Sunderland

Poyet calls Liverpool mid-table team without Suarez

/ Alan Keane / Leave a comment
“Hey! Liverpool! Ye’re nothing without Suarez!”

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has earned the wrath of Liverpool fans by suggesting the Reds would be a mid-table team without his fellow Uruguayan Luis Suarez.
Poyet was speaking to El Observador, a Uruguayan publication, and to be fair to the Sunderland manager he was probably just heaping praise on Suarez rather than trying to question Liverpool’s squad depth. However his decision to do so in the run-up to such an important game for his Sunderland side, embroiled in the battle to avoid relegation, was inadvisable at best.
Suarez has of course been in stellar form this season after returning from his 10 game suspension. Currently level with Robbie Fowler as top Liverpool goalscorer in a Premier League season on 28 goals, there’s every possibility he’ll make the record his own tonight.
However to imply that Liverpool are a one man team would be to do them a disservice. Take Suarez out of the equation, and the next highest goalscorer in the Premier League is his strike partner Daniel Sturridge. Captain Steven Gerrard is also having an excellent season, scoring two penalties at Old Trafford ten days ago to bring his tally for the campaign into double figures. Coutinho, Henderson, Sterling and Skrtel have all contributed goals for Brendan Rodgers’ side as they keep the pressure on Manchester City and Chelsea.
Sunderland go into tonight’s game in 18th place, three points behind Crystal Palace in 17th but with a marginally better goal difference and two games in hand. No win in their last 6, coupled with Liverpool’s perfect record in the same period, would suggest tonight is a write-off for Poyet’s team. It will be interesting to see whether he puts out a weakened side and focuses instead on Saturday’s game against fellow strugglers West Ham.
A win for Liverpool tonight would lift them to second in the table, two points above Manchester City albeit with two games more played. Both City and Chelsea have yet to come to Anfield, and those encounters in April may very well be crucial in deciding who lifts the Premier League title come May 11th.

In From The Cold: King recalls Reid, Gibson and Stokes for October qualifiers

/ Alan Keane / Leave a comment
Reid to make his international comeback.

Ireland’s caretaker manager Noel King today announced his provisional 26 man squad for the upcoming qualifiers against Germany and Kazakhstan.

While there are no real changes to the defensive personnel, there is a reshuffle in the centre of the park which sees Darren Gibson return to the fold after a self-imposed exile. Nottingham Forest midfielder Andy Reid gets a call up after being left out in the cold by Trappatoni for the past 5 years. 
Reid is a player of undoubted ability, with a left foot capable of picking the lock of any defence. There have always been question marks over his fitness, however his lack of pace is compensated by his passing, shooting and free-taking ability. Below is a short clip highlighting what he’s capable of. The only pity for Ireland is that Reid, along with Wes Hoolahan, were overlooked by Trappatoni during a period when Ireland were crying out for a creative presence in midfield. Now the two of them are the wrong side of thirty years old, Hoolahan only finding his way into Trappatoni’s plans earlier this year and Reid parachuted in for two World Cup qualifiers rendered almost meaningless by recent results. 
Darron Gibson took himself out of contention for an Ireland call-up following last year’s disappointing European Championship. The decision of Trappatoni not to play him in any of Ireland’s three games was something that rankled, leading him to opt out of playing any more games under the veteran Italian manager. He declared his availability once more when Trappatoni parted ways with the Ireland team and will be a welcome addition to the midfield. 
A return on the cards?
Interestingly, Stephen Ireland is a name that we could be seeing again on the team-sheet. Irish Independent football writer Daniel McDonnell tweeted today “A comeback for Stephen Ireland was discussed. He doesn’t feel in top condition/ready but gave impression he wants to play for Ireland again.” Whether he would be welcomed back by Irish fans is another matter entirely, but there is a precedent for a controversial Corkman returning to the fold.
Up front, Anthony Stokes is called up to the international set-up for the first time since he withdrew from the Carling Cup squad in May 2011. As the only player of the Irish panel currently involved in Champions League football, his inclusion at the expense of Connor Sammon is a welcome one.
Kevin Doyle has also been given a reprieve by Noel King, having missed out on the past few international fixtures. However the Wexford man had not been overlooked by Trappatoni due to some slight, (perceived or otherwise) but rather because of an abysmal run of form. Doyle now plies his trade with Wolverhampton Wanderers in League One and will surely be desperate to get on the field in a green shirt, if only to put himself in the shop window for a January escape. At 30 years old, time is running out for the former Reading striker.
Doyle back in the squad.
Elsewhere in the squad, Richard Dunne and John O’Shea are included despite both being suspended for the Germany game. They will join up with the rest of the team before the Kazakhstan fixture. Darren O’Dea has been omitted from the squad but Noel King is confident he has the strength in depth needed to cope at the back. While Andy Reid returns to the fold, his club-mate Simon Cox misses out.
Provisional 26 man squad:
Forde [Millwall], Westwood [Sunderland], Randolph [Birmingham], O’Brien [West Ham], St Ledger [Leicester], Wilson [Stoke], Coleman [Everton], Kelly [Reading], Clark [Aston Villa], McShane [Hull], Gibson [Everton], Whelan [Stoke], McCarthy [Everton], Green [Leeds], Reid [Nottingham Forest], McGeady [Spartak Moscow], Pilkington [Norwich], McClean [Wigan], Brady [Hull], Quinn [Hull], Hoolahan [Norwich], Long [WBA],Keane [LA Galaxy], Walters [Stoke], Doyle [Wolves], Stokes [Celtic] – O’Shea [Sunderland] and Dunne [QPR] will join squad for Kazakhstan game.

Interviewing Niall Quinn.

/ Alan Keane / Leave a comment
Niall Quinn. Irish Football Great.

Sunday. Niall said ring today to arrange something. Ring Niall. No answer. Wait a few hours. Ring again. Same result. Send text. No answer by bed-time. Lie awake and fret.

     Monday morning. Ring Niall again. This time he answers after three rings. He apologises, wasn’t near his phone all yesterday. Phew. Arrange to meet up Tuesday at 2pm in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. Thank Niall, hang up. Make mental note to find out where the Shelbourne is. Meet classmates. Tell them the good news. Told the Shelbourne is a fancy 5-star hotel.

Could get used to this.

     Go shopping for a fancy 5-star shirt. In Penneys. Success.
     Tuesday morning. Get bus to Dublin. Not just any bus. Double decker. Sit up top, as you do. Arrive in Dublin at midday. Time to kill. Head up to the Shelbourne to book a room for the interview. Walk in. Doorman posh. Receptionist posh. Act posh. Funny looks. Book room. Leave hotel minus one arm and one leg. An hour and a half to the interview.
     In bathroom in Stephen’s Green shopping centre, realise the reason for the funny looks. Forgot to take piercings. Eyebrow bar not in the unwritten Shelbourne dress code.
     Sit in Stephen’s Green watching ducks, eating a banana. Realise those people who call journalism glamorous are liars. 
     Twenty to two. Back to hotel. Staff very nice. Shown up to the room by the banquet manager. Room is huge. Table and two chairs like an island in the middle of a carpet ocean. Set up recording equipment. Niall rings. He’s stuck in traffic, he’ll be there as soon as he can. Hope he is, room only booked for an hour.
     Back down to the lobby to wait for the big man. Sit on comfortable, expensive looking couch. Weigh up whether or not it’s bad manners to greet Niall while chewing gum. Decide it isn’t the best first impression. Look around. No bin in sight. Consider sticking wad to underside of expensive couch. Consider this risky. Surrender to inevitable and stick it in pocket.
     Talk to doorman. Nice man. Not as posh as first impressions would suggest. Likes his job. Goes to do it again. Left alone. Quarter past two. Begin feeling faint from hunger. Remember banana is the only food consumed all day. Conclude that passing out while interviewing Niall Quinn may be detrimental to career in sportswriting.
     Remember big bowl of cookies on reception counter. Make up an excuse to approach reception. Ask baffled receptionist banal question about paying for the room. Given same answer as earlier. Unimportant. Cookies are in arm’s reach. Important. Take only one. Better to be discreet. Scuttle back to expensive couch, prize in hand
     Take a bite. Raisin cookies. Never as disappointed. Refuse to eat rest, out of respect for chocolate chip. Left with same problem as with chewing gum. No bin. Quinn’s arrival imminent. Chewing gum one thing, shaking hands with a legend of Irish football and getting melted cookie all over his suit sleeve another entirely. Sigh deeply, stick cookie in pocket to keep chewing gum company. Make mental note to burn trousers. 
     Here’s Niall. Too busy worrying about rapidly dissolving cookie to be starstruck. Friendly man, declines chance to get food. Offers to head straight up to the room to do the interview. Discuss Tipperary hurling on the way. Knows his stuff. 
Get to the room. Pour two glasses of water. Apologise in advance for asking about Saipan. Put on headphones and press record. The next 45 minutes fly. 
Interview will be posted up soon.