SUNDERLAND v WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Barclays Premier League Saturday 24th November 2012,
12:45pm Stadium of Light
MATCH
NOTES
Albion have won more points (18)
against Sunderland than any other club in Premier League competition.
If Albion return from Wearside with three points it would be
the first time they have won four matches on the spin in the English top-flight
since October 1980 when they beat Southampton, Crystal Palace, Coventry City and
Manchester City.
Baggies’ striker Peter Odemwingie has netted four goals in
four games against Sunderland.
Six of the last seven league meetings between the sides have
produced a minimum of three goals.
Jonas Olsson will make his 150th first team appearance for
the Baggies if selected to play.
An Albion win over
Sunderland would see
Albion record their best start to a top-flight season, with 13
games played, since the start of the 1953/54 season.
Sunderland have scored fewer
home goals (three) than any other Premier League team so far this season.
If midfielder Chris Brunt plays a part in the game he will
set a new record of most Premier League appearances made by an
Albion player. The record is
currently 106, jointly held by Brunt and former captain Jonathan Greening.
The Baggies are unbeaten in their last five Premier League
meetings with Sunderland,
winning four and drawing one.
Albion's last six games: W W W L
L W
Sunderland's last six games: W L
L L D D
TEAM
NEWS
Albion
Baggies’ boss Steve Clarke will welcome back defender Gareth
McAuley and on-loan
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku for the trip to Wearside.
McAuley has recovered from a hamstring injury suffered on
international duty with
Northern Ireland while Lukaku was ineligible to face his parent club in
Albion's 2-1 win
last weekend.
Influential midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu is ruled out with a
hamstring injury sustained against
Chelsea
and goalkeeper Ben Foster is absent for a third successive game with a groin
problem.
Squad from:
Myhill, Daniels, Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Tamas, Jara Reyes,
Popov, Ridgewell, Yacob, Brunt, Dorrans, Morrison, El Ghanassy, Gera, Fortune,
Odemwingie, Lukaku, Long, Rosenberg.
Sunderland
Martin O'Neill will be hoping to have a fully fit
squad to choose from with former Villa man Craig Gardner returning from
suspension, however O'Neill did
admit that "one or two" players
are injury doubts but declined to name them.
Squad from:
Mignolet, Westwood, Bardsley, O'Shea, Kilgallon, Cuellar,
Bramble, Rose, Cattermole,
Gardner,
Colback, McClean, Larsson, Sessegnon, Saha, Fletcher,
Campbell,
Wickham, McFadden.
QUOTES
Baggies' boss Steve Clarke:
"It's a big club, there is big expectation in the North East,
they spent a lot of money in the summer, over £20million.
"It has taken a bit of time to gel. They've also had an
imbalance of games with only four at home and seven away.
"I'm sure their points return is not what they would like it
to be. Some of their performances have been okay. I've watched the DVDs. They
are a good team and will go into the game on a high after a fantastic result at
Fulham."
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Sunderland captain Lee
Cattermole:
“We’ve just gone about our business, kept working, we don’t
need to come out and say that we’ve had so many away games - we’ve got four out
of the next five at home so it’s turning in our favour a little bit now.
“We’ve just got to go and perform now. There’s a great crowd
here and we’ll just keep working each game at a time; we know there are no easy
games. West Brom are
going to come here full of confidence having just beaten Chelsea - it’s not
going to be an easy game.
“They’re a physical team, powerful up front, they’ve
definitely got goals in their side so we need to be on our guard.
“We just have to be patient, there’s no rush, we don’t have
to win it in the first five minutes. We’ll just take our time in the game and if
we can get a win here it’ll set us off again.”
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MATCH
ODDS
Result
Albion Win: 15/8, Sunderland Win: 7/5, Draw: 23/10.
First Goalscorer Fletcher
9/2, Saha 6/1, Long 6/1, Lukaku 6/1, Dong Won Ji 7/1, Sessegnon 7/1, Wickham
7/1, Odemwingie 7/1, McFadden 8/1, Campbell 10/1, Johnson 10/1, McClean 10/1,
Fortune 10/1, Morrison 10/1, Rosenberg 10/1, Larsson 12/1, Brunt 12/1, Gera
12/1, Dorrans 14/1, El Ghanassy 14/1, Gardner 18/1, Mulumbu 18/1.
REFEREE
Mike Dean (Wirral) - Last took charge of an
Albion game in August for the Baggies' 1-1 draw with Spurs at White Hart Lane.
He refereed three Albion games last season, all at The Hawthorns - The 1-0
defeat to Stoke City in August, the 2-1 defeat against Wigan in December and the
2-1 defeat against Norwich City in January.
TICKET INFORMATION
Seats will be available to
Albion fans at
the Stadium of Light on the day of the game via cash-only turnstile 73 - but
only to adults. Albion supporters wishing to purchase concessionary tickets on
the day of the game should visit the Black Cats’ ticket office.
The Baggies have been allocated 2,000 seats, priced £29 adults, £19 over 65s,
and £10 under 16s.
WEATHER FORECAST
Partly cloudy with a 10% chance of rain, 5°C.
FIXTURE HISTORY
Albion first met Sunderland in May 1890
in a friendly game on Wearside which the Baggies won 5-3.
The first competitive meeting of the two sides came four
months later at Stoney Lane. Sunderland, in their first season of Football
League competition, travelled back up to the North East with two points
following a 4-0 victory. Scottish international Jimmy Millar scored two of
the visitors goals.
The Baggies wouldn't record a league victory over Sunderland until the
13th meeting between the sides, Jack Cameron scoring the only goal of the
game at Stoney Lane in November 1896.
Albion's
best league victory over the Black Cats is a 6-4 win at The Hawthorns in
February 1937. The Baggies have also registered a 6-5 win at The Hawthorns in
March 1934, a 5-1 win in December 1932, again in West Bromwich and another 5-1
victory, this time at Roker Park on New Year's Day 1966.
Sunderland's best victory over
Albion came at Newcastle Road in October 1892 when Johnny Campbell hit a
hat-trick in an 8-1 stroll for the defending league champions. Sunderland would
go on to retain the title at the end of the season.
Other big wins for Sunderland
include 7-1 on Wearside in January 1896 and three 6-1 victories, the first on
Wearside in September 1935, the second one at The Hawthorns in October 1937, and
finally again at Roker Park in February 1977.
Albion have a good record
against Sunderland in the Premier League, losing just two of the ten meetings
between the two sides. The Baggies are also unbeaten in the last five games,
winning four and drawing one. They have also lost just one of the five Premier
League meetings between the clubs at the Stadium of Light.
LAST LEAGUE MEETING AT THE STADIUM OF LIGHT
Sunderland
2-2 Albion Barclays Premier League Saturday 1 October 2011,
3:00pm
Sunderland:
Mignolet, O'Shea, Brown,
Turner, Richardson, Elmohamady (Ji 82), Gardner (Meyler 90), Cattermole (Colback
70), Larsson, Sessegnon, Bendtner. Subs not used: Westwood, McClean,
Cook, Laing.
Goalscorers:
Bendtner 24, Elmohamady 26.
Booked: Cattermole 36 (foul).
Albion:
Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson,
Shorey, Brunt, Mulumbu (Scharner 74), Dorrans (Thomas 88), Morrison, Odemwingie,
Long. Subs not used: Fulop, Tchoyi, Jones, Tamas, Cox.
Goalscorers:
Morrison 4, Long 5.
Attendance: 34,815
Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)
Ahmed Elmohamady's first goal for Sunderland spared manager
Steve Bruce a mauling as the Black Cats pulled off a timely rescue job at the
end of a difficult week. The 50-year-old was firmly in the firing line after his
side conceded twice within a catastrophic opening five minutes as James Morrison
and then Shane Long got
West Brom off to a dream start. But as a chorus of "Bruce out" rang
around the Stadium of Light, his players responded to drag themselves back from
the brink of disaster. Nicklas Bendtner gave them hope with a 24th-minute
strike, his first for the club, and Elmohamady followed suit within two minutes
in a chaotic first half. A rejuvenated
Sunderland enjoyed the better of
the game from that point on, but were unable to make the pressure tell and had
to make do with a point on a day when three were perhaps what was required.
Both sides have now won just one of their seven Barclays
Premier League games to date this season, and while there was a certain degree
of relief among the home sections of a crowd of 34,815, there was a realisation
too that things must improve markedly if they are to achieve their ambitions.
Bruce went into the game having endured the kind of week which is the stuff of
nightmares for a football manager. A poor display at Norwich on Monday night
ended in a 2-1 defeat which piled the pressure back on the former Manchester
United defender, and the fall-out from defender Titus Bramble's arrest over
allegations of sexual assault and possession of a class A drug barely 24 hours
later did little to ease his pain. By
3.05pm, he could have been
forgiven for started to contemplate the fate his most vociferous critics have
been demanding for several weeks.
A must-win game in the eyes of many could hardly have started
in any more depressing fashion for Bruce when Morrison, one of the smallest men
on the pitch, was allow to meet Chris Brunt's fourth-minute free-kick
unchallenged to head home from close range. However, it was to get much, much
worse for Sunderland within seconds. Craig Gardner's efforts to spark his side into life
backfired spectacularly when he launched himself into a midfield challenge with
Youssouf Mulumbu and saw the ball ricochet into the path of striker Long. The
Republic of Ireland
international took full advantage of a flat-footed home defence to slide the
ball past Simon Mignolet to send a chorus of boos echoing around the Stadium of
Light. But as the dark clouds gathered on Wearside, Bruce's players belatedly
summoned up the will to fight their way out of the mire. As Gardner and skipper
Lee Cattermole finally managed to make an impression in the middle of the field,
the lively Stephane Sessegnon was able to make his presence felt and start to
link with lone striker Bendtner. They grabbed themselves a lifeline with 24
minutes gone when Sebastian Larsson back-heeled Sessegnon's pass into Bendtner's
path and the Dane fired past keeper Ben Foster with the help of a deflection off
Gareth McAuley. The on-loan Arsenal striker turned provider two minutes later
when he crossed for Elmohamady to head home an equaliser which blew the game
wide-open once again. Having dragged themselves back into the contest,
Sunderland had the impetus and went close to taking the lead in injury time when
Foster had to beat away Gardner's shot on the turn.
But they continued to look fragile at the back with Wes Brown
and Michael Turner struggling to keep Long and Peter Odemwingie at bay, and with
Morrison and Brunt probing from midfield, the danger was far from over. That
said, the Black Cats should really have been in front within three minutes of
the restart when Larsson floated a free-kick over Jonas Olsson's head to find
Brown at the far post. The former Manchester United defender seemed surprised to
see Larsson's cross reach him and having reacted late, headed it down into the
turf and harmlessly over the bar. Elmohamady too might have done better with 59
minutes gone with Sessegnon once again the architect. The
Benin international cut inside from the left and rolled the
ball into the Egyptian's path into the box, but Foster's positioning was perfect
to make a vital block. West Brom were retreating ever deeper into their own half
as Sunderland assumed control with Sessegnon terrorising the visitors' back
four, although at times over-elaborating. But with the home side running out of
steam, it was the visitors who finished the stronger, although without ever
really threatening to snatch victory.
Sporting Life
CURRENT CONNECTIONS
In his playing career, Sunderland's first team
coach Steve Walford spent a short spell on loan at The Hawthorns during
the 1988/89 season.
PAST
CONNECTIONS
Amongst the players to have turned out at various levels for
both clubs are: Sam Allardyce, Mark Angel, Brett Angell, Peter Barnes,
Jack Boyd, Darren Carter, Frank Cresswell, Shaun Cunnington, Danny Dichio,
Andy Dibble, Tony Ford, Carsten Fredgaard, Marton Fulop, Sid Glidden, Don Goodman, Bernt
Haas, Danny Hegan, Jim Holton, Kevin Kilbane, Archie McKenzie, Sandy McNab,
Paul McShane, Andy Marriott, Jimmy Millar, Joe Murphy, John Nevin, Jimmy Nicholl, Kevin
Phillips, Kieran Richardson, Barry Siddall, Colin Suggett, Stanislav Varga,
Ike Webb and Colin West.
Denis Smith managed both Albion and Sunderland;
Malcolm Crosby was Smith's assistant at both clubs and also had a
spell as the Black Cats' boss; Former Albion assistant manager Frank
Burrows had a spell coaching at Sunderland; Former Baggies' boss
Brian Little had trials as a player at
Sunderland.
ALL-TIME LEAGUE & CUP RECORD VS SUNDERLAND
VENUE |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Home |
73 |
37 |
18 |
18 |
138 |
101 |
Away |
73 |
13 |
22 |
38 |
76 |
154 |
Total |
146 |
50 |
40 |
56 |
214 |
255 |
LAST
TEN MATCHES AGAINST SUNDERLAND
DATE |
LEVEL |
H/A |
F-A |
SCORERS |
GATE |
Sat 25 Feb 2012 |
Premier League |
H |
4-0 |
Odemwingie
2, Morrison, Andrews |
25,311 |
Sat 01 Oct 2011 |
Premier League |
A |
2-2 |
Morrison,
Long - Bendtner, Elmohamady |
34,815 |
Sat 09 Apr 2011 |
Premier League |
A |
3-2 |
Odemwingie,
Mulumbu, Scharner - Shorey (og), Bardsley |
41,586 |
Sat 21 Aug 2010 |
Premier League |
H |
1-0 |
Odemwingie |
23,624 |
Sat 25 Apr 2009 |
Premier League |
H |
3-0 |
Olsson,
Brunt, Menseguez |
26,256 |
Sat 13 Dec 2008 |
Premier League |
A |
0-4 |
Jones 2, Reid, Cisse (pen) |
36,280 |
Sat
03 Mar 2007 |
Championship |
H |
1-2 |
Carter -
Yorke, John |
23,252 |
Mon
28 Aug 2006 |
Championship |
A |
0-2 |
Whitehead, N Collins |
24,242 |
Sat
21 Jan 2006 |
Premier League |
H |
0-1 |
Watson
(og) |
26,464 |
Sat
17 Sep 2005 |
Premier League |
A |
1-1 |
Gera - Breen |
31,657 |
|