[themaclad]

The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators,[2] the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. home matches. The stadium was named by chairman Bob Murray to reflect the coal mining heritage of the North East and the former Monkwearmouth Colliery site on which it stands.[3] A Davy lamp monument stands at the entrance to reflect the coal mining industry that brought prosperity to the town.[4]

As well as hosting Sunderland games, the stadium has hosted three matches for the England national football team, as well as an England under-20, an England under-21 and an England women's team match. With an original capacity of 42,000, it was expanded in 2000 to seat 49,000. Its simple design is apparently to allow for redevelopments up to a capacity of 63,000.[5] The attendance record at the Stadium of Light is 48,353 set on 13 April 2002, when Sunderland played Liverpool with the visitors running out 1–0 winners. Along with hosting football matches, the stadium has played host to performers such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Oasis, Take That, Kings of Leon, Coldplay, Spice Girls and Elton John. The ground also holds conference and banqueting suites, the Black Cats Bar, and a club shop selling Sunderland merchandise.

https://safc.com/

https://www.not606.com/threads/sunderlan...00.402729/

NEWBIES

https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=11498



Form Guide

Sunderland 10 PNE 8

MANAGER

TONY MOWBRAY

Coaching career
Once his playing career finished he moved into coaching, starting as a first team coach at Ipswich Town. He had a brief spell as caretaker manager of Ipswich, following the sacking of George Burley and prior to the appointment of Joe Royle.[7]

Hibernian
In May 2004, Mowbray was appointed manager of Hibernian, replacing Bobby Williamson.[8] He gained much acclaim for the job he did, winning the Scottish Football Writers' Association manager of the year award in his first season.[9] Hibs finished in the top four in the SPL in his only two full seasons in charge, which was the first time that Hibs had done this in the top division in consecutive seasons since Eddie Turnbull was manager.

Hibs progressed to the later stages of every domestic cup competition in his tenure and made two appearances in European football. Hibs lost heavily to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the first round of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup and on the away goals rule to OB Odense in the 2006 Intertoto Cup. During mid-2006, Mowbray was interviewed for the vacant managerial position at Ipswich Town, but he rejected their approach.[10] In September 2006 he signed a 12-month rolling deal with Hibs that was due to take effect from July 2007.[11] Just one month later however, Mowbray moved to West Bromwich Albion.

West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion appointed Mowbray as their manager on 13 October 2006.[12] Mowbray faced the task of returning the Baggies to the Premier League after relegation the previous season.[12] Although he managed to turn around the club's poor away form, an indifferent run of results at home towards the end of the season meant that Albion finished fourth in The Championship table behind Sunderland, Birmingham City and Derby County, and faced the lottery of the Championship play-offs. Despite two famous victories over old rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in the semi finals, Albion lost 1–0 to Derby County in the Wembley final.

As a result, during the close season, Mowbray set about restructuring his squad, moving out several of Robson's players for multimillion-pound fees, after press reports of dressing room division.[13]

High-profile players such as Jason Koumas, Diomansy Kamara and Curtis Davies were sold to Premier League clubs for large fees, in addition to the departures of Paul McShane, Nathan Ellington, Darren Carter and Steve Watson. Mowbray replaced them by signing a total of 14 permanent and loan players in the summer transfer window, making an overall profit in the process. His most expensive signings were Chris Brunt from Sheffield Wednesday for £3 million, Leon Barnett from Luton Town for £2.5 million, and James Morrison from Middlesbrough for £1.5 million.[citation needed]

Despite the large changes in his squad, Mowbray won the Championship Manager of the Month award in September 2007, after Albion gained 13 out of the maximum 15 points and climbed to 2nd in the Division.[14]

At the start of 2008, Mowbray's young Albion team topped the table, receiving growing plaudits from the media[15] and supporters alike for their attractive brand of attacking one touch passing football, a reflection of Mowbray's staunch footballing philosophy.[citation needed]

Mowbray guided West Brom to the EFL Championship title, meaning promotion to the Premier League and reached the semi-final of the FA Cup. The semi-final, the first to be played at the new Wembley Stadium, pitted West Brom against Portsmouth, the only remaining Premier League team left in the FA Cup. Portsmouth won the match 1–0 with the only goal of the game coming from Kanu. Mowbray won the Championship manager of the month award for April,[16] as well as the League Managers Association manager of the year award.[17]

After a poor 2008–09 season, West Bromwich were relegated from the Premier League, finishing 20th. Mowbray was still thought highly of by the fans, however, and this was evidenced by them wearing Mowbray masks at their last game of the season.[18] Mowbray left the club for Celtic shortly afterwards.

Celtic

Tony Mowbray as Celtic manager.
On 8 June 2009, it was reported that Celtic had approached West Bromwich Albion for permission to speak to Mowbray about their managerial vacancy.[19] A compensation fee of £2 million was agreed, and Celtic declared Mowbray as their new manager on 16 June 2009.[20] He was unveiled as Celtic manager at a press conference a day later. His coaching team was Neil Lennon, Peter Grant, Mark Venus, and Stevie Woods.[21] On 12 September 2009 was named as the Coach of the Month of August in the Scottish Premier League.

Mowbray was described as "beleaguered" by The Herald after Celtic fell 10 points behind Old Firm rivals Rangers in the SPL title race after a 2–1 home defeat by Hibs.[22]

Mowbray decided to make significant changes to his squad during the January 2010 transfer window, selling Gary Caldwell and Barry Robson, which apparently caused disruption to the team in the immediate aftermath of those deals being completed.[22] Robbie Keane was recruited early in 2010 on a loan deal from Tottenham Hotspur amid great excitement, however further poor results, particularly a record 4–0 defeat by St Mirren, led to Mowbray being sacked on 25 March.[23] It was reported in May 2010 that Celtic had yet to agree compensation with Mowbray and his management team.[24]

Middlesbrough
Mowbray was appointed Middlesbrough manager on 26 October 2010, replacing Gordon Strachan. He lost his first match in charge, 2–1 against Bristol City,[25] but followed this with wins against Crystal Palace and Scunthorpe. Mowbray guided Boro to Championship safety,[26] having joined the club when they were 22nd in the league. The club finished the season well, winning their last four league games and finished 12th in the league table. The same season, Mowbray started giving youngsters a first team place such as Joe Bennett, Luke Williams and Richard Smallwood. Mowbray also started giving Marvin Emnes more playing time after returning on loan from Swansea City.[citation needed]

Middlesbrough began the 2011–12 season well and Mowbray won manager of the month for September.[27] Middlesbrough relinquished the only unbeaten record in the league after a 2–0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in October 2011.[citation needed] After a poor start to 2012, Middlesbrough's form picked up in late February with four wins in five games.[28] Middlesbrough finished 7th in the 2011–12 season, missing out on a play-off place by one position.[citation needed]

After an unbeaten run in October 2012, Mowbray won the accolade of Championship Manager of the Month for that month.[29] On 21 October 2013, it was announced that Mowbray had left the club with immediate effect after a run of two wins in 12 games in the 2013–14 campaign.[30]

Coventry City
On 3 March 2015, Mowbray was appointed manager of Coventry City on a deal until the end of the 2014–15 season.[31] With the club facing the possibility of relegation to the fourth-tier for the first time since the late 1950s, Tony Mowbray's initial brief was to keep the club in the third-tier. A final day victory away at Crawley Town was enough for Mowbray to secure League One football for the Sky Blues for the 2015–16 season.[32]

Following protracted negotiations at the end of the season, Tony Mowbray agreed to sign a two-year contract extension to remain as Coventry City manager.[33]

Mowbray resigned from Coventry City on 29 September 2016 after a string of results without a win.[34]

Blackburn Rovers
On 22 February 2017, Mowbray was appointed head coach of Blackburn Rovers on an 18-month contract, effectively lasting until the end of the 2017–18 season.[35] Despite an improvement in form that offered some hope of survival, Blackburn were relegated to League One at the end of the 2016–17 season.[36]

Mowbray signed a new contract that would keep him at the club until 2019, with an option of a further 12 months after that as well.[37] Under his managership, Blackburn won promotion back to the Championship after a single year in League One.[38] Their promotion was assured on 24 April, after a 1–0 away win against Doncaster Rovers.[39]

In the 2018–19 season Mowbray led Blackburn to a final finish of 15th in the Championship. In the EFL Cup they reached the third round before being eliminated at AFC Bournemouth. In the FA Cup Blackburn were eliminated in the third round after extra time in a replay against Newcastle United.[citation needed]

In the 2019–20 season Mowbray secured an 11th-place finish in the Championship. In the EFL Cup they reached the second round before defeat at Sheffield United. The club were beaten in the third round of the FA Cup at fellow Championship side Birmingham City.[citation needed] Mowbray left Blackburn at the conclusion of his contract in May 2022 and was replaced by Jon Dahl Tomasson as head coach. He had served five years in the post.[40]

Sunderland
On 30 August 2022, Mowbray was appointed head coach of Sunderland replacing Alex Neil.

CULTURE

Field Music are an English rock band from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, that formed in 2004.[1] The band's core consists of brothers David Brewis and Peter Brewis. Andrew Moore was the original keyboard player. Their line-up has at times featured members of both Maxïmo Park and The Futureheads.

Field Music have been called one of the few bands to outlast the indie guitar band explosion of the mid-2000s. Describing the band as "a truly artful proposition in the pseudo-filled landscape of contemporary Brit art-rock", music blog The Fantastic Hope puts this down in part to their "un-self-conscious anti-fashion stance", arguing that Field Music's "wayward pop from the fringes of academia is one of the most worthwhile ways in which rock//indie/guitar music/white pop/whatever might evolve".[2] Critics have compared their music to acts as diverse as Steely Dan, XTC, Prefab Sprout, Peter Gabriel, Scritti Politti, Talking Heads and Todd Rundgren.[3] They have also been nominated for the Mercury Prize.[4]

[themaclad]

PNE will play the first of eight games in a hectic October this weekend as they take on Sunderland for the first time in over four years.


In The Dressing Room


Ryan Lowe may have a fully-fit squad to choose from this weekend, with 18-year-old Mikey O'Neill the only doubt.

Ben Woodburn has missed the past three games with an ankle injury, but he has returned to training over the international break and is expected to be in contention.

Alan Browne, Ali McCann, Robbie Brady and Troy Parrott all returned from international duty unscathed on Thursday, however Daniel Johnson was a late arrival back in the UK from the USA and therefore he may miss out.

A Look At Our Hosts

While the league table at this stage of the season can be taken with a pinch of salt, Sunderland fans will certainly be happy with their current placement in fifth.

They achieved their long-awaited promotion from League One last season under former PNE boss Alex Neil, but following his departure for Stoke City, it is now Tony Mowbray at the helm.

The international break will no doubt have helped him spend some valuable time on the training pitch with his new squad, however he’s without top scorer Ross Stewart for at least six weeks due to a thigh injury.

Going Head To Head


Games played: 120
PNE wins: 34
Draws: 33
Sunderland wins: 53
Last meeting: Sunderland 0-2 PNE, 17th March 2018

One To Watch

With top scorer Ross Stewart sidelined for six weeks and fellow forward Ellis Simms also injured, Sunderland may have to look elsewhere for their goals.

Former Spurs winger Jack Clarke has been key going forward so far this season for the Black Cats, having scored three already and assisting a further four.

His battle up against North End’s right wing back – whether it be Brad Potts or another option – could be key in this encounter.

Match Officials

Andy Woolmer will take charge of a PNE fixture for the second time this season on Saturday.

The experienced official last refereed a North End game in August as Ryan Lowe’s side drew 0-0 with Cardiff City.

Woolmer, who has shown 30 yellow cards and one red in his seven matches this campaign, will be assisted by Mark Dwyer and Matthew Smith, with Thomas Parsons on fourth official duty.

Macs View

A rare trip to this area, only been once decent stadium less pretentious than the one down the road and only three lots of stairs which may take some doing having made the mistake of having a Covid and flu jab at the same time.
Started well have the hosts seem to be faring well with Mowbray no doubt with their history of taking ex North End managers Mr Fantastic will end up there in the next few years.
Hopefully he can get us to put the ball between these
No doubt if McCann and Fernandez start they will both be substituted
Pressure is on Ryan time tom start delivering

[themaclad]

Sunderland 0 Preston North End 0

Sunderland line-up: Patterson; Gooch, O’Nien, Batth, Alese; Roberts, Evans (Ba, 60), Neil, Clarke (Dajaku, 81); Embleton (Amad, 60), Pritchard (Bennette, 70). Subs not used: Bass, Dajaku, Matete, Wright.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Cunningham; Browne, Whiteman, Ledson (Woodburn, 73), Fernández; Brady (McCann, 86), Riis; Evans (Parrott, 67). Subs not used: Cornell, Johnson, Diaby, Potts.

Attendance: 41,225 (2,532 PNE fans).

Referee: Mr A Woolmer.

Another huge tranche of football supporters have been introduced to the phrase Preston North End nil, for some of the 2500 travelling support it is begining to annoy them, there was a smattering of boos at the end when Mr Fantastic clapped the away end.
One thing about going up to the North East is the journey, the Howgills, the hill up to Kirkby Stephen is always a test as is getting through the village, sixteen coaches at the same time does create a bit of chaos. (If you look closely there is an old fashioned sign post which states Appleby 13 miles 2 furlongs.) The A66 over the top is always great scenery wise.
Arrived there miles too early, a couple of laps round the ground then up the steps which was a joy with a swollen arthitic big toe and the after effects of the Covid and Flu jabs did cause some excessively heavy breathing.
One welcome move Brady relinquished from being wasted at left wing back into a more forward position.
A faux pas by the home staff leaving training disc on the pitch caused a slight delay after the kick off, the first half was quite entertaining we had the best early chance Whiteman's goal bound effort was virtually in before Alese cleared from the line brilliantly.
Clarke for the home side was a danger hroughout the first half linked well with Alese. Sadly for the home side the efforts on goal were wide apart from one saved by Woodman. Roberts on the other wing wasn't as prominent although he had one effort which from my seat in the Gods looked to be just wide.
We had chances Riis got through twice, once the ball didn't quite drop for him and the other tried to work himself into a shooting position but was crowded out by the home defence. Evans meanwhile ran around with an inability to trap a bag of cement with his ears flapping in the wind although to be fair to him he did have a good effort saved by the keeper in the second half. Browne slightly unlucky when well placed however lost the flight of the ball in the low October sun.
The second period was scrappy we didn't really create a lot apart from the Evans chance.
Roberts should have scored having megged Cunningham worked himself into a great position and fired wide. The hosts best other chance came after an outrageous foul by referee Andy Woolmer of Ledson, the home side broke away and Embleton dallied too long and the chance was lost. Woolmer didn't even book himself shameful.
From then on in became blindingly obvious that neither side would score, Sunderland subs did cause a few issues but apart from one save Woodman wasn't overly tested.
Whether it was being knackered left teh ground thoroughly underwhelmed even though it's a decent point.

Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray:

"They (Preston) are a pretty well organised team, they've got some huge physical attributes in that team, I thought we saw them off really well today and yet we couldn't find the answer to score a goal, yet we did have some pretty good chances.

"We will find a way to score goals, we will find a way to win games, there are football matches where you don't score, every team goes through a spell, that's one game.

"We scored five in the last two away games, I don't see it being an issue at all.

"I think there's plenty in this team who can score goals and plenty of players who come off the bench and can score goals as well."


Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe:

"I'm not frustrated in terms of performance, we're frustrated we need to get goals, of course, but we can't let that manifest. I said to the group we need to keep believing, keep doing the right things.

"Overall pleased, we've got into good areas, we've had one cleared off the line, a potential error, Ched had one saved by the keeper so the chances are there, I think we had eight today and five were on target.

"So overall pleased with the performance, nearly the perfect away performance if we'd got three points."