Sunderland V Bolton Wanderers

Sunderland V Bolton Wanderers

Kick-off: Saturday, 18th December – 12:45
Venue: The Reebok
TV Coverage: Sky Sports HD2

Sunderland

Since Steve Bruce completed the switch from Wigan Athletic to Sunderland as manager, the Black Cats haven’t held back in the transfer market. Darren Bent and Lee Cattermole were among those snapped up by Bruce at the beginning of last term, while this season Asamoah Gyan became the club’s latest big money coup, signing from French Rennes for £13M. All of the aforementioned players have had the desired impact at the club, and so they should for the price Bruce shelled out for them, however the aren’t quite deemed bargain buys. No, that award goes to to players currently on loan with the Wearsiders, full-back Nedum Onouha and forward Danny Welbeck.

Speaking with the BBC earlier this week, Onouha, who is currently enjoying his loan spell at the club from big-spending Manchester City, has been delighted with the campaign he and his team-mates have enjoyed so far, a campaign which has been very successfully in terms of points amassed and where they sit in the table because of their solid home form, something Onouha has put down to the team’s positivity. According to the England U21-International, Steve Bruce has instilled a winning mentality into his players with the team now focusing on winning every single one of their home games as opposed to targeting the draw under previous managers. Four wins and a couple of nearly moments in league matches inside the Stadium of Light would be strong enough evidence to suggest the defender speaks a lot of sense for someone with a big future in the game.

Only Manchester United can boast a winning outcome at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League in 2010, with the Red Devils winning 1-0 back in May, right at the business end of last term, and Bruce is eager not to see that tally double before they welcome in the new year. Bolton are the team they must put to the sword on Saturday, in front of the Sky Sports cameras, if they’re to maintain their stunning home record of having lost just once in the league this year, a side Sunderland did the double over last season and haven’t conceded a single goal against in their last three league contests.

With the omens boding well for their chances, it would appear the Gods are the ones most likely to scupper Sunderland’s chances of maintaining their unbeaten start to the season at home which has seen them win four and four of their first eight home matches. We’ve been mentioning their lack of centre-half’s for some time, not that it’s hampered their performances on the pitch a great deal, but Bruce received further bad news this week in that Anton Ferdinand won’t be available until the new year meaning the Sunderland boss will be without three recognised centre-backs and will be forced to move Onouha into a more central role this weekend. On the plus side, Asamoah Gyan appears to have shrugged off a toe problem while goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who missed last weekend’s dour 0-0 draw with Fulham down in London, is back in contention and should return in goal for the visit of Bolton.

Bolton

Trotters manager Owen Coyle was all praise for his latest goalscoring hero, with Johan Elmander (8 Goals) and Kevin Davies (6 Goals) stepping aside as central-midfielder Stuart Holden stole all the limelight with his stunning winner late on in last Sunday’s Midlands derby with Blackburn Rovers. The American, a free transfer back in January earlier this year, isn’t known for his scoring prowess, but he scored a vital winner for his team as Bolton produced a smash and grab victory which was reminiscent of the olden days, back when Sam Allardyce was in charge and enjoyed similar success and plaudits to which Bolton and Owen Coyle are now.

I know some neutrals are rapidly getting fed up with us, all journalists, repeatedly praising Bolton, Owen Coyle notably, for this new-look style of football they’ve been treating us to all season long. Well, last Sunday, at home to a spirited Blackburn side, we seen very little of Bolton’s technical prowess for once and were instead watching the Trotters play with some tenacity and resilience for a change. And they had to, with Bolton reduced to 10-men midway through the second period, Mark Davies receiving his marching orders for a rash tackle, and while we weren’t lavished with pleasing to the eyes football, we instead seen a different side to Bolton, a spirited, combative side which we’ve rarely seen under Coyle. And while some maybe shouting ‘We told you so’, you couldn’t help but be impressed as now we know there is a ‘Plan B’.

Picking up a result from their trip to the ice-cold north may prove a mountain too far for Coyle and his chameleon-like charges, with Bolton’s record on Wearside not the best, having won just once in their previous visits, added to the his side’s lacklustre effort on their travels this season. An away record of 2-4-2 may seem reasonable, however both those two wins have come against teams languishing in the relegation zone in Wolves (19th) and West Ham (20th) while they’ve conjured eight less goals on the road this season. Johan Elmander has popped up with six of Bolton’s eleven away goal thus far, so considering he’s a little out of form as well, having failed to score in his last three appearances, the negatives are beginning to pile up at an alarming rate.

Fortunately for Owen Coyle, the former Burnley manager doesn’t have any fresh injury concerns although is without midfielder Mark Davies following his red card in last Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers.

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Recent Form (Last 5):

Sunderland

Premier League: Fulham 0-0 Sunderland
Premier League: Sunderland 1-0 West Ham United
Premier League: Wolves 3-2 West Ham United
Premier League: Sunderland 2-2 Everton
Premier League: Chelsea 0-3 Sunderland

Bolton Wanderers

Premier League: Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
Premier League: Manchester City 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
Premier League: Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Blackpool
Premier League: Bolton Wanderers 5-1 Newcastle United
Premier League: Wolves 2-3 Bolton Wanderers

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Head-to-Head (Premier League):

2009/2010: Sunderland 4-0 Bolton Wanderers
2009/2010: Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Sunderland
2008/2009: Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Sunderland
2008/2009: Sunderland 1-4 Bolton Wanderers
2007/2008: Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Sunderland
2007/2008: Sunderland 3-1 Bolton Wanderers
2005/2006: Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Sunderland
2005/2006: Sunderland 0-0 Bolton Wanderers
2002/2003: Sunderland 0-2 Bolton Wanderers
2002/2003: Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Sunderland

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Statistics (Premier League):

Sunderland

League Position: 7th
Win-Draw-Lose: 5-9-3 (Home: 4-4-0)
Form: WDLWD (Home: DWWDW)
Goal Difference: 20-18 (Home: 10-5)
Top Goalscorer: Darren bent (7)

Bolton Wanderers

League Position: 6th
Win-Draw-Lose: 6-8-3 (Away: 2-4-2)
Form: WWDLW (Away: DDDWL)
Goal Difference: 30-24 (Away: 11-12)
Top Goalscorer: Johan Elmander (8)

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Match Prediction: Draw – 3.30 SkyBet

With Bolton’s form showing signs of deterioration, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce will drum it into his players that Saturday’s early meeting with the Trotters is a fantastic opportunity to cement their status as a top-ten club, as a side with serious aspiration of obtaining European football at the end of the season. There’s little doubt they have the striking prowess to achieve their ambitious objectives, it’s just about playing to the best of their ability on a more consistent level, something which Bruce feels his players haven’t done this season.

Only Manchester United have beaten Sunderland on Wearside in 2010, with the Stadium of Light quickly becoming the hub of everything positive with Sunderland. However, Bolton have only lost twice away from home thus far and although they were beaten in their most recent away league encounter, won’t be in the slightest bit intimidated by their opponent’s formidable record at home.

It’s such a difficult match to weigh up, arguably the most strenuous of the lot for us this weekend. You would like to think that Sunderland are worth a punt considering how strong they’ve been at home all year, but Bolton are nothing if not resilient and if ever a side were capable of holding their own against the odds this season, it’s Bolton. So, we’ve decided to sit on the fence with this one by highlighting the draw. If we had to pick one then it would have been Bolton, but they’ve gone a little off the boil of late and that’s disconcerting enough to put us off.

Match Odds:

Sunderland – 2.25 BetFred
Draw – 3.30 SkyBet
Bolton – 3.75 VictorChandler

Sunderland V Bolton Wanderers

Saturday, 9^th January – 15:00 GMT

MATCH POSTPONED – We regrettably have to inform you that the following game has been postponed due to severe weather conditions. Although the pitch has been confirmed as ‘playable’ the surrounding area; roads, pathways, steps etc… have been deemed a hazard and a risk to those fans who will attend the game. 

Sunderland

League Position: 10th

Recent Form: DLLDD

(Five of Sunderland’s six victories thus far have come at The Stadium of Light)

It was relatively plain sailing for Sunderland in the FA Cup last Saturday, cruising past non-league Barrow with a 3-0 victory. Fraizer Campbell, a player who has only featured in a handful of games for Sunderland this season, scored a brace against Barrow whilst playing the role of assistant in Sunderland’s third, so perhaps his classy display will put him into Steve Bruce’s starting equation ahead of their home fixture with Bolton in a game Sunderland have to win to banish their poor run of league form.

Funnily enough, goalscorers aren’t what Sunderland are lacking at the moment but are more in need of some quality defenders. Frazier Campbell’s double on Saturday probably won’t be enough for him to squirm into Steve Bruce’s starting eleven as Kenwyn Jones & Darren Bent look set to continue their fruitful run at the front of the Sunderland attack. However, even against lower league opposition, Sunderland’s defence still looked very shaky and that will bring about a great deal of stress for manager Steve Bruce, especially as Sunderland have conceded seven in their last four league games.

A 1-0 victory over Arsenal at The Stadium of Light was not only Sunderland’s very last victory in the league but also the last time they kept a team at bay for the full 90 minutes. A full eight games ago. Sunderland have since failed nor record neither a victory or a clean sheet and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Steve Bruce splashing the cash on another defender in January, especially as Lee Catermole, a defensive midfielder who was stealing all the plaudits earlier on in the season, is still out injured and Anton Ferdinand is still out with a foot injury.

At The Stadium of Light, Sunderland have fared a whole lot better than on their travels, with five of their six victories this season coming at home. They have, however, failed to win any of their previous three home fixtures; drawing 1-1 with both Everton & Portsmouth, while losing 2-0 to Aston Villa. This is every increasing run of not wining at home is Sunderland’s longest since late April last year but another failed attempt at home to Bolton would stretch their win less home run to 4 games, what would be their longest home run without a win in nearly four years.

Bolton Wanderers

League Position: 18th

Recent Form: LDWDD

(Bolton haven’t kept a single clean sheet this season – 18 failed attempts at a shut-out)

Bolton will have a few watchful onlookers in this fixtures, more notably Burnley’s Owen Coyle, or has the time come to announce that it’s the former Burnley gaffer as his arrival at Bolton draws nearer. Coyle is already a big hit with the fans before he’s even put pen to paper, which is a lot further than Megson ever got with the fans, so at least Coyle has a solid fan base to kick off his relegation threatened season with.

The mission for Owen Coyle, should he accept it, is to guide Bolton away from the pit of the table, but Burnley’s miracle worker will more than likely have to be content with watching from a far on Saturday, and what he will be watching is a Bolton side without a win in their last five away outings aiming to end their away drought with a surprise win at The Stadium of Light, a venue where Bolton won 4-1 at last season.

A successful campaign for Bolton usually evolves around survival, and their ability to avoid relegation in past seasons has solely been down to their stubbornness in defence, a factor that has gone missing with their play this season under former manager, Gary Megson. Bolton are the only team in the Premiership not to keep a single clean sheet in the league after 18 fixtures, meaning they’ve conceded in each and every one of their eight away outings this season but have, more importantly, been shipping on average two goals a game on the road, which is a sure-fire recipe for trouble.

Bolton’s chances in this fixture look slim going by their poor away record this season, but this four match unbeaten run may coincide with their hunger to impress and this, in theory, could produce a big yet surprising victory on Tyneside. Bolton will need to use their inferior stature to assert themselves in a game where Sunderland should outplay them in the footballing department, but Bolton could over roar the home side if they rattle the Sunderland players with some tough but fair challenges, and some strong aerial work from set-pieces, something Gary Megson tried to import into the team’s style of play but, to some degree, failed.

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Sunderland W: 2 Bolton Wanderers W: 4 Draws: 3

Bolton prospered on their previous visit to The Stadium of Light, smashing Sunderland 4-1 last season via goals from players that are still at the club in Cahill, Taylor and a brace from Elmander. However, Bolton fell to defeat at The Reebok when the pair met back in August, the first game of the season for both teams, losing 1-0.

Sunderland haven’t actually fared too well at home against Bolton, winning just one of four meetings on Teeside, that win coming over two years ago. Also, Bolton have failed to score at The Stadium of Light in just on of their four visits to Sunderland.

Match Verdict: Sunderland to WIN – 1.95 Bet365

A point would be a good result for Bolton, whereas it will be seen as two points dropped for Sunderland. The Black Cats will be licking their lips, though, at the prospect of ending their baron run without a win as manager-less Bolton come to town. Their opponents haven’t managed an away victory since late September, and have since gone on to lose three of their following five away fixtures. Sunderland haven’t exactly been setting the world alight recently and are without a win themselves in seven games, but the Black Cats are a top ten side in the making and should be brushing teams like Bolton, who are serious relegation candidates, aside with ease. Darren Bent & Co should enjoy themselves at Jussi Jaaskelainen’s expense.

Match Odds:

Sunderland – 1.95 Bet365

Draw – 3.40 totesport

Bolton Wanderers – 4.50 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Matthew Taylor FGS – 12/1 Coral