Without doubt the biggest game of the season thus far.
There's not too much between the two teams in the league to suggest which way this will go.
Sunderlands strength is definitely in the final 3rd with a mixture of poachers, ariel prowess and slick movement coming from the 4231 shape .
PWs, main decision will be centred around Harding.
Will he prefer Wes on the right of a 5 or bring in cheio from the start? The former seems likely as I suspect we will want to start strong but build up to a finish.
A back 3 of Reg, woody and icky therefore looks on the cards .
A win for Sunderlamd would put them 4 points clear of us with a game in hand ( that's a big gap ) A win for us would be the icing on the cake of a great run of form and remove any lingering doubt about the possibility of a top 2 challenge.
Of course we will be without Grigg of whom there's no doubt that he has made us a better unit. However, Freddie should be at the peak of his motivation as a match defining performance will mean the shirt will be his to lose once again.
-- Edited by ian on Thursday 28th of October 2021 05:56:30 PM
Any team that finishes above Sunderland will probably be in the top two come May. They are better at home than away and we arent that convincing at home. It's a tough one to call. I suspect both sides would be reasonably happy with a point. Ladapo for Grigg and Wood for Ogbene (with Harding at right wing back) would be my only changes from last Saturday. Ogbene and Miller ready to be unleashed from the bench. Should be a cracker. It's a big game but not make or break for either side so hopefully it will be open and entertaining.
Its goibg to be an end to match and our wing backs need to be on their game
Vickers has performed well inbetween sticks so undecided
Same back 3
Barlaser
Harding wiles rathbone miller or rathbone
Smith ladapo
Subs
Sadlier ogbene ferguson
A tough game, one where luk, a good ref, hard work and being able to adapt to the happenings on the pitch by changing the approach or players at the right time will make a huge difference. We can easily win or lose, i do not hold with this notion that games against rivals are not critical to the outcome of a season, of course they are
Last time we were in this league we smashed Coventry 4-0 but they were the only team who finished above us. We lost at Peterborough and at home to Oxford . They both had ambitions of going up but they didnt and we did. If we beat Sunderland it wont mean we are going up and if we lose it wont mean we arent. It's a big game - no doubt about it - but it isnt make or break. We have had a great run so I hope people dont play the blame game if we lose one. I suspect the top five or six will take points off each other as the season progresses. We are bound to lose occasionally and it wont necessarily be anyones fault. Not even Man City win absolutely every game. I hope both teams try and win it tomorrow and serve up some entertainment, unlike the Wycombe game which they came and killed as a spectacle. It's a close one to call but I fancy us to win it by the odd goal.
That was as complete a performance as you could see.
To a man pretty dam brilliant.
They score instead of hitting the post and it's a different game. Thereafter , we absolutely dominated, so much so that when they went down to 10 men it actually relieved them of some pressure.
Lots and lots of talking points and lots to praise...
Absolutely sensational to a man. We haven't had such a talented and dominating midfield at Rotherham in the time I've been following them. Chieo was unplayable, Smith clinical and even Freddie put in a great performance. Teams will be looking at us with trepidation!! UTM
The result was brilliant and the performance was even better. Sunderland are a good side and we gave them a bit of a hammering. We need to take that confidence into a difficult game at a rejuvenated Charlton, try and get something out of that and then have a well earned break from the league after a tough run of games. It cant get much better than it is at the moment - unbeaten in loads, poaying good football, scoring plenty and letting very few in. I agree with Glenn - this midfield trio of Barlaser Wiles and Rathbone all on top form are a joy to watch. Fantastic stuff.
PW best manager in L1 by far. Dominant performance and we could have had another 5 easy. Good to see Freddie enjoying himself out there and Ogbene was totally unplayable. Best performance for years they were battered and outclassed in every department. We are the team to watch!
That was special both in terms of the scoreline & the performance, Vickers can have a 7/10 for just being there but he could have brought a flask & sandwiches at HT, as for the rest of them 8s+ one of the most completely superb performances of any Millers team in 50+ years of support, truly magic.
That was special both in terms of the scoreline & the performance, Vickers can have a 7/10 for just being there but he could have brought a flask & sandwiches at HT, as for the rest of them 8s+ one of the most completely superb performances of any Millers team in 50+ years of support, truly magic.
Agree it was special.
This team is starting to spark memories of every very good team I've seen . They are up there with any of them. Difficult to make a direct comparison. One thing is that this best 11 seem to be the just so well balanced.
A comparison with the team that got promoted under Evans is reasonable and fairly easy to recall. In that team there were a few individuals that were perhaps better than the players today: Arnie, Morgan, Taverner, Pringle, and smallwood; but others may disagree. This team is certainly better balanced than the 80/81 side and probably more dynamic than the 2000/01 team , and comparing Alan Lee to Smudge is intriguing.
Nevertheless , despite what some Sunderland fans told me on the train , they were beaten by a good team and not by themselves. One guy, and he looked and sounded sane and sober for most of the conversation even told me the reason we beat them and the reason they have been 4 seasons in L1 was because the L1 hierarchy in the EFL wanted big clubs in the division to support the revenue of us small clubs. He WAS NOT being sarcastic. I didn't answer this directly because I was worried he might be a stalker.
-- Edited by ian on Sunday 31st of October 2021 11:03:52 PM
Ian, football is such a personal and emotional game that supporters will go to extremes to justify the fallibilites of their team. The most common excuse for a poor performance is that it was all the manager's fault. However, a conspiracy theory based on EFL manipulation is verging on insanity. If your Sunderland mate could only take 90 minutes out to watch a replay of the game, he would quickly understand that his team were beaten by a far superior team, both technically and tactically, and possessing an ethos instilled by their manager to be as fit as possible and to give their all for the club. Nothing conspiratorial I'm afraid!
I like to have a little look at the message boards of clubs we play to see us from the other side of the fence. It is fair to say that Sunderland fans are livid about their own side's performance and a perceived lack of fight, but they almost all recognised that we were excellent and that they were well beaten by a team that was far better than them on the day. They are passionate fans up there but they tend to know their football.
I would say that however good Saturday was, both clubs are still solidly in the pack of half a dozen tightly packed at the top of the table. There is a long way to go. Things could easily change very quickly. We have a tough away game tomorrow and they have got an easy one at Hillsborough!
