Sunderland FC – CaughtOffside

Aston Villa agree deal to sign exciting English striker

Charlie Patrick — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 20:37:08 +0000

Aston Villa have agreed a deal to sign England under-17 international Mason Cotcher from Sunderland according to Fabrizio Romano.

It’s been a busy summer at Villa Park with a number of new signings coming through the door as the club look to strengthen their squad ahead of Champions League football next season.

The likes of Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, Ross Barkey and Jaden Philogene have all come in whilst club record signing Moussa Diaby has departed for Saudi side Al-Ittihad.

Aston Villa close in on Mason Cotcher signing

It’s not all about the first team at Villa and they are also looking to strengthen their academy and make signings for the future.

Romano has reported that they have agreed a deal with Sunderland for 17-year-old striker Cotcher who will sign a contract at Villa Park until 2027.

He took to X.com and said:

“Understand Aston Villa have now agreed on deal to sign England U17 striker Mason Cotcher from Sunderland. Contract until June 2027 to be signed today at #AVFC.”

?? Understand Aston Villa have now agreed on deal to sign England U17 striker Mason Cotcher from Sunderland.

Contract until June 2027 to be signed today at #AVFC. pic.twitter.com/6yl7OLxYmP

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 9, 2024

Sunderland will be compensated when Cotcher signs his first professional contract because of their role in his development.

Cotcher, who has two caps for England’s under-17s made six appearances in the under-18 Premier League last season, scoring three goals, whilst he also made one appearance in the Premier League 2.

In total the 17-year-old has made 27 appearances for Sunderland under-18s, scoring nine goals, and he’s also featured in the youth teams at Manchester United, Arsenal and Leeds.

Sunderland v Derby Live Stream : Guide to watching all the action from Stadium Of Light

Lewis Jones — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 22:26:11 +0000

The waiting is over as the Championship season kicks off tonight as Sunderland take on Derby live streaming from the Stadium of Light, with live streaming available for customers.

The brand report that they have access to live feeds of Championship games this season, which has proven popular to punters and fans.

Tonight’s game is sure to be an intriguing tie with both former Premier League side Sunderland taking on a team with genuine promotion credentials in Derby.

Both these sides suffered disappointing seasons last time around and both have made significant changes during the summer.

Sunderland vs Derby County Quotes

“When you come back in pre-season, then your eyes are firmly fixed on that first game.

“Pre-season can drag on because we are all desperate to kick off and see how we get on. We are really excited and looking forward to the first game” – Derby boss Gary Rowett

Its Sunderland however who may find life back in England’s second tier a little more difficult to deal with with little significant investment coming in during the summer. James Vaughan has been brought in to cover for the departed Jermaine Defoe, however the £900,000 man from Bury has big shoes to fill.

As expected, there have been some big names bidding farewell during the summer, with Victor Anichebe, Vito Mannone, Fabio Borini, Joleon Lescott, Steve Pienaar and most notably Jordan Pickford, who left for Everton in a £25m deal all moving on to pastures new.

Sunderland v Derby Sky Sports Tip

Of course, Black Cats fans will be hopeful of rebounding straight away and reclaiming their Premier League position, especially with vociferous home support.

It will not be easy however, as this season looks particularly competitive, with not one team looking stand out candidates, and there are likely to be seven or eight sides capable of reaching the heady heights of automatic promotion.

What a cracker of an opening game of the season this should be! Gary Rowett has had a bit of time now to look at his Derby squad, he’s lost a couple and brought a couple in who should do well like Tom Huddlestone and Curtis Davies.

It’s a tough fixture for Sunderland, there’s been a lot made about the changes there and it’ll be interesting to see how they get on after being relegated. But I fancy Derby to lay down an early marker.- Sky Sports

With arch rivals Newcastle sealing automatic promotion, the pressure is now on Simon Grayson, who is now in the hot seat at the Stadium of Light, taking over from David Moyes. The good news for fans however is that they have a proven manager at this level, but he does look to have a tough job on his hands.

Its a much changed side, with top goalscorer Jermaine Defoe making his way for a move to Bournemouth, and it remains to be seen whether Sunderland have the fire power to make an impression this season.

Derby themselves are the perennial under achievers, with the side promising so much during the season and ultimately coming up short in their promotion campaign, although things may be on the up after Steve Rowett came in for Steve McLaren to take charge of the Rams last March.

Andrew Wisdom, Tom Huddlestone & Curtis Davis have all come in during the summer, and all three of them look like adding value to a squad which has seen some big name players depart. Tom Ince has once again jumped ship and has joined Premier League newcomers Huddersfield, while Will Hughes has also taken his chance and has moved to Vicarage Road and Watford.

Cyrus Christie has also joined Middlesbrough, resulting in a squad which has seen significant overhaul, which will come as a headache to the well organised sides of Gary Rowett.

Curtis Davis looks a shrewed signing and should come straight into the Rams back four, while Tom Huddleston has plenty of experience at this level and should add to the midfield.

18+ Users must have a funded account to access streams. Country restrictions apply.

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New England boss to be confirmed soon, as FA reach final decision

Ashley Attlee — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 17:04:51 +0000

Sam Allardyce is apparently set to be confirmed as the new England manager very soon, with The Evening Standard revealing that the Sunderland boss has won the race for the highly coveted position.

The 61-year-old has been the only name that has really heavily been tipped to take the reins, with a number of other names thrown into the hat but not really given a serious chance.

The report reveals that Allardyce was the first candidate to be interviewed for the position, and clearly he was the best suited for it in the eyes of the FA too. The likes of Steve Bruce and Jurggen Klinsmann were also in with a shout, but the fact that Klinsmann wasn’t English went against him, and the FA seemingly preferred Allardyce over Bruce.

A major issue with England teams over the last couple of decades has been their lack of direction; the managers haven’t seemed to know how they wanted their teams to play, with Roy Hodgson’s performance at the Euro 2016 Championships a perfect example.

The former Liverpool boss had no idea what his best eleven was, what his best formation was, or what style he wanted his team to play. This was painfully obvious as the team just seemed to muddle around the pitch playing as individuals rather than a team, and it’s something that needs to change.

The FA apparently see Allardyce as the perfect man for the job, as he is able to get all his teams playing a very particular brand of football, based around a “high work-rate and defensive resilience”.

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After being announced Allardyce will take charge of his first England game in September, although his opposition is yet to be decided.

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Player ratings: Sunderland 0-0 Arsenal – Wilshere’s return brightens poor display

Ashley Attlee — Sun, 24 Apr 2016 15:44:09 +0000

Arsenal failed to do the business against relegation candidates Sunderland this past Sunday afternoon, with the Black Cats sending them home with just a point. It was an average display from the Gunners, and in the end the result was probably justified.

Our friends at All Arsenal have provided us with some player ratings, check them out below and see if you agree:

http://www.allarsenal.com/2016/04/matchreports/player-ratings-sunderland-0-0-arsenal-garden-variety-gunners-not-good-enough-to-win/

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We once again failed to impress in the Premier League this season, with a scrappy Sunderland side earning a point at home against a very average Arsenal side.

Here’s how we rate the players following our 0-0 draw with Sunderland:

GK) Petr Cech – 6.0

A few decent saves from the Czech international, but despite our shaky looking defence he wasn’t called upon to make too many tricky stops.

RB) Hector Bellerin – 6.0

Another example of great build up from the youngster, but not enough end product.

LB) Nacho Monreal – 5.5

The Spaniard’s crossing was really poor, and at times he was far too cautious.

CB) Per Mertesacker – 6.0

Started the game fairly strongly, but gave the referee a decision to make with a handball in the box and made a couple of really poor choices throughout the game.

CB) Laurent Koscielny – 6.0

The Frenchman made some equally poor choices, and his decision to duck when the ball flew in from a corner definitely could have cost us.

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DM) Mohamed Elneny – 6.5

One of the more reliable performers, nothing fancy from the Egyptian, but he was solid in midfield. Our midfield looked weaker without Francis Coquelin alongside Elneny though.

CM) Aaron Ramsey – 5.0

A really poor performance from the Welshman, who seems incapable of keeping things simple. Despite not being in good form he insists on attempting outrageous passes and shots from distance, which more often than not ended in us losing the ball.

CAM) Mesut Özil – 5.5

Another worryingly average display from the German, who is regularly on the ball but doesn’t look nearly as threatening as he did earlier this season.

Substitute: Jack Wilshere – N/A

Can’t expect too much from Wilshere after nearly a year out, but he looked solid during his brief cameo.

RAM) Alexis Sanchez – 6.5

Came close with a free kick and had a couple of half chances, but unfortunately couldn’t continue his fine goalscoring form.

LAM) Alex Iwobi – 6.0

He looked bright at times, but all of Arsenal’s best chances fell to him and he failed to capitalise on any of them.

Substitute: Theo Walcott – 4.0

Really offered very little after coming on, and it’s becoming more and more evident that he doesn’t have a future at the club. There seems to be no desire from the Englishman, as was evident by the way he pulled out of a challenge he should have won against Younes Kaboul.

ST) Olivier Giroud – 6.0

The Frenchman got a lot of unnecessary stick during the game, when it was the team that were underperforming rather than Giroud individually. His hold up play was decent, and he provided a couple of great chances for Alex Iwobi. He wasn’t getting a huge amount of service, and really never had a clear chance of his own.

Substitute: Danny Welbeck – 5.5

A couple of decent sights of goal, but couldn’t change the game when he came on. He arguably should have had a free kick and gotten Kaboul a red card, but it wasn’t given.

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Top five best 2014/15 Premier League games of the season, including Arsenal and Chelsea defeats

Tashan Deniran-Alleyne — Wed, 27 May 2015 21:44:32 +0000

With the 2014/15 Barclays Premier League campaign now over, plenty of reviews are in full flow and the best game of the season has been revealed after the people at SNAP.PA ranked all 380 games based on entertainment value.

While there has not been too many standout games this season, we have been treated to flashes of quality from the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, both Manchester clubs and Tottenham.

Take a look at what made the top five for best games of the season:

5) Stoke City 3-2 Arsenal – December 6th 2014

Coming in at fifth place was the five-goal thriller between the Potters and the Gunners at the Britannia Stadium back in December.

Peter Crouch opened the scoring after barely a minute on the clock as the hosts raced into a 3-0 half-time lead. Goals from Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey hinted at a fight-back but Stoke held firm to take the win.

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Liverpool win the league, Chelsea drop to the Europa League: Top 20 English teams over the last 50 years

Max Miller — Wed, 27 May 2015 20:31:44 +0000

Sky Sports have revealed the best teams in terms of league position over the past 50 years.

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They have done this by working out the average finishing position of each side over the last half century. Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal all come out well, while ‘nouveau riche’ clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester City suffer in these standings.

20) Derby County, average position 23.28

Just sacked Steve McLaren for failing to get them in to the Championship play offs, and the Rams are used to yo-yoing between the top tiers since 1955.

19) Norwich City, average position 22.84

Back in the Premier League next season, and the Canaries will want to stay there for longer than they usually manage under impressive manager Alex Neil.

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Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland player ratings as Eden Hazard shines once again for Blues

Jordan Harris — Sun, 24 May 2015 18:37:41 +0000

Chelsea finished their championship-winning Premier League season by beating Sunderland 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.

After falling behind, a Diego Costa penalty, and two goals from Loic Remy sealed the three points, before they finally got their hands on the trophy.

Here’s how we rated the Blues players:

Petr Cech 6

Had a relatively quiet day, but made a couple of fantastic saves on what could be his final appearance for the club. He couldn’t do much about the Sunderland goal.

Branislav Ivanovic 7

The Serbian was great going forward, as he has been all season. He has been a stalwart of the side, and put in another consistent display.

Gary Cahill 7

Has truly put his shaky form earlier in the season behind him. He was solid today, and proved that the Blues are in safe hands when John Terry hangs up his boots.

John Terry 6

Let Steven Fletcher go for the opening goal, but he can be forgiven for that based on his heroic efforts throughout the season. No one deserved to lift that trophy as much as the Blues skipper.

Cesar Azpilicueta 7

Sat in defence with Ivanovic bursting forward, and did everything he had to with little fuss and looked assured.

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(Video) Chelsea players carry Didier Drogba off as Ivorian is subbed in his final Blues game vs Sunderland

Charli Casey — Sun, 24 May 2015 18:33:16 +0000

The Chelsea players gave Didier Drogba a hero’s send off after the Ivorian confirmed that the clash against Sunderland would be his last for the club.

The striker signed a one-year contract with the West London outfit last summer, and it was uncertain whether he would be extending his stay. However, on Sunday afternoon it was announced, via Chelsea’s official website, that the clash with Sunderland would be the Stamford Bridge legend’s last game.

In what was a clearly planned out act from the champions, Drogba, who captained the side, was substituted after 30 minutes, and his team-mates showed their respect to his services to the club by carrying the legendary forward off the pitch.

Take a look at the moment from the Blues team below…

The former Ivory Coast international revealed the reason behind his decision to leave, writing, ‘I want to play for at least one more season and in order to play more football I feel I need to go to another club.’

Nonetheless, he expects to return to the club for a third time when his playing career comes to an end – ‘All the fans know my love for Chelsea and I hope to be back here in the future in another role.’

Watch below as Drogba lifts the Premier League trophy with skipper John Terry…

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(Goals & video highlights) Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland: Champions come from behind for final day victory

Jordan Harris — Sun, 24 May 2015 16:38:52 +0000

Chelsea were finally able to get their hands on the Premier League trophy, after they crowned off their excellent season as a goal from Diego Costa and a brace from Loic Remy helped them come from behind and secure a 2-1 win against Sunderland.

With Sunderland’s top flight status already secured following their goalless draw with Arsenal in midweek, and Chelsea having clinched the title long before this weekend, you may be forgiven for thinking that both sides would adopt a laboured tempo. However, the game began at a frenetic pace, with both teams looking threatening in attack.

It was the Blues that got the first chance, and it looked as the ball rolled across the box that Didier Drogba may get another fairytale ending to his second stint at Stamford Bridge, although the penalty in the Champions League final will mean much more to him. The 37-year-old, who confirmed his departure earlier today (via Chelsea’s official website), was a couple yards from goal as Juan Cuardrado played the pass in, however his touch was faint, and the ball continued to fly across the goal.

Jose Mourinho’s men were punished midway through the first-half after Steven Fletcher headed in Adam Johnson’s corner. The Scotland striker found himself unmarked at the back post after a rare lapse of concentration in the Chelsea box.

Despite the goal, there was a moment of celebration for the majority of the ground soon after, as Didier Drogba was replaced for the final time. Incredibly, his teammates lined up to carry the player off the pitch as the crowd stood and applauded.

The man now trusted to do the job that Drogba spent years doing, Diego Costa, soon restored parity for the home side, as he scored a penalty eight minutes before the break. Juan Cuadrado was fouled by John O’Shea, but there were question marks about whether the challenge came inside the box.

The game seemed to become much more of a procession in the second half. Chelsea started to really impose themselves upon the game, but had to wait until the 70th minute to end Dick Advocaat’s side’s resistance. Some great work from Eden Hazard in the middle of the park allowed Loic Remy to pick the ball up on the edge of the area. His strike was hit well, but Costel Pantilimon would have been disappointed not to keep the effort out.

Remy added his second two minutes from time, as he had the simple task of tucking home a cross.

The final whistle allowed the celebrations to begin for the Blues, and John Terry was able to crown a wonderful season for the squad by lifting the Premier League trophy for the fourth time.

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Arsenal player ratings v Sunderland: Olivier Giroud proves he’s not a good enough finisher for a title contenders

Max Miller — Wed, 20 May 2015 21:23:58 +0000

Arsenal drew 0-0 with Sunderland on Wednesday night – a result which means the away side are safe from relegation to the Championship.

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However, it was bad news for the Gunners, who were unable to learn from the mistakes of their 0-1 defeat to Swansea City on the weekend. The midfielders didn’t move the ball quickly enough, the team looked both toothless against a packed Black Cats defence and vulnerable to Sunderland counters.

Here are the player ratings…

GK) David Ospina, 7

One of the few Gunners player to emerge with some credit, the Colombian did enough to stop Sunderland scoring from several dangerous counter attacks.

RB) Hector Bellerin, 4

With the advantage of his pace taken away by the deep line of the opposing defence, the former Barcelona man didn’t add much going forward. He was also caught too far forward on occasion, with space between Mertesacker and the right touchline.

LB) Kieran Gibbs, 5

Also stifled by the Black Cats deep line, there was little end product from the England international.

CB) Per Mertesacker, 5

A player with good positioning rather than any kind of speed, he always looks out of depth against counter attacking sides. Surely the Gunners need a better centre-back to really challenge on all fronts?

CB) Laurent Koscielny, 6

Did little wrong, even when attempting to cover for his partner in defence.

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