Will Dan Neil sign a new deal at Sunderland? Plus pre-season and transfer reflections
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00:00Hello and welcome to the Raw podcast brought to you by the Sunderland Echo.
00:25My name is Joe Nicholson and I'm joined by my fellow Sunderland writers at the Echo,
00:30Phil Smith and James Copley.
00:32Gents, how was sunny Blackpool at the weekend?
00:35Yeah, it was all right actually.
00:39It was amazing travelling support as ever, so it kind of felt like a home game within
00:44the ground and we were right in the middle of it in the press box as well, which is nice.
00:47No, it was a cammy game.
00:48It was, you know, it wasn't the most exciting game I've ever seen in my life, but you know,
00:53it is pre-season, you kind of expect that and I thought Blackpool were a decent test
00:59for Sunderland in that, you know, I expect they're like, you know, they'll expect to
01:02be a sort of upper League One team this year.
01:06Didn't offer a lot going forward in the first half, but defensively were very good.
01:10In the second half, they actually got in someone's faces a bit when they brought a couple of,
01:13you know, some fresh legs on.
01:14So yeah, it was a worthwhile test.
01:17I think there's some positive signs for Sunderland and definitely some sort of familiar issues
01:22as well, if you like.
01:23But yeah, it was a good exercise, I think.
01:26Lovely.
01:27It was nice to get home when it was still light, which is a novelty which won't last
01:30very long, but it's always good to get back from an away trip and not feel too late, which
01:34I don't think will last too long coming into the new season.
01:37Yeah, Sunderland, of course, winning the game 1-0, Jack Clarke scoring the only goal of
01:44the game four minutes from time and Phil on paper, it probably looked like Sunderland's
01:49strongest starting XI as things stand, with a few weeks to go still of the transfer window
01:54and two weeks to go until the start of the season.
01:58We think that Reggie Libre is going to make a lot of changes for Sunderland's next fixture
02:01on Tuesday against Bradford.
02:04So kind of looking at the game as a whole, do you think Sunderland kind of got what they
02:08wanted out of the game?
02:09A lot of the players played 90 minutes as well.
02:11I think there was only two substitutions from a Sunderland perspective.
02:14So did you think Sunderland got what they wanted out of the game two weeks before the
02:17start of the season?
02:19Yeah, to a large extent.
02:21I think that the big positive at the moment is that the team feels fairly settled.
02:26I think you can see that there's some sort of key partnerships in place and there's some
02:30stability there.
02:31Like there aren't really any positions where Sunderland have got players playing out of
02:35position or where you think, you know, I feel really uncomfortable with that player or the
02:40lack of options in that position for the start of the season.
02:43And so I think that's a really positive place to be in.
02:46Obviously, there's the issue of, do they have a striker who's capable of leading the line?
02:50I think in the Championship, that's the obvious sort of issue.
02:53And at centre-half, Dan Ballard's obviously a big miss.
02:56Hopefully the little knock that Ajay Alisa picked up on Saturday isn't serious.
02:59So I definitely think they're in a pretty decent place, actually, in terms of where
03:06they are two weeks out from the season.
03:07I think Labris, as we've talked about, has got a fairly strong idea of what his team
03:10will be, bar a couple of positions.
03:13I think Rigo Brown, I think that's a big question.
03:17As I said, Alisa, depending on how he's sort of going fitness-wise, and then obviously
03:21up front is the big one.
03:22So I think in that sense, they're in a pretty positive place.
03:24I think that Labris was not, I mean, he's a pretty calm fella anyway, I get the impression,
03:29but he wasn't exactly jumping up and down that they'd won the game 1-0 later on.
03:33I think he recognised that actually, you know, Sunderland's achilles heel really in the last
03:38couple of years has been it's not always been easy for them to break teams down at home.
03:42Teams that defend in quite a low block, they take a lot of time out of the game, slow it
03:46down.
03:47Sunderland haven't always been able to find the answers, other than a bit of jack-of-all-trades
03:50magic, really.
03:51And I think you can definitely see that that's an ongoing task, both for Labris and his Sunderland
03:57team.
03:58Because, I don't know, they created more than enough chances to win the game, and we shouldn't
04:02be negative.
04:03They did create enough.
04:04There were some big chances that went big, and they did deserve to win.
04:07But they're certainly not carving teams open at the moment, so that's definitely an area
04:12where I think there'll be a lot of focus in the next couple of weeks ahead of the season.
04:15But certainly, fitness and selection-wise, I think the squad is in a pretty decent place,
04:21I think.
04:22And I think to be able to name seven or eight players who are going to start this far out
04:25and feel pretty confident about most of them, I think is a decent place to be, to be fair.
04:31We mentioned on the last podcast, James, about Sunderland's strongest starting XI.
04:35It looks like the team's kind of taking shape ahead of that Cardiff game.
04:39People mentioned there that probably seven or eight players are probably locked in, barring
04:43kind of any injuries, that we kind of know the team that's probably going to start against
04:47Cardiff, most of them.
04:48Probably the two main positions are, who's going to start in central midfield?
04:52Is it going to be Alan Brown, or is it going to be Chris Rigg alongside Dan Neal?
04:55The centre-back, potentially, with Elise getting the knock on Saturday, will he be ready for
05:01the start of the season?
05:02I think it sounds like it was just a precautionary run.
05:04He's probably in pole position for that slot.
05:06And then the striker one, will it be Meyendeh, will it be Roussing?
05:11Could Sunderland even bring in another striker in the next two weeks and maybe start with
05:15someone else up top?
05:16So how kind of encouraging is it that there is kind of a settled side there?
05:19And where do you kind of see the main kind of positions where there is a bit of competition
05:24and we're still not quite sure who could start in those slots?
05:29It is encouraging.
05:30I think with Elise, obviously, he went off at halftime, but it does look like that was
05:34just precautionary.
05:35He actually came out and spoke to me and Barnes.
05:38He just had a little chat with us and he said he'd been in the shower for 20 minutes after
05:42being subbed off.
05:43It didn't sound like he'd had any sort of major treatment and the way he was talking
05:47was that he would expect to start the Cardiff City game.
05:52So I don't think that's too much of a worry, obviously.
05:54You know, he might get assessed and it might throw something up, but it did just sound
05:57like it was a knock.
05:58I thought the Chris Rigg-Alan Brown thing was really interesting.
06:01In pre-season so far, I've very much been Chris Rigg deserves to start and I would still
06:06probably lean towards that.
06:08But I think what you get with Chris Rigg will be, you know, quality going forward, adventurous,
06:16wants to prove himself, work rate, talent, quality.
06:20And perhaps the area of his game that will need to be developed is that sort of know-how,
06:26that defensive work.
06:27And I thought Alan Brown displayed that magnificently against Blackpool.
06:31He also displayed that he could go forward.
06:33But when Hulme was dropping into midfield, Alan Brown recognised straight away that he
06:37needed to be up right back and he was filling in gaps.
06:39He looked so composed on the ball.
06:41He's quite physical as well, actually.
06:43So I find that really, really interesting, that Chris Rigg versus Alan Brown.
06:46How do you want to play it against Cardiff City?
06:48An away game as well.
06:51So yeah, I find that fascinating and it will be really interesting to see what Labrice
06:56does on the first day, whether he sort of sticks or twists.
07:00Up front, who knows, really?
07:02I think Mainder did OK, probably should have scored.
07:05I think we said on the On The Whistle video that he's willing and he puts himself around
07:09and he runs and he makes good runs.
07:12But he's just lacking that championship quality and the experience and the know-how that playing
07:17a lot of games will get you.
07:19Will Sunderland have a striker in and ready to go before Cardiff?
07:22I think it's a big question and the way Sunderland's striking story has gone over the past sort
07:29of three, four, five windows, you wouldn't sort of bet on it, would you?
07:33Even though a couple do sound close.
07:36So yeah, and even if Sunderland signs somebody in the coming week, would they be ready for
07:41Cardiff?
07:42Would they be slightly behind the group?
07:44If it was Alexander Amendi, we know he's been training by himself.
07:47So there are a lot of questions.
07:48It is good to see a settled side.
07:50I do think Jack Clarke will be here against Cardiff, which will probably be a huge boost.
07:56But for all the good play, for all the good build-up play, for all this has been a decent
08:01pre-season, I do think you are only as good as your strikers at times.
08:04And we saw Sunderland have a very good, technically proficient team at times last season.
08:09But especially under Mowbray, they just lacked that cutting edge.
08:13It was goals that was the problem from a striking area.
08:17Obviously, you had Jack Clarke's score a lot.
08:18So I think we just need to see that.
08:20I'm reluctant to call it the final piece of the puzzle because I think Sunderland could
08:23improve further. But we really do need a goal-scoring striker for me coming into the season.
08:27And it's hard to get away from that.
08:29And it's hard to say anything new about it because we've all been talking about this for a long
08:34time now. And yes, we can look at other aspects of the team, other areas of the team and be
08:39quite excited. But it does feel like it comes down to whether Sunderland can get a striker in or not.
08:45Yeah, James mentioned it there, Phil, I think as well.
08:47If Sunderland do bring in another striker in the next two weeks before the start of the season,
08:51probably they're going to need to get up to speed and they're going to need a little bit of time
08:55to kind of mix with their team, especially if they're coming in from overseas.
08:58And it's not kind of a player that maybe people are familiar with from the championship.
09:02But at the minute, judging by kind of the squad selection, it looks like Mienda's got the shirt.
09:07So do you feel confident with him leading the line for kind of the first couple of weeks?
09:11He is still only 19.
09:13He's been out on loan to Hibernian last season, struggled there.
09:16But we have seen glimpses of him when he has played in the championship that he has got
09:20something about him.
09:22I've been impressed with his performances.
09:24I mean, I just don't think it's realistic for him to be sort of the main man for 46 games.
09:29I think that's too much pressure.
09:30But I also think he's shown a lot of development.
09:33I think he's got a lot of good attributes.
09:35I think sometimes it's easy, especially because of the year we had last year.
09:39And I do still think it's an issue.
09:40But it's an easy when the striker doesn't score in a game to say, oh, they didn't do well enough.
09:45Sometimes it's a game of fine margins.
09:47Mienda's a couple of inches away from scoring Clark's goal.
09:50He's actually in basically the right position for that.
09:53You know, he did score on the brink of halftime, but it was Alisa who was offside.
09:58But again, he was in the right position to tap in.
10:00He had one kind of pot shot that only just flashed wide actually in the second half.
10:04So I'd be quite, I think, you know, there's two big games coming up on this one because
10:09Rooston obviously will play against Bradford tomorrow night.
10:11So far, he hasn't quite done it in this pre-season.
10:13So it's a big, it's kind of his last chance really to try and bang the door down for that game.
10:18And I would expect that Mienda will play against Marseille.
10:20And if he does well, I think he'll start because I think it's hard even if this, unless somebody
10:24comes in the next couple of hours, which, you know, doesn't look likely as we sit here.
10:28You know, I don't think they're going to be able to start the game against Cardiff because
10:31I just don't think they're going to have the match minutes.
10:32So I think Mienda, you know, depending on what happens in the next couple of games, deserves an opportunity.
10:37Do I think that someone can realistically expect him to do it over 46 games?
10:41I don't.
10:42But I do think he deserves a lot of credit for the way he's gone about this pre-season.
10:46And sometimes you have to flip it as well, because I think because someone paid money for him
10:49and he came from abroad, you almost judge him as expecting to hit the ground running from day one.
10:54Actually, if you flip it and say he's a 19-year-old, if he was a homegrown Sunderland Academy player,
10:59he'd produce the performances that he did on Saturday against Nottingham Forest, we'd be going,
11:04there's a real player here.
11:05This is a really exciting young striker, loads to improve, loads of aspects to his game that,
11:10you know, he can get better at.
11:11But actually he's got a lot in his locker for it for a 19-year-old forward.
11:14So I think he deserves a lot of credit for what he's doing at the moment.
11:17I don't have any major issues if he starts against Cardiff.
11:20I think he can do a job.
11:22I think he's shown why he's not a poacher.
11:25He doesn't quite massively have that instinct yet.
11:27I think he has got something about him.
11:29So, yeah, I don't disagree with anybody who says it's the biggest issue right now.
11:34And Sunderland definitely go and get an experienced striker, I completely agree.
11:37But I do think Mienda deserves a little bit of chance on what he's doing.
11:41And to be honest, I think it's slightly different to Hemiya last pre-season,
11:45where Hemiya's goals got him in the team.
11:47But really, you know, they were kind of, they were decent finishes,
11:51but sort of tap-ins against fairly poor opposition.
11:54I think Mienda's shown a lot more in his all-round game against the highest standard of opposition.
11:58So I do think he deserves the chance.
12:00It's something that needs to happen.
12:01You know, it needs to be solved before the end of the window.
12:03But I feel like Mienda deserves a chance to be part of this squad,
12:06at least up until January.
12:08And let's see what he can do in the competitive fixtures,
12:10because I think you have to, you know, reward players when they show improvement,
12:13which in my opinion, like, he's very definitely done.
12:17James, would you agree with that?
12:18What have you made of Mienda?
12:19Obviously, we think Roosen's going to get a game against Bradford in Sunderland's next game on Tuesday.
12:23But out of the two, who do you think kind of looks like Mienda's ahead in the pecking order?
12:26But who would you like to see kind of lead the line both off,
12:29or something a little bit different as well?
12:31Yeah, I think Mienda's slightly ahead for me.
12:33I think Roosen's missed a couple of big chances, particularly in Spain, didn't he?
12:37There was a header from Nelly at Ambledon Cross from memory,
12:40and perhaps another one as well.
12:41I'm still convinced Roosen's possibly more of a wide forward, to be honest,
12:45rather than out number nine.
12:46Maybe be better playing as part of a two up front Roosen off somebody,
12:51maybe as a shadow striker, I'm not sure.
12:53But Sunderland don't tend to play that way.
12:54So it's a bit of a moot point in that regard.
12:56I do think Mienda has shown something, Phil's absolutely correct.
13:00But as Phil says, whether he can do it for 46 games in a championship season,
13:05that I think is, you know, a very pertinent point.
13:08But yeah, he's definitely shown something.
13:12Can he do a job?
13:12Yes, you know, he is very, very young,
13:16but you just want to see him sort of take that chance.
13:17It would have been a huge boost, actually,
13:19if he'd have scored that in the opening minute against Blackpool.
13:22I think it was about 25 seconds on the clock he went through in there.
13:25I think the keeper made a save.
13:26So if he just starts converting those chances
13:29and starts to sort of fine tune his finishing,
13:32I think he could be a really exciting player.
13:33But yeah, we can't beat around the bush.
13:36We need somebody in that area.
13:38Yeah, and it's obviously important as well to have a squad.
13:40You know, the teams are obviously challenging for promotional every season.
13:44They always have, you know, a couple of players that chip in with goals.
13:47So they're going to need the whole squad.
13:48They're going to need Roos and they're going to need Mienda.
13:50They're going to need someone else to come in as well and to chip in with those goals.
13:54But we are live on Facebook and on YouTube,
13:57and you can send in your questions.
13:59We've already got a few questions coming in.
14:01A lot of people, Phil, obviously asking about the striker situation and transfers.
14:05You mentioned on Saturday that Labrie is quite coy when it comes to transfers.
14:10You gave an update a few weeks back when you were in Spain about Alexander Mendy,
14:14that he was one of the few options that Sunderland were looking at.
14:18So is there any kind of update on that?
14:21And what's kind of the latest on him with your understanding?
14:25Yeah, I don't have any updates on that one.
14:27I think the situation is fairly unchanged.
14:29And as of, certainly as of yesterday,
14:32I wasn't aware of any significant progression with that.
14:35I think the reports in France, the same kind of outlets and places
14:39that initially were reporting that Mendy had chosen Sunderland
14:41are now sort of suggesting that it's a bit more,
14:43that things are changing.
14:44It's a bit more complicated.
14:46There's some suggestions of interest and investment in his French club,
14:49which could change the picture.
14:50So, yeah, I think it's, by the sounds of it,
14:54there's still a long way to go, really, with all of this.
14:57And as I said at the time, we might not know the names of other players,
15:01but Sunderland have always been pretty clear that Mendy was one of the few options.
15:04And I'd be stunned if there weren't some, you know,
15:06potential loan deals from the Premier League that they were in for
15:09and that they were looking at.
15:10And as we all know, those deals tend to happen a little bit later
15:14because a lot of these players go on the tours,
15:16you know, especially in a summer where there's been an international tournament.
15:20And what often happens is, you know,
15:21these players get an extended rest and Premier League clubs take
15:24a lot of their best academy products on the tour.
15:26It gives them a chance to, you know, boost numbers.
15:28It gives them a chance to train in the first team environment.
15:31And then once your international players come back,
15:33then you start to see them sort of make decisions on these players
15:35and whether to go out on loan.
15:36So, you know, I think ideally, as I've said really all summer,
15:39I think what Sunderland would like to do is invest in their own striker.
15:43You know, we can see very clearly from the Mendy interest
15:45that they're prepared to change how they usually operate a little bit.
15:50There is, it's clearly a willingness there to pay a fee for somebody
15:53who may be not just over 25, but comfortably over 25,
15:56which is something they've never done.
15:58So I think there's definitely an appetite and a willingness to do that
16:01because I think they understand that these younger strikers
16:03need somebody who can maybe take the pressure off them a little bit.
16:05Because I don't think it's an easy thing to sort of grow and develop
16:08as Sunderland's number nine without a huge amount of experience.
16:11So I think it's one that, unfortunately,
16:14we're going to have to be a little bit more patient on.
16:16I mean, every transfer window,
16:18we almost get tortured by this striker sort of story, don't we?
16:21And unfortunately, I think that's going to be the case again.
16:25Do you think it's a case, Phil, of them trying to sign one striker
16:28or trying to sign two strikers?
16:29Because if it's only one, then it's kind of Mendy or another.
16:33And it's obviously a big decision of who they bring in.
16:35Or is it a case of they're trying to sign maybe one established striker,
16:38maybe one younger one alone?
16:39Do you think they could try and sign two this summer?
16:41Or are they just probably going for one with the players
16:44they've already got in the building?
16:46I'd be surprised if they ended up with four strikers,
16:49just because we can see pretty clearly the way that Lebris wants to play.
16:53And he only really plays with one.
16:55And I think that although Job or Aushish play very,
16:58very high and often they basically are a second striker when someone's depressing,
17:03it looks to me like Lebris is going to play with variations and formations
17:07where there's one up front.
17:08So I think it's very difficult to see them carrying four strikers,
17:11because obviously then you have three strikers unhappy every single week,
17:14and two who potentially aren't getting any minutes whatsoever.
17:17I think in that scenario, it's also very difficult to loan a player in,
17:20because is a player realistically going to come to be third,
17:25fourth choice from a Premier League club, for example, on loan?
17:28I doubt it.
17:29So I think, especially with the progress that Miénde has shown,
17:32I think that I would be surprised if they brought in two.
17:35I would imagine they would only bring in one.
17:37But there's obviously a lot of moving parts to this as well,
17:39in that if someone brings in another striker
17:41and it looks like Miénde is going to be right up the pecking order,
17:45does Roosen then say, well, hang on, I'm 25, I need to be playing.
17:50Where's my minutes going to come from?
17:52So I do see a scenario in which maybe the pack could be shuffled,
17:55if you like, right towards the end of the window.
17:57But I'd be surprised at this point,
17:59if someone brought in more than one striker
18:01with the players that they currently have in the building.
18:02Don't forget as well, while we know that
18:05Louis Hemiya isn't part of La Brice's plans at the moment,
18:08he is still on the books.
18:10And if they can't find an appropriate loan move for him,
18:13they're not going to want to have too many strikers in the building.
18:16Yeah, I can see that changing towards the end of the window.
18:18But right now, I'd be surprised if they brought more than one in.
18:22Yeah, Hemiya, La Brice head after the game, didn't he?
18:24Hemiya, Bennett and Matete were all free to go out on loan
18:28because they were involved in under-21s game at Hartlepool
18:31whilst London's first team were playing at Blackpool.
18:35But one player who has come in, James, since the last pod we recorded
18:39is Ian Paveda.
18:41He wasn't involved against Blackburn at the weekend.
18:44Former Leeds winger was on loan at Sheffield Wednesday
18:47last season, in the second half of last season,
18:49made 10 appearances for them
18:51and was quite highly rated at Hillsborough.
18:54What are your initial thoughts on him?
18:55A player with championship experience already.
18:58He's played in the Premier League with Leeds,
18:59but just wasn't able to break into the first team there.
19:03But looks like a very talented player,
19:04has had his challenges with injuries.
19:06But what do you make of that signing?
19:09I think that's a really interesting sign.
19:11And I think if you cast your minds back
19:14to when we signed Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts,
19:16there was perhaps a little bit of uncertainty about those two players.
19:20Because they'd been at big clubs,
19:23they'd had big moves,
19:24they'd played for big clubs as well.
19:26But they'd lost the way a little bit.
19:27Obviously, Patrick Roberts had that good spell at Celtic
19:29and then he had the Manchester City move,
19:32he was at Celtic on loan.
19:33But after that, he drifted a little bit.
19:34He'd been here, there and everywhere on loan.
19:37Sunderland picked him up.
19:38It was similar with Clarke.
19:39He had that big move to Tottenham,
19:41went back on loan to Leeds
19:42and then it didn't work out for him on loan
19:45at a few other different places.
19:47And when Sunderland picked up those two players,
19:50they were by no means certain bets.
19:53And you would say that, by and large,
19:54both have been a success for Sunderland.
19:56And I do see a lot of similarities
19:58in terms of the profile.
19:59Obviously, Pervade is a little bit older than those two,
20:02but he has been around the block a bit.
20:04But he still managed to pick up
20:06a little bit of championship experience.
20:07I think the one thing that concerns me
20:09is his injury record.
20:10I think if Sunderland can get him fit and healthy,
20:14settled and playing,
20:15I do understand the logic
20:17because you've sort of done it with Clarke and Roberts.
20:19You upskill these players,
20:20you give them a chance,
20:21you give them a home.
20:22It's a massive vote of confidence,
20:23obviously a contract of three years
20:25plus a club option for another.
20:27So essentially a four-year deal.
20:30So I think his ceiling is obviously quite high.
20:31He's been at Chelsea,
20:32he's been at Arsenal,
20:33Barcelona, Brentford, Man City.
20:35So hopefully he just needs that home.
20:36He needs to be loved perhaps.
20:38I think he'll definitely get that at Sunderland
20:40if he starts producing the goods.
20:44I do find it interesting in terms of Liberese's squad
20:47because obviously Patrick Roberts
20:48is probably going to start the season
20:50on that right wing spot.
20:53And I think it's good for Roberts
20:54to have some really intense competition
20:58just to sort of up his game.
21:00I think that's vital for Patrick Roberts
21:03and sort of keeping him motivated.
21:05I think it's interesting for maybe a player
21:07like Abdullah Bar,
21:08where does he stand now?
21:09Because he had a decent season last season
21:11in terms of numbers,
21:12but now with Pervade there
21:13as well as Roberts fit now,
21:15you start looking at that
21:16and you're wondering
21:17what the future holds for him.
21:18Is it on the right wing?
21:19You know, is it in the centre?
21:21We know he was brought the club
21:22as a centre midfielder,
21:23but it didn't look like to me
21:24that that was going to work out.
21:25So I think it's a side
21:27that I'm definitely in favour of.
21:28I can definitely see the upside of it.
21:30It does come with a few risks.
21:32I do genuinely believe that.
21:34Obviously, there's a reason why Pervade
21:36has maybe bounced around a lot of clubs,
21:39but hopefully Sunderland can get playing,
21:41can sort of work with him.
21:44But it does leave a couple of question marks
21:46in terms of the squad for me as well.
21:49Well, we have got a few comments coming in
21:51and thank you for those
21:52that have sent in your questions.
21:54We'll try and work through a few of them
21:57in the time we've got remaining, Phil.
22:00Someone asks, is Pervade to replace Clark?
22:03Clark obviously played
22:04against Blackpool on Saturday,
22:06scored the winner.
22:07We spoke to him a couple of weeks ago
22:08and he said he was,
22:10he's aware of obviously the interest is there.
22:12Sunderland have turned down a few offs
22:13for him over the last year or so.
22:16But he kind of said that he was quite happy
22:17playing for Sunderland.
22:19As long as he's playing for Sunderland,
22:20he'll give his all.
22:21Obviously, the transfer interest is there
22:22and he will have ambitions
22:24of getting up to the Premier League
22:25at some stage.
22:26He's obviously had that move
22:27to Tottenham in the past,
22:28which didn't work out for him.
22:30But what do you think there?
22:31It seems likely now that Clark
22:33is probably going to play
22:34at least one game for Sunderland
22:35at the start of the season,
22:36whether it's that Cardiff game,
22:37but whether he's there
22:39at the end of the transfer window
22:40is a different question, isn't it?
22:42Yeah, I think for me,
22:43this is still the biggest question
22:47about Sunderland right now.
22:48If you could tell me now
22:49that Clark was going to stay
22:50for the season,
22:51I'd be feeling quite upbeat
22:53in terms of I genuinely would back
22:55Sunderland to finish in the top 10
22:57and I'd feel like they had a real chance
22:58to make a good goal for the playoffs.
23:00If you would tell me now
23:01that Clark was going to play
23:03two or three games and then leave,
23:05at the moment, I would say goals
23:07is such a massive issue
23:08that I find it quite difficult
23:10to be really optimistic
23:11about Sunderland getting
23:13near the playoffs, really,
23:14because at the moment,
23:15there just aren't those goals
23:16in the squad from what we've seen so far.
23:18So I still think Clark
23:20is like the biggest
23:21sort of question mark for me.
23:23Is he a replacement for Clark?
23:25I don't think he's a direct replacement.
23:27I think ideally he plays off the right.
23:29I see him as competition
23:30for Patrick Roberts, first and foremost.
23:32I think we saw last season
23:33that when Roberts got injured
23:34and then hit a bit of form,
23:36the cover and the competition
23:38just wasn't there.
23:41So I think that, you know,
23:42the bigger question mark
23:43with Pavade coming in,
23:44as James mentioned,
23:45I think for me is,
23:46is Abdullah Vare and
23:47where does that leave him?
23:48We know he's fit now.
23:49He'll probably play tomorrow.
23:50So the interest to see where he plays,
23:51how that all goes.
23:53So, yeah, I don't see Pavade
23:55as a direct replacement from Clark.
23:56I do think it's potentially
23:58part of that.
23:59I think that they probably
24:00are looking and saying,
24:01listen, if we can get
24:02a very talented winger
24:03with a strong recent
24:04championship form in the building,
24:07if Clark goes, that leaves us
24:09a much better place
24:09than we were before.
24:10But for me personally,
24:12like there's absolutely no way
24:14that they couldn't go out
24:15and and really invest
24:17in someone of high calibre
24:18if Clark goes,
24:19because I think the gap he leaves,
24:20primarily in terms of goals,
24:21but obviously also in terms
24:22of his dribbling ability
24:23and all of that,
24:24is just too big.
24:25I just don't think
24:26they could get through
24:27with Pavade and Roberts,
24:29Mundell and Bart,
24:30and that's with the greatest
24:31respect to all those players.
24:33Roberts, especially,
24:33I do think is top class
24:34and I think he'll have
24:35a good season.
24:36I do think that's part of it.
24:37I do think it's part of that,
24:39that it leaves Sunderland
24:39a stronger place
24:40if that bid arrives for Clark,
24:42which personally,
24:43I still think will happen.
24:45That's not inside info.
24:46I just think it will happen
24:47this summer eventually.
24:48So we'll wait and see.
24:49But I don't see Pavade
24:51as a direct replacement.
24:52I see him as part of the,
24:53probably the wider picture
24:54of maybe Sunderland
24:56accepting that there will be
24:57a post-Jack Clark future
24:59at some stage,
25:00whether it's now
25:01or whether it's January
25:02or whether it's next season.
25:04It's interesting that point Phil,
25:05because we would probably
25:06share that opinion.
25:07Joe would probably agree as well.
25:08But do you think
25:09Sunderland would agree with that?
25:10Do you think that's
25:11Sunderland's stance on it?
25:14I think so.
25:15I mean, the only thing I would say
25:16is the only thing I would say
25:18is that they might not,
25:19it might not be as simple
25:20as if Clark goes for,
25:22let's say,
25:22because we know Sunderland's
25:23value is somewhere
25:24around 25 million.
25:26They might not then go,
25:27oh, we're going to go
25:28and spend 20 million
25:29on this left winger
25:30and he goes in that position.
25:32It might be that they spend
25:33some money on another number 10
25:34or it might be that they invest
25:35again in another striker
25:37and they look at it and say,
25:38well, if Clark got this many goals
25:40last season,
25:40we're going to try and spread
25:41that out a bit more.
25:42And I just don't,
25:47I can't surely,
25:48no, I can't see a scenario
25:49in which Clark goes
25:50and they don't invest
25:51fairly significantly
25:52in the squad as a result.
25:53I'm not saying
25:53they'll spend every penny
25:54because some of that
25:55I think will go into the club
25:56and the general maintenance
25:58that a football club takes.
26:01I think, yeah,
26:03I think that would be
26:04as well,
26:05but it might not be
26:05as simple as going out
26:06and spending that money
26:07on one left winger
26:08and they might see it
26:09as a chance maybe
26:10to vary the attack
26:11a little bit,
26:11maybe diversify a little bit
26:13and get some different options in.
26:15But yeah, I think that's,
26:17it's always been said that,
26:18you know,
26:18they will reinvest
26:19on a player goals
26:20and I was like,
26:21I would expect them to do that.
26:24But then, of course,
26:24if you're Reggie Labrie,
26:25you'd probably want
26:26that situation sorted
26:28sooner rather than later
26:29because it doesn't want
26:29to get to a stage where
26:31Clark leaves on deadline day
26:32and there's no one else
26:33to replace him in the building.
26:34And there's been that preparation
26:36with playing with Jack Clark
26:38and then suddenly you've pulled out
26:39one of your main assets
26:40out of the team
26:41and suddenly the team's left
26:42in a bit of a lurch, isn't it?
26:43But suddenly, obviously,
26:45we'll have to try
26:46and sort that sooner
26:47rather than later.
26:48Another thing that they'll
26:49be wanting to sort, Phil,
26:51is contracts.
26:52We've seen recently Dan Ballard
26:54signing a new deal.
26:56Another player that
26:57has been offered a new deal
26:58is Dan Neal.
27:00We understood that he turned down
27:01an initial offer.
27:02I think that was before
27:04Labrie was appointed as well.
27:05So some time has passed since then.
27:08But a very key player,
27:11you gave him out of the match
27:12on Saturday.
27:13Again, he was a huge player
27:14for Sunderland last season.
27:15I think he made 42 starts
27:16out of 46 league games
27:18and is a very important player
27:19in that kind of number six
27:21holding role where Sunderland
27:22haven't kind of had
27:23that natural replacement
27:24really since Corey Evans' injury.
27:26So where do we kind of stand
27:27with Neal's contract
27:29and the offer that
27:30Sunderland have made to him?
27:33Yeah, this could be famous
27:35last words.
27:37It's one that I'm
27:38reasonably relaxed about.
27:40Neal is playing unbelievably
27:42well in pre-season.
27:43He looks really sharp.
27:46He looks as good as
27:47I've ever seen him,
27:47to be honest.
27:48He's got an absolute
27:49central role on the team.
27:50There is not even an ounce
27:52or an inkling,
27:53the slightest bit,
27:54that this is a guy
27:55who's thinking about
27:56potential moves elsewhere,
27:57that the club are worried
27:58that this is a guy
27:59who could be going
28:00in the next couple of weeks.
28:02Obviously, that can change quickly.
28:03You never know if one
28:04Premier League club
28:05wakes up one day and decides
28:06they're going to shed
28:07a load of money on Daniel
28:08and who knows.
28:09But he's got two years
28:10left to run on his contract
28:12and he's playing
28:14unbelievably well.
28:15He's happy.
28:16We all know because
28:17we've all spoken to Daniel,
28:18what does Daniel want to do?
28:19Ideally, he wants to take
28:20Sunderland back to the Premier League.
28:22He set that goal out
28:23when he first came into the team
28:24sort of three or four years ago
28:25and he was made no
28:26sort of apology
28:28or for saying that
28:28I want to be part of the team
28:29that gets back to the Premier League.
28:32So I'm fairly confident
28:33and comfortable
28:34that I think that
28:35is his first priority.
28:36Now, if I was him,
28:38he's got two years
28:38left to run.
28:40So I wouldn't be rushing
28:41into signing a new one.
28:42It's early days.
28:43The signs are pretty good
28:45at the moment.
28:45We're hopeful of a good season.
28:47But let's be honest,
28:47there's a lot of uncertainties.
28:49We don't know.
28:50And so if I was in his shoes,
28:51I'm not sure I'd be rushing
28:52to sign a new long-term deal.
28:55The main thing is
28:55that he's motivated
28:56and that he's playing well
28:57and he's committed to Sunderland,
28:58which is obviously the case.
29:00I don't think anybody
29:01could suggest otherwise
29:02for even a second.
29:03So, you know,
29:04if you want my prediction,
29:05like, you know,
29:06when the news first broke
29:07that Neal had rejected
29:08the initial contract offer,
29:09which was absolutely right and true.
29:12The club did kind of say
29:13that they felt that it wasn't,
29:15you know, it wasn't an end point.
29:16They felt that it was ongoing.
29:18There'd be more talks.
29:18They were fairly comfortable about it.
29:20And they will hopefully
29:21be able to get something done.
29:23Something they've been very good at.
29:24You can say what you like
29:25about this regime
29:26and the transfer strategy
29:27and the model and all of that.
29:28They've always been
29:29very, very good at proactively
29:30managing contracts.
29:31So honestly, like,
29:33I'm reasonably relaxed about that one.
29:36And I won't be stressed
29:37if someone go into the season
29:38with that still ongoing.
29:39Because I just, it looks to me
29:40like it's clearly not
29:42going to affect Neal's form.
29:43And there is time,
29:44like there is lots of time.
29:46So for me, like, I just don't,
29:49for me, I think he will sign
29:51at some point.
29:52And it's not something
29:52that I'm too troubled about.
29:54If we're going into the January window
29:56and we're still having this discussion,
29:57he hasn't signed anything.
29:58He's got 18 months left
29:59and he's playing well
29:59and teams are looking at him.
30:00Then I'll feel very,
30:01very differently about it.
30:02And I'll be a bit nervous
30:04at the moment.
30:05One that I feel relatively relaxed about.
30:08Yeah, as you say there,
30:09this regime have been very good
30:10at tying younger players,
30:12key players down to long-term contracts.
30:14And also in terms of last summer
30:17selling at the right time,
30:17in terms of selling Ross Stewart
30:19when he only had a year left on his deal.
30:21Obviously, the longer it goes on,
30:22there probably would be more concern
30:23about kind of Neal's situation
30:24with two years left on his deal.
30:27And if we get to this stage,
30:29this stage next year,
30:30or in January,
30:30then there'll probably be a bit more concern.
30:32But I kind of agree with you
30:33that at this stage,
30:34Neal is quite,
30:35you know, he's playing excellently.
30:36He had a great season last season.
30:38He's playing for his boyhood club
30:39and his main ambition
30:40is to get them back to the Premier League.
30:43Just going through
30:44some of the other comments,
30:45James, that we've got
30:46on YouTube and Facebook.
30:49One here saying,
30:49do you think Johnson,
30:51which is Zach Johnson,
30:52Joe Anderson or Alisse,
30:54can break up the centre-back duo
30:56of O'Nion and Ballard?
30:58I love O'Nion,
30:59but still not convinced about him
31:00as a centre-back.
31:02Zach Johnson came on for 45 minutes,
31:05didn't he, in the Black Bull game?
31:06He came on for Alisse.
31:06After Alisse picked up that injury.
31:09So what would you kind of make
31:10of Sunderland's centre-back options?
31:12That's probably one of the
31:13positions with Ballard out injured
31:14for the start of the season.
31:15That's probably up for grabs
31:16for the opening couple of weeks.
31:19Yeah, just quickly to go back
31:20to the Dan Neal stuff as well.
31:21I think, as Phil mentioned,
31:23it's worth noting that
31:24when news of that rejected contract
31:26came about, Sunderland were
31:28without a manager at the time.
31:29I think you've since seen Chris Rigg
31:31and Dan Ballard pen new deals.
31:33So if I'm Dan Neal
31:34and I'm Dan Neal's camp,
31:35I'm just probably having a little look
31:37at the club's ambition.
31:38I'm having a little look
31:38at what my colleagues are doing.
31:40I'm having a little look
31:40at what my best mate,
31:41Anthony Patterson's doing,
31:42whether he stays.
31:44And I reckon if I had to put money on it,
31:46that he would sign some sort of extension
31:48at some point, I think.
31:49I think it would make sense
31:51for both parties to protect the club
31:52and to reward Dan Neal as well
31:54for some superb performances.
31:55I mean, he was brilliant
31:56against Blackpool.
31:56I know it's legal opposition
31:58in pre-season,
31:59but he was a level above.
32:00He was fantastic.
32:01And I think there's an argument
32:02that suggests that
32:03Byron, maybe Clark,
32:05is probably the most important
32:06and talented footballer at the club.
32:08And he will want to be paid
32:12in respects to his status as well.
32:14He's obviously a senior player
32:16at the club now,
32:17despite only being 22 years old.
32:19I think he played 45 times
32:21in that first season
32:22in the championship,
32:2342 times last season,
32:2539 times in League One as well.
32:27So he's a regular.
32:28He's doing all the right things.
32:29And hopefully that one gets done.
32:31But in regards to the centre-backs,
32:35do I think Johnson, Anderson,
32:36Alissi can break up
32:37the centre-back partnership
32:38duo of O-9 or Ballard?
32:41I'm not really sure.
32:41Obviously, Ballard's out injured
32:42for a little bit,
32:43so you'd expect Alessi to come in.
32:45I actually...
32:45You won't get a chance, yeah.
32:47I actually think that Sundlans,
32:50and this is a conversation
32:51we've had for a while now,
32:53I actually think Sundlans
32:55strongest defence
32:57from left to right would be
33:00Sirken, Alissi, Ballard
33:02and then Hulme.
33:02It just so happens that Alissi
33:04and Ballard, for whatever reason,
33:05never really seem to be fit
33:06at the same time.
33:07Or when they have been fit
33:08at the same time,
33:09you've had an injury at full-back,
33:10which has pushed Alissi to left-back.
33:16Or what have you?
33:16I think the O-9 question
33:18is an interesting one.
33:20I do really rate O-9.
33:21He's in the team on merit.
33:23He shows great leadership ability.
33:25He can advance the ball
33:26out from defence.
33:27He can play it out from the back,
33:29which I think a quality
33:30he's reduced debris
33:32will certainly value.
33:33But in terms of defensive work,
33:35I think Alissi and Ballard
33:36could be a real force
33:37to be reckoned with.
33:37So it's interesting.
33:39Zac Johnson is desperate to play.
33:41We spoke to him after the game
33:42against Blackpool.
33:43He's a Sundlans lad.
33:45He's got a lot of quality,
33:46a lot of pedigree
33:48playing for England's
33:49youth sides as well.
33:50Is it now his time to break in?
33:53I'm not quite sure yet.
33:55But you certainly want to watch him.
33:56He's certainly got a lot of talent.
33:57He certainly did not look out of place
33:58when he came on.
33:59So I think that centre-back
34:01question is really interesting
34:04going forward.
34:05But O-9, I think it's O-9's
34:07shirt to lose, I would imagine.
34:09So I think it would take
34:10a fair amount for Regis Lebrie
34:13to consider dropping him just yet.
34:15But I think Alissi and Ballard
34:16going forward, if they could
34:17both be fit at once,
34:19would be a cracking partnership
34:20in my eyes.
34:22It's interesting because O-9
34:23obviously brings a lot
34:23with his leadership
34:24and is a very kind of
34:25influential member in the dressing room.
34:27But just staying with that centre-back
34:28topic, James,
34:29I've had another comment saying
34:30I think we need another centre-back
34:32brought in.
34:32Any news on strengthening
34:34a central defence?
34:35Obviously, Sunderland now,
34:36you'd expect Ballard and O-9
34:38to be the first choice pairing.
34:40You've then got Alissi that can come in
34:41as kind of that left-sided centre-back.
34:43You've got Leo Yelder there as well.
34:45Zach Johnson got 45 minutes
34:46on Saturday.
34:48So there are options at the back there.
34:49Do you think Sunderland need another
34:51centre-back this summer?
34:54I think a lot would depend on
34:55what happens with Joe Anderson,
34:57wouldn't it?
34:57If Joe Anderson...
34:57Yeah, Joe Anderson as well, yeah.
34:59You're looking at Joe Anderson
35:00leaving, perhaps if he does,
35:02then maybe you're looking at it
35:03thinking, right, we need another one.
35:04You know, Sealt's going to be out
35:05for a little bit of time.
35:07Triantis, we're not really sure
35:09what the future holds for him.
35:10So, I mean, potentially,
35:11I still tend to think Sunderland
35:13are reasonably well-stocked
35:15in that area.
35:15But I guess the caveat to that
35:17is that Ballard and Alissi
35:19have had injuries
35:21since joining Sunderland.
35:23Maybe if Sutter were to have
35:25a little bit of bad luck
35:26in that position.
35:26I don't see it as a massive priority
35:28at the moment,
35:29but I could see a set of circumstances
35:31in which all of a sudden
35:32you're thinking, right, OK,
35:34what could do with another centre-back?
35:35But again, Zach Johnson
35:38could provide cover there,
35:39I think, absolutely.
35:41But he is really keen to play
35:42and it's whether he wants to stay
35:43and be a squad player.
35:44He didn't sound too keen on that,
35:46to be honest.
35:46He really wants to play football.
35:49You can read his comments
35:50over at the Sunderland Echo.
35:51He's just come back from Dundalk
35:52in the League of Ireland,
35:53playing regularly.
35:54He sees that as the next stage
35:55of his development,
35:56is to keep playing,
35:57perhaps in the EFL.
35:59He doesn't want to sort of
36:00rest on his laurels,
36:00which I have a huge amount
36:01of respect for,
36:02because as I say,
36:03he's a Sunderland fan,
36:04he's a Sunderland lad.
36:05It would be great for him
36:07to be in and around it
36:08and be part of it,
36:09I'm sure, for him on a personal level.
36:11But he says he's greedy
36:12and he wants to play games.
36:13So I think a lot depends on outgoings
36:15and a lot depends on luck.
36:16But I don't see it as a priority
36:18at the moment, no.
36:19Yeah, Zach Johnson certainly
36:21seemed to benefit as well,
36:22playing at Dundalk on loan.
36:24Played a lot of games,
36:25the fans seem to really like him.
36:27It's whether he goes out on loan again
36:28or whether he does kind of
36:29stick around the first team, squad.
36:31Another one in terms of
36:33team selection, Phil.
36:34Someone asking that you say
36:36Brown or Rigg
36:38for that midfield position.
36:39So does that mean that
36:40Joe Bellingham is a certain starter
36:42for that Cardiff game,
36:43as things stand?
36:44Yeah, 100%.
36:46100%.
36:46That's not me giving an opinion either way.
36:49I just honestly,
36:50I would be absolutely staggered
36:52if Joe doesn't start.
36:54I think that we saw last season
36:56how much Sunderland are investing
36:57in Bellingham,
36:57the potential they think he's got.
36:59Bearing in mind he's rejected
37:01potential Premier League moves
37:02to Sunderland.
37:03I'd be very surprised
37:04if off the back of that
37:05he then finds himself out of the team.
37:07I think it's a little bit...
37:09So yeah, Joe is certainly
37:11a starter for that.
37:12I think it's a little bit
37:13Joe is a certain starter
37:15off whoever plays up front
37:16in that kind of...
37:17It's an important role for Lebris
37:19in that it's sort of someone
37:20who needs to be able to
37:21drop deep and link up the play,
37:22but also needs to get up the pitch
37:23and press and be almost
37:24that second striker.
37:26He obviously sees Joe for that role
37:27and he'll start against Cardiff.
37:30I think that's absolutely guaranteed.
37:32My opinion on it is
37:33I think it's a little early to judge it
37:35because at the moment
37:36we're not really seeing
37:37Sunderland quite at full throttle
37:39because it's pre-season,
37:40because of the heat in Spain.
37:42One of the things that Lebris said
37:43when I spoke to him in Spain
37:44about Bellingham playing that position was
37:46basically the main reason
37:47he thinks he's perfect for it
37:48is because his athleticism
37:50and his stamina
37:51means he's perfect for that high pressing
37:53and for basically making
37:54the opposition's defender
37:55and midfield,
37:56their life an absolute nightmare, really.
37:58I think it's too early to judge
38:00the effectiveness of that
38:01because we haven't really seen
38:02Sunderland put that into
38:04practice fully.
38:05So I think we'll be able to assess that
38:07over the course of the first
38:09few games of the season,
38:10but I'd be absolutely staggered
38:11if Jordan didn't start at Cardiff.
38:40Who do you think could come in
38:42for that game against Bradford
38:43and maybe stake a claim
38:45to maybe push for a start
38:46against Cardiff?
38:47We've mentioned Rootin,
38:48we think that Embleton's
38:50going to come in in midfield.
38:52Barr, we've mentioned as well,
38:53is probably going to come in.
38:54Oshish, although we think
38:55Bellingham's going to start
38:56in that number 10 position.
38:58So who do you think really
38:59has a point to prove?
39:00Who are you looking forward
39:01to seeing against Bradford
39:02and what should we expect
39:03from that game?
39:04I think Chris Rigg is probably
39:06sat there thinking,
39:06hang on a minute,
39:07yeah, Chris Rigg's probably
39:08sat there thinking,
39:09hang on a minute,
39:09he's been fairly good
39:10during this pre-season
39:11and there's a chance
39:12that I'm not going to start.
39:13So I think he's probably
39:14looking at these games
39:16coming up and thinking
39:17I really need to sort of
39:18restake my claim again.
39:20So I think that's
39:21definitely interesting.
39:23You know, perhaps a few
39:24of these players playing
39:25for loan moves as well,
39:26like Embleton,
39:27obviously coming back
39:27off some really,
39:28really bad injuries.
39:30His future is fairly uncertain.
39:31Will he stay, will he go?
39:32If he does stay,
39:33will he play enough?
39:34So it's probably likely
39:35that he's going to go.
39:36He's going to want a good showing.
39:38And Aushish as well,
39:39we mentioned the
39:40Jo Bellingham question
39:43that we had in from YouTube
39:44and I think Jo Bellingham
39:46is a fantastic player.
39:47But when I've seen
39:48Sunderland play this season,
39:50I've probably been
39:51just about more impressed
39:52with Aushish.
39:54So he's probably looking
39:55at things,
39:55wanting to really stake a claim,
39:57whether he can get in
39:57ahead of Jo, but I'm not sure.
40:00Jo, obviously,
40:01you look at his body of work
40:02last season in a championship
40:03and he did contribute
40:04with good numbers
40:05and good moments for Sunderland.
40:06So I expect to see him
40:09start against Cardiff.
40:10Pembele really needs
40:11to stick his hand up.
40:12I think he hasn't really
40:13got much chance
40:14of dislodging Hulme,
40:15has he in the start 11 for Cardiff?
40:16But I haven't really seen
40:18too much from him
40:20this pre-season
40:21and the likes of,
40:22you know, Yelder and Anderson
40:24have been OK.
40:24They've been steady,
40:25I would say,
40:27during pre-season.
40:28I've been impressed
40:30with Anderson when he's played.
40:32Obviously, Yelder as well,
40:34covering at centre-back.
40:35So it'll be interesting again.
40:37But as you say,
40:39I think we pretty much know
40:41there or thereabouts,
40:42the team for Cardiff now,
40:43don't we?
40:44Unless there's a few exits,
40:45which don't really feel
40:47like as likely.
40:48And if players do come in now,
40:50we saw with Perveda,
40:52they might not be ready
40:52to come in and play immediately.
40:54They might take
40:55a little bit of time.
40:55So I think it's there
40:57or thereabouts,
40:58that start 11.
40:58But you never know,
40:59injuries can happen.
41:01And, you know,
41:01there's two games to be played.
41:03Stuff can happen
41:04in football games,
41:05particularly in pre-season.
41:06So just have to wait and see.
41:09Just on injuries, Phil,
41:11Yelder wasn't in the squad
41:12at Blackpool,
41:13took a knock on his calf.
41:15Ekouar as well,
41:16wasn't in the squad.
41:18He picked up a back injury
41:19while Sunderland were in Spain.
41:21So what's kind of the latest
41:22with those two?
41:24Do we expect to see them
41:25before the start of
41:26the new championship season?
41:27Obviously now,
41:28the players that haven't
41:29played in pre-season
41:30are probably unlikely to get,
41:32you know,
41:32I'm thinking in Ekouar's case,
41:33is probably unlikely to start
41:34the opening game against Cardiff
41:35just because he hasn't played
41:36as much as the rest of the squad.
41:40Yeah, exactly that.
41:40That's why we haven't mentioned
41:42him in the conversation
41:42when we've talked about
41:43Brown and Rigg,
41:44just because,
41:45you know,
41:45I don't think there's any way
41:46Ekouar can realistically be
41:48match fit for the start of the season.
41:50You know,
41:50Sunderland have been very clear
41:51from the start,
41:51there's no major issue there.
41:53But, you know,
41:53he wasn't with the squad
41:54on Saturday.
41:55You know,
41:56he wasn't on the bench.
41:57So tomorrow night really
41:58would be his last opportunity
42:00to get minutes in,
42:01because we know
42:02Labreece is going to go with him.
42:04Similar team on Saturday
42:06against Marseille.
42:07So I just don't see Ekouar
42:08being able to fight his way
42:09in at this stage.
42:10However, having said that,
42:12it doesn't sound like
42:13there is a major problem.
42:14So maybe he'll be in the squad
42:15tomorrow.
42:16We'll wait and see.
42:16And you should get some minutes.
42:18And Triantis, again,
42:20is one who,
42:20you know,
42:21we're not talking about
42:22him being in contention
42:22just because he hasn't got
42:23the training time in.
42:24You know,
42:24he wasn't training with the team
42:26out in Spain,
42:27wasn't there on Saturday.
42:28So I think very obvious
42:30that he's not in contention
42:31at the moment.
42:32So it's going to be
42:33really interesting.
42:34Obviously, what we're kind of
42:34hoping for tomorrow is,
42:35can we see Pavard get some minutes?
42:37You know,
42:37we know realistically,
42:38he's not going to be able
42:39to push Roberts just yet
42:40for that Cardiff game.
42:41But can he fight his way
42:42into the point where,
42:43you know,
42:44he's viable to come off
42:45the bench against Cardiff
42:46and be a bit of a game changer?
42:47I think that would be the goal.
42:49To do that,
42:49he needs some minutes
42:50tomorrow night
42:51and then he probably needs
42:51some minutes off the bench
42:52against Marseille.
42:53So I think that's definitely
42:53one to watch as well.
42:54So other than Ballard
42:56and then obviously
42:56Seaton Huggins,
42:57none of these injuries
42:58are long term.
42:59You know,
42:59these guys could be back
43:00at any stage.
43:01I don't think there's any
43:02concern over Yelder either
43:03in terms of being significant.
43:05But you know,
43:06they are all very clearly
43:07running out of time as well
43:08if they want to be in that
43:08squad for the opening day.
43:12Yeah, well,
43:12we'll have all the build up
43:13to that match against Bradford
43:15over on the SAFC section
43:17of the Sunderland Echo website.
43:19Gents, thanks a lot for joining me
43:21on today's episode
43:22of The Raw Podcast.
43:24And in the meantime,
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