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You can't put a price on fortune

"You have got to learn how to win, and how you gain that experience and the habit is by winning when you don't play particularly well."
(Roy Keane, 30 Jan 2008)

If our victory and performance over Wigan could be condensed into a few simple words, then the ones above would fit the job perfectly. We didn't play well, rode our luck but survived to take another priceless three points and move a little further away from the relegation zone.

Am I right to criticise officials? Or is that too easy?

Failing to win a league game since Boxing Day is a big thing for a team like Liverpool, yet Anfield seemed more bothered about their American owners than their out of control league form, maybe explaining why the club has recently been on the slide. Unsurprisingly the same dogged Liverpool of late showed up, but this time they came away smiling, maybe because Sunderland showed no desire to attack until it was too late and maybe because Rob Stiles was the referee.

More of the same please

Games between bottom sides are never handsome affairs, both play with a desperation to avoid defeat meaning the victor is normally decided by a stroke of luck or a moment of magic. However this wasn't the case at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland took the initiative from the off and thoroughly deserved three points over a Birmingham team that looks devoid of confidence and self-belief.

An encouraging response that must be maintained

Thankfully Sunderland answered the call and responded to recent disappointments with a dominant, well-deserved victory over Portsmouth. People will no doubt comment on the fact Harry Redknapp's men were without key African players, but with Kenwyne Jones and Kieran Richardson both excelling, not to mention fringe players such as Daryl Murphy and Anthony Stokes impressively coming to the fore, there was only ever going to be one winner.

Come what May...

Well the New Year has arrived, giving struggling teams at the bottom of the Premier League a fresh attempt of redemption and another chance to change their season for the better. People have said to me I should be happy, after all we have already beaten our record breaking total of 15 points with half a season to spare, maybe they are right, but then again after spending £35m in the summer maybe we should be expecting slightly more?

A customary defeat, what more can I say?

A trip to Chelsea isn't a game that your season will hinge on, especially if you're stuck at the wrong end of the table fighting over who doesn't have to play Plymouth, Burnley and Stoke next year. This was a game that would be spent browsing through the latest scores on your mobile, hoping the teams around you would also go home empty handed, leaving the table looking exactly the same as Saturday morning, when Sunderland sat looking down at the bottom three.

Climb out of the web yourself, before you shatter your dreams

After leaving the Stadium of Light pitch, jubilant after scoring a last-minute winner in a relegation six-pointer, your delight uncontrollable due the importance of your goal, you enter the dressing room receiving congratulatory pats on the back and hand-shakes, out comes your top of the range Sony Ericsson K850i and your organisation of a nightly celebration commences. Wait. A calm Roy Keane heads over to where your sitting and politely reminds you that you won't be going anywhere tonight as you are now banned from Sunderland's most popular nightclub. And why? Because he said so.

A little late, a little lucky, and a little happier

Both sides had this fixture circled on their calender, next to the date read three, closely followed by an exclamation mark on top of several underlinings. If either side has any chance of surviving this season then victory against their rivals, home or away is an absolute necessity. That's why beating Derby was crucial.

'The course of true love never did run smooth'

Inexcusable, disgraceful and embarrassing are some of the words that best describes Sunderland's performance at Goodison Park on Saturday. Awful, humiliating and worrying are others, and seen as so it's an occasion of sevens I'll throw in another one, absolutely pathetic. But as our famous friend Shakespeare once said, 'The course of true love never did run smooth.'

The FA: Failure to Act?

The FA defines themselves as the Football Association, but after ignoring another act of thuggish behaviour from Joey Barton surely they should consider changing their name, with Failure to Act seeming more appropriate.

Win, lose or draw. You get what you play for.

As usual we leave a game disappointed, as usual we leave a game thinking of what should have been and as usual we let ourselves down with our inability to kill off teams. On reflection of the game we should have won, quite convincingly some might argue, but we didn't and we have no-one to blame but ourselves.

Heart or sleeve?

What are we going to do with Michael Chopra? Presumably he will start on Saturday, and no doubt his presence on the pitch will add extra spice to an already heated encounter. Everyone remembers the last time Newcastle came to the SOL and no-one can forget Chopra's role in that horrendous Wear-Tyne derby. The key decision must be does he play, and if he does how will he do this time?

Anyone fancy a trip down Quality Street?

Remember remember the 5th of November, well probably not after our dull encounter in Manchester. Sunderland's involvement in the game mirrored the involvement of a dysfunctional rocket at a fireworks display, not to mention a poorly lit bonfire. After starting reasonably well and exploding into life we seemed to get a case of vertigo the higher up the field we went, meaning we crashed down to earth with a tamely bang, running out of fire and staring the relegation zone straight in the face.

Same old same old

Did we play well or did we yet again self-destruct and lose? Yes we put in a good performance but a distinct lack of experience and concentration means we continue to leave the game as the valiant loser. A tag we desperately need to remove before we become the side who somehow managed to end up back in the Championship.

Young guns ain't firing

After watching Arsenal youngsters crush almost everyone in their path (including us) with their unbelievable array of youth players, I have started to wonder why our crop of young guns seem to fade into obscurity as soon as they leave the safety of the U18s and enter the big bad world of professional football.

Slow and steady loses the race

Giving Arsenal a two goal lead is unforgivable, giving them it after 14 minutes is inexcusable but fighting back like warriors only to lose is damn right unbearable. Welcome to the world of a Sunderland fan, leave your heart at the front door on your way in, it will only get shattered.

A positive performance but typically frustrating

Our performance on Saturday was by far and away the best this season, however we need to learn how to properly kill a team off, because on other days we would have been punished for our lacklustre finish to the game.

Death of a legend, gone but never forgotten

On hearing of the news that Sunderland legend Ian Porterfield has lost his battle with cancer at the tragic age of 61, I'd just like to thank him for the great memories he has given us through out his life. He will always be remembered for the famous FA Cup Final goal against Leeds in 1973 but he also enjoyed a successful managerial career and was the last man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson, at Aberdeen. Saturday's home game with Reading will definitely be an emotional day with everyone in Sunderland thinking about his wife Glenda and his family on what must be a very difficult time for them.

I don't think words can describe him as a person or his amazing contribution to football so R.I.P. Ian mate, we loved you.

One goal, big deal

Let's not get carried away with the fact Michael Owen scored a beauty yesterday, he's still an average player who shouldn't recieve the pundity arse licking he does. On his day he can be great but who many days does that take? There's only seven in the week.

In a league of it's own

With England taking centre stage for their must-win Euro qualifying games, the Premier League naturally takes a step back and goes shopping with the missus for the weekend leaving us disullusioned fans to contemplate the bore that is international football.

Haha scum and smogs are out!

Despite the fact we were embarrasingly slaughtered by Luton in the last round of the Carling Cup, I have taken some pleasure from the fact those barcoded individuals up the road and those smog monsters in a cloud below us both face elimination from the tournament. With Fat Sam's men drawing Arsenal away even the most dislussioned Newcastle fan will struggle to see them getting anything but a good hiding. The smogs also face a trip to North London, with an army of 3 and a half smog monsters expected at White Hart Lane for their third round tie. Brilliant.

James Henderson
ALS

Objection to injection?

What are people's opinions with regards to Steve Gerrard facing the possibility of an injection, in order to get him through England's game against Israel on Saturday? Clearly Rafa Benitez will be pretty pissed off if McClaren goes ahead with this plan, I personally think Gerrard would be foolish to go along with it. What do you lot think? Especially you scousers because your the ones who'll have to look after an injuried Steven Gerrard if this all goes pear-shaped.

Well, I was nearly right

On 31st August 2007 I said: "I, for whatever reason, am feeling queitly confident before our trip to Old Trafford tomorrow. No doubt the thoughts of 'Yup he has lost it' and 'What a prat' are circulating around your brain after that comment because they did around mine, however there's something inside me that thinks tomorrow will not be as straight forward as widely predicted for the Premiership champions."

Well, I was nearly right.

The glass is half full, not empty

After briefly retiring my participation in this forum in protest against our shockingly awful performance at Luton I have now returned more deluded than ever. I, for whatever reason, am feeling queitly confident before our trip to Old Trafford tomorrow. No doubt the thoughts of 'Yup he has lost it' and 'What a prat' are circulating around your brain after that comment because they did around mine, however there's something inside me that thinks tomorrow will not be as straight forward as widely predicted for the Premiership champions.

Once a mackem always a mackem

Just a quick note of appraisal for former Sunderland legend Julio Arca who grabbed the equaliser against the mags at the weekend. A typical Arca goal, great control, great composure and what a great finish. Let's hope we can lure back to Wearside before the window shuts because he is 100% class, and the fact he refrained from kissing the Boro badge shows exactly where his loyalties lie.

James Henderson
ALS

Well battled lads

Well our unbeaten home record is over for another season after Liverpool came, played us off the park, and left with three well deserved points. Even though we huffed, puffed, chased down every ball and lost cause you always knew that when Liverpool attacked, they would score. The fact the scoreline stayed at a respectable 2-0 was down to Craig Gordon's heroics in goal, not to mention Liverpool's sloppy finishing, therefore I was a figure of content leaving the ground, knowing it could have been far worse.

When will McClaren Owen up to his mistakes?

Did anyone else find it laughable that England relied on Michael Owen and Alan Smith to lead the line against Germany last night? I was amazed by McClaren's decision and found it impossible for him to jusitify their exsistence on the pitch, due to their last year of footballing action.

Bad weekend for the men in black

I think it's fair to say the men in black had a stinker this weekend with a number of their decisions up for debate.

I'll start with the Wigan v Sunderland game because I was there. Now from a Sunderland fans point of view I could not believe that Wigan had not been awarded at least two penalties in the first half, they were both right in front of our end and were stonewallers.

Back to reality?

After Saturday's shocker at the JJB Stadium I think it's fair to say us Sunderland fans have been hit with a reality check. Even though everyone seemed keen to keep their feet on the ground before the season begun, our unbeaten start to life in the Premiership (albeit two games) only heightened expectation on Wearside, thus making the pain of defeat even harder to take.