but Nicolo Zaniolo provided the greatest threat after the interval
.
The Italy international struck the post moments after sliding in Felix Afena-Gyan, who made amends for squandering the opportunity by netting the opening goal on 73 minutes. 
Zaniolo made it 2-0 shortly after, as the Lads now turn their focus to a trip to Dundee United on Saturday to face former Head Coach Jack Ross. 

Summer signing Jack Clarke made his first start since returning to the club on a permanent basis, as the Serie A side called upon the former Manchester United duo of Smalling and Nemanja Matic.
Although clear-cut chances were few and far between during the opening period, there was plenty of blood and thunder as neither side held back in the challenge.

Clarke showed good feet and was a bright spark early on, as Anthony Patterson and Danny Batth ensured the towering Eldor Shomurodov was kept quiet at the other end.
A moment of quality from Jordan Veretout almost crafted an opener on 34 minutes, but Smalling headed the Frenchman’s delivery against the woodwork.

Both sides made changes before the break, as Luke O’Nien was replaced by Dan Neil shortly after picking up a yellow card for a heavy challenge on Stephan El Shaarawy.
And the Giallorossi were forced into a swap when Riccardo Calafiori replaced the injured Roger Ibañez.

The Black Cats should have opened the scoring five minutes after the restart, but after working his way into a good position, Dajaku was denied when he could have squared to Clarke.
Zalewski had forced Patterson into action moments earlier, which signalled Roma’s intent for the second period.   

Zaniolo, who scored the winning goal in the Italian side’s UEFA Conference League final victory in May, provided the greatest threat after coming on at half-time.
Moments before curling an excellent 25-yard effort against the inside of the post, the Italy international fed Afena-Gyan who fired just wide.

The 19-year-old made no mistake five minutes later, firing a low finish beyond Patterson to open the scoring before Zaniolo added a composed second on 79 minutes.

Sunderland: Patterson, Gooch ©, Cirkin (Sohna 63’), Matete, Winchester, Batth, O’Nien (Neil 44’), Embleton (Taylor 63’), Diamond (Roberts 76’), Dajaku (Pritchard 77’), Clarke.

Subs not used: Hume, Kelly, Johnson, Ballard, Evans, Carney, Spellman, Richardson.

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Dundee United-Sunderland 0-2 (0-0)
Hume 51'
Oma maali 62'

Sunderland: Patterson; Hume, Wright (Alese 66), Ballard, Cirkin; Evans, Neil; Roberts, Pritchard, Dajaku; Stewart (Diamond 66)

Subs not used: Carney, O’Nien, Matete, Winchester, Gooch, Embleton, Clarke, Batth, Sonha, Taylor.

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Alese arrives from West Ham United!

Sunderland AFC is delighted to announce the signing of Aji Alese for an undisclosed fee.

The central defender moves to the Stadium of Light from West Ham United and signs an initial three-year deal, with a Club option of a further year.

Alese has represented England at every level from Under-16 to Under-20 and has also gained valuable senior experience on loan with Accrington Stanley and Cambridge United.

The 21-year-old joined the Hammers aged eight and rapidly rose through the Club’s academy system, making his Under-18 debut in 2017 whilst still a schoolboy.

Alese signed his first professional contract 12 months later and was the recipient of The Dylan Tombides Award during the 2018-19 season, which is given annually to the Academy’s outstanding Scholar.

Following a loan spell at the Wham Stadium in 2019-20, he completed his journey to the senior set up in September 2020 by starting for David Moyes’ side in a 5-1 Carabao Cup victory over Hull City.

Alese was also part of the Cambridge side that won promotion from Sky Bet League Two in 2021 and he was named in the Hammers’ Premier League matchday squad 11 times last season, whilst also featuring in the UEFA Europa League.

Upon joining SAFC, Alese said: “It’s amazing to be here and I’m happy the deal is done. I live five minutes away from West Ham’s training ground and I’ve been there since the age of eight, so it could have been easier to stay but life isn’t easy and I’m ready for the challenge. I spoke to Alex Neil, Kristjaan Speakman and Stuart Harvey and I got a great feeling about Sunderland AFC. This is the place I want to be, so now it’s time to crack down and get ready for the new season.”

Alex Neil added: “Aji is left-footed and he’s really quick. I like having balance in my team and he was at a stage whereby he was really pushing to get into West Ham’s first team, so we felt it was a really good fit for us. More and more, I think young lads are realising that they need to get on the pitch and show what they can do. It is important that Aji comes here, shows his quality and gets into the team - that will be up to him, but he has already shown an appetite to play and the qualities that he brings are ones that I think we needed to add to the squad.”

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Näyttäisi siltä että Nathan Broadhead on palaamassa Wearsidelle ja tällä kertaa pysyvällä diilillä.

Huhuillaan kahden vuoden sopimusta ja hyvin kohtuullista kompensaatiota siirrosta.

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Alex Bass signs for SAFC!

Sunderland AFC have completed the signing of Alex Bass from Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper has signed an initial three-year deal at the Stadium of Light, with a Club option of a further year.

Bass has featured in over 100 senior games, representing Portsmouth on 41 occasions after progressing through the Club’s academy system.

The shot-stopper was first named on Pompey’s bench at the age of 16 and he was part of the South-Coast Club’s senior set-up from 2015 onwards.

A PFA League One Player of the Month Award winner in 2020, Bass spent the second part of last season on loan at Bradford City.

He made 21 appearances for the Bantams in Sky Bet League Two and he also spent time on loan with Salisbury, Torquay United and Southend United during the early stages of his career.

Bass joins Alex Neil’s squad ahead of Sunday’s Sky Bet Championship opener against Coventry City and he will be available for selection against the Sky Blues.

Alex Bass said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be here and as soon as I heard about the opportunity to come to Sunderland, I was desperate to take it. This is a massive Club and the move represents a great chance for me to test myself in the Championship, which is filled with talented players. Sunderland had a great run last season and to earn promotion through the Play-Offs is always tough, so it shows there is a great bunch of lads here. I went out on loan earlier this year and it was important to get out there and play games, but now I want to push on and I’m excited to play my part at the Stadium of Light.”

Alex Neil said: “We know that we needed to add competition in the goalkeeping department and Alex fits our model in terms of signing another young and up-and-coming player. He’s big lad and he’s got quality - and he’s brave – so now his job is to push Anthony Patterson and force his way into the team. He’s played games, but he’s of an age profile whereby his best years are ahead of him, so we believe that he’s a good fit for us. Hopefully he can add to his current experience and continue to develop into a really good goalkeeper.”

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Ellis Simms signs for SAFC!

Sunderland AFC is delighted to announce the signing of Ellis Simms.

The 21-year-old striker moves to the Stadium of Light on a season-long loan from Premier League outfit Everton.

An England youth international, Simms spent the second part of last season on loan in the Scottish Premiership with Heart of Midlothian, scoring seven goals in 21 appearances.

The move was the striker’s second loan spell away from Goodison Park, with the first coming during the 2020-21 season when he scored 10 goals to help fire Blackpool to promotion alongside Dan Ballard and Elliot Embleton.

Simms also spent time within Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City’s academies prior to joining the Toffees in 2017, enjoying a stunning 2018-19 campaign with the Under- 18s during which he scored 37 goals in 29 games.

His form continued after making the step up to Under-23 level one season later, as he scored nine times in 19 games, and he led the line for Everton’s first team in the Premier League against Chelsea in December 2021.

Simms said: “It feels great to be here - it’s such a massive club and I can’t wait to get started. As soon as Sunderland showed an interest, I knew this this would be a great environment for me to continue my development and a great platform to show what I can do. I’ve played in League One and the SPL, so this is the next step for me and I feel I’m ready for the Championship.”

Alex Neil added: “To have Ellis in the building [ahead of the first game] is great. He will compliment Ross Stewart, but equally he will provide competition and he joins following two really good loan spells at Blackpool and Hearts. He’s a big lad, who is direct, quick and mobile - and he’s been a serial goalscorer. There’s been a lot of Championship interest in Ellis, but we have managed to secure his signature and we are delighted to get the deal across the line.”

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Tänään mennään!

Paikanpäällä tänään neljäkymmentätuhatta ihmistä, joka on korkein yleisömäärä Championshipissa viiteen vuoteen.

Klo 14.00 Coventry vastassa ja ottelu nähtävissä Viasat Sport 2 kanavalla ja Viaplayn kautta.

HTL!! KTF!!

[Lord Bendtner]

Tänään mennään!

Paikanpäällä tänään neljäkymmentätuhatta ihmistä, joka on korkein yleisömäärä Championshipissa viiteen vuoteen.

Jos nyt vähän pilkkua viilataan niin Villalla oli yli 41 000 katsojaa keväällä 2019 muutamassa ottelussa. Toki Sunderland voi varmaan yli tuon vetää jo heti ekalla kierroksella.

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Jos nyt vähän pilkkua viilataan niin Villalla oli yli 41 000 katsojaa keväällä 2019 muutamassa ottelussa. Toki Sunderland voi varmaan yli tuon vetää jo heti ekalla kierroksella.

Totta.

Toki tuon yli mennään tällä kaudella jossain vaiheessa varmasti.

[Jack the Ripper]

Loistava meno SOTL:lla, kuten odottaa saattoikin.

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Sunderland-Coventry City 1-1 (1-0)
Clarke 12'

Sunderland: Patterson, Gooch, Ballard, Batth, Cirkin, Evans, Neil, Embleton (O'Nien 61), Pritchard (Roberts 79), Clarke, Stewart.

Subs not used: Bass, Wright, Alese, Simms, Hume.

Kohtuullinen ensimmäinen puolikas, heikko toinen. Pistetili kuitenkin auki heti ensimmäisessä ottelussa, mikä on positiivista. Kenellekään ei varmaankaan silti jäänyt epäselväksi että joukkuetta pitää tähän sarjaan vahvistaa. Eilinen avaus oli käytännössä suoraan League One joukkue viime vuodelta.

Alex Neil sanoikin ottelun jälkeisessä pressissä, että 3-4 hankintaa on vielä tulossa tämän ikkunan aikana.

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Barcherini appointed Head of Goalkeeping!

Sunderland AFC is delighted to announce Alessandro Barcherini as the Club’s new Head of Goalkeeping.

The 36-year-old arrives at the Stadium of Light following a three-year spell at Leeds United, during which he was part of Marcelo Bielsa’s backroom team that earned promotion to the Premier League in 2020 before working with Jesse Marsch last season.

As First-Team Assistant Goalkeeping Coach and Head of Academy Goalkeeping, Barcherini worked alongside senior and youth players during his time at Elland Road.

He spent time at Notts County as a player and Nottingham Forest as a Performance Analyst before undertaking several roles at Nottingham Trent University, including Head of Football.

Barcherini returned to Meadow Lane in 2015 as Head of Academy Goalkeeping before joining Stoke City as Lead Academy Goalkeeping Coach in August 2018.

The Italian-born Coach will commence work at the Academy of Light on Thursday, linking up with Alex Neil’s backroom team ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bristol City.

Upon joining SAFC, Barcherini said: “I’m very excited to be joining Sunderland AFC and I can’t wait to get started. There’s a lot of similarities in the journey that Leeds United went on during my time at Elland Road and I’ve seen what the progression looks like, but more importantly I’ve seen what it looks like through the eyes of a young goalkeeper. There’s a lot of good people at SAFC and they have a proud tradition of producing top goalkeepers, so we want to continue that pathway and ensure our youngsters know they can progress through our Academy and play for their local Club.”

Head of Coaching Stuart English added: “Throughout a detailed recruitment process, it became clear that Alessandro was the standout candidate for this role. He’s gained valuable experience working in three category one academies and been part of a successful senior set-up in the Championship and Premier League. Alessandro, who’s role will be to ensure every goalkeeper at SAFC has the best individualised programme to maximise their potential, will bring fresh ideas and training methods to our existing goalkeeping programme by working alongside Mark Prudhoe to enhance our existing offering.”

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Stoke City-Sunderland 0-1 (0-1)
Stewart 45+2'

Sunderland: Patterson, O'Nien (Wright 45), Batth, Cirkin, Gooch, Matete (Evans 45), Embleton, Clarke, Pritchard, Simms, Stewart.

Subs not used: Bass, Alese, Hume, Diamond, Roberts.

Kauden toinen voitto ja maistuva sellainen vieraissa Pottersista.

Startti on ollut nousijajoukkueelle kelvollinen ja viidestä ottelusta ainoastaan yksi tappio, vajaamiehisenä Sheffield Unitedin vieraana. Sarjasijoitus tällä hetkellä viides.

Hyökkäyskaksikko Ellis Simms ja Ross Stewart on toiminut viime peleissä erinomaisesti ja miehet ovatkin viimeistelleet joukkueen kahdeksasta maalista kuusi (Simms 3 ja Stewart 3). Vahvistuksia kuitenkin vielä nähtäneen, ennen kuin ikkuna sulkeutuu.

[Jack the Ripper]

Kausi on alkanut tosiaan hyvinkin myönteisissä merkeissä. Kotikentällä puppeloitu muutama jo hallussa ollut matsi, joten pistemäärä ja sijoitus voisi olla vielä komeampikin. Championship on kuitenkin raaka sarja ja pitkässä sarjassa laatua ja syvyyttä tarvitaan, joten Neilin olisi syytä tuoda muutamakin Championship-tason ukko sisään ennen siirtorajan umpeutumista. Nähdyn perusteella puolustus ja keskikenttä ensisijaiset vahvistamisen kohteet.

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Huhuissa ollaan tuomassa Wearsidelle Costa Rican maajoukkueessa debytoinutta, 18-vuotiasta Jewison Bennettea. Kyseessä laitahyökkääjä.

Toinen mielenkiintoinen huhu on PSG:n 19-vuotias keskikenttäpelaaja Edouard Michut. Mies oli kesällä jo siirtymässä Celticiin, mutta siirto kariutui.

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Jewison Bennette signs for SAFC!

Sunderland AFC is delighted to confirm the signing of Jewison Bennette for an undisclosed fee.
The 18-year-old moves to the Stadium of Light from Costa Rican side C.S. Herediano, penning a four-year deal on Wearside with a Club option of a further year.

A winger by trade, the left-footed attacker has already earned six senior caps for Costa Rica, and he provided the all-important assist for Joel Campbell in June to send Los Ticos to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Bennette also became the youngest-ever player to represent his nation at 17 years and two months, coming on as a substitute against El Salvador in August 2021.

Bennette will wear the number 19 shirt for this season’s Sky Bet Championship campaign and he will train with his new teammates for the first time on Friday.

Following his arrival, the winger said: “I’m very happy and I’m looking forward to taking on this new challenge. I’ve come here with the aim of helping the team as much as I can. When you see the Stadium of Light and this huge fan base, it gives you more motivation and desire to work hard day-to-day and give your all.”

Alex Neil added: “He is a huge talent and an international player. Our model is to unearth the best young talent and try to develop them, so for everyone it is very exciting. We need to be patient and allow him time to acclimatise to a new country and learn the language – he is certainly one for the future.”

[Narttu]

🚨 Understand Sunderland boss Alex Neil has been given permission to speak to Stoke over their vacant managerial position. O’Neill was sacked by The Potters yesterday, and Neil’s stock is high following an impressive 6 months at #SAFC