bender

With Diego, that's 2 new midfielders for us in January then. The cup is as good as ours.

There are few teams in the Prem with little to play for in the league and for me we are one of them. Gives us a great advantage in the FA cup imo

I have 2 x 5 year olds (twins). They take it in turns to go to the game with me. It's free for them (except category A games). They love going - the day out with me, the atmosphere, the jumping around when we score. Sure they don't understand the game but it's a just a nice day out. I always bring a bag full of snacks and sweets in case they get bored, and occasionally the iPad is called upon but all in all I love taking them and they love going.

There's a sizeable gap between us and 10th and we're too good to go down a few places and dragged into a relegation battle. Then you look up and fair enough 8th is within reach. But for me the top seven is taken by the 2 x Manchester teams, 2 x Merseyside teams and 3 x London teams. Looking at our upcoming fixtures, maybe we can launch an assault on that top 7 but its a big maybe and I really hope we focus on the cup.

This. Were set for mid table this season. A cup run is what its all about. A good passage to wembley is far more realistic than European football any other way.

like Harding you mean.

Whats up with these pundits? Merson called us Sunderland twice when he did our game v Chelsea the other day.

Another cheap ticket and safe passage to round 5.

Yep Brighton at home would be special

Whats up with Martin Allen and his ability to wear dodgy cardigans or tank tops.

Whats your point? He might well speak the lingo but still has penfold there. Hardly a great character with great attitude like NA.

I am going to the game because it costs me £20 for me and my nipper, not £50 like the Chelsea game. If we go out of the cup early, the season is a non event for me. No chance of going down and probably not quite at the level needed for Euro qualification. Even in 2003 when the prem was established & lucrative and the cup final was at Cardiff it still meant more. I'll be seriously p155ed off with the Saints if we mug the cup off.

Pathetic. The man took us from near the bottom of League one to playing well in the Prem. Sure he had cash at his disposal but my obiding memory of him will be his last game of Chelsea away. His work ethic was all to see in that 2nd half as we battled back from 2-0 to 2-2. He came on the pitch and congratulated every player. He represented the club brilliantly with his attitude and was replaced by a man who still cant speak English. Given the chance he would have gone on to be a managerial legend on a par with Lawrie Mac, that if he's not a legend already.

It wont be long before there are more clubs owned by multi-billionaire owners than there are premiership places.

Just noticed the MLT chanting. Havent seen him yet. I went along to AP for the darts 2 years ago. Quality day out.

B0llox to Ipads and Iphones. You cant even copy a movie file to those stupid things without faffing around with itunes for ages. Apples suck.

Does it cost a lot of money to have your nipper as a mascot? Is it a waiting list type thing?

The trick is to get one of their men sent off. Lets go for that big dark fellow up front.

It would have been on my Xmas list had I known of its existence. At £35, I cant expect my missus to fork out as a stocking filler.

Diana Ross's effort in the WC94 opening ceremony.

Why ? 6th in the Prem wont even guarantee you European football. The LC win would. And surely the day out at Wembley is what its all about

What a joke. I remember consecutive 1/4 final appearances for Saints in 89, 90 and 91 and the Dell was rammed. Massive cup nights. Are the empty seats on telly tonight an indication of the LC being a joke, or Sunderland being just that.

Just imagine if they could hand their notice on a 4 week notice period. They could even go earlier based on holiday they havent used or TOIL they are owed. Of course they might not get a good reference for their next club.

What b olllocks some people talk. I remember in the eighties and nineties, crowds of circa 30k were only the luxury of the big clubs with big grounds. Now thats below average for the Prem. Who remembers when we first moved to SMS. Every other club was saying we would never fill our ground and how we've proved them wrong. Firstrow or whatever is no alternative to being there. The stream is always a good 2 mins before SSN so we already know a goal has been scored. Its jittery and unreliable. And even when the game is on Sky and you only have to either pay subscription or go to the local pub, we still sell out. And for those that dont go, why are they always labelled as unloyal. Some people have kids to bring up and might not be able to pay £35 a pop to go.

Cabaye is out for them. I think we are much more consistent and I fully expect us to play well. Depends which NUFC turn up.