By Alan Duffy

Sunderland 1-2 Arsenal Premier League 11th February 2012

Some wondered if Thierry Henry's brief return to Arsenal would damage his iconic status with the north Londoners, however, in netting his second winner (and third goal) of his loan spell against an impressive Sunderland side, the Frenchman has entered the realm of the God-like for Gooners all over the world.

Thierry Henry came off the bench in his last Premier League appearance for Arsenal this year and capped the occasion off in perfect style with a late stoppage time goal that wrapped up all three points for the Gunners.

In a toughly contested match at the Stadium of Light, James McLean opened the scoring for Sunderland 25 minutes into the second half, when he capitalized on Per Mertesacker's slip to guide the ball past Wojciech Szczesny from an acute angle.

Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill admits that the Black Cats will have their hands full when they entertain Arsenal at the Stadium of Light today, particularly given the dexterity of Gunners youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The teenage sensation has quickly become a fan favorite at Arsenal, setting up Robin van Persie's equalizer in the 2-1 defeat against Manchester United and then displaying his scoring abilities by netting twice in last weekend's 7-1 destruction of Blackburn.

Arsenal have two visits to Sunderland on consecutive Saturdays in different competitions and both have the potential to improve the season but could also make it far worse. The focus for now, obviously, has to be on the more immediate fixture that is the upcoming League meeting.

It would be an understatement to suggest that Martin O'Neill has turned the fortunes of the Black Cats around.

Sunderland v Arsenal Preview, Prediction, TV Listings, Betting Odds EPL 11 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

The Black Cats have won their last three league matches as they host 6th place Arsenal in the English Premier League. The match will take place at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, England on Saturday, February 11, 2012.

Sunderland

Position 8th, 9-6-9 (33 points, +9 goal differential)

Home Record: 5-4-3, +8 goal differential

Recent Form: WLWWW

Last Meeting: Arsenal 2 Sunderland 1 (October 17, 2011)

Crucial match .

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill has backed tomorrow's opponents Arsenal to silence their critics, making it clear that the Gunners have sufficient talent to prevail at the Stadium of Light.

Arsene Wenger's men are three points adrift of fourth-place Chelsea and have relied heavily on the incredible form of skipper Robin van Persie, who scored a brilliant hat-trick in last weekend's 7-1 rout of Blackburn.

By Alan Duffy

Stoke City 0-1 Sunderland Premier League 4th February 2012

Martin O'Neill's Black Cats continued their ascent of the table on Saturday against Stoke, although the very harsh sending-off of Robert Huth on half-time was undeniably a game-changing moment.

By Chris Wright

How about that? The very same batch of players who managed to earn Steve Bruce a paltry 11 points from 13 games have since raked in 19 points from nine games under Martin O'Neill (including last night's 3-0 victory over Norwich), a run that would see them topping the Premier League had they begun counting after O'Neill's first game in charge of the Black Cats; a 2-1 win over Blackburn on December 11th.

By Alan Duffy

Sunderland 1-1 Middlesbrough FA Cup 29th January 2012

Frazier Campbell made a goalscoring return from injury at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, netting the Black Cats' equaliser after 18 months out of action.

The transfer rumours involving Spurs are very slowly starting to spark into life with stories that Roman Pavlyuchenko could be the first and possibly only departure from White Hart Lane this summer.

Yesterday, Pav's vocal agent Oleg Artemov claimed that Spurs had extended the Russian's contract until June 2013.

I was originally skeptical of diving into Sunderland, A Club Transformed, Jonathan Wilson's book about the 2006-2007 season for the Black Cats. As much as I respect Jonathan Wilson's intellect and analysis of topics related to football, there were...
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By Alan Duffy

Sunderland 2-0 Swansea City Premier League 21 January 2012

Despite dominating for large periods of the game, Swansea's lack of a cutting edge would cost them dear against a Sunderland side who to continue to flourish under Martin O'Neill.

Despite a non-sourced story from the Daily Mail stating otherwise, Michael Farfan is not a transfer target of Sunderland per the team's manager.

According to Roker Report, SB Nation's Sunderland site, Martin O'Neill, hired by Sunderland on December 3 in an attempt to save the team's season, addressed a reporter's question about Farfan's and trialist Alieu Darbo's statuses with the team.

By Alan Duffy

Chelsea 1-0 Sunderland Premier League 14th January 2012

Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien returned to first team duty for Chelsea against Sunderland on Saturday, making a welcome substitute appearance after missing the first half of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.

The Daily Mail, an English news outlet with a dubious record when it comes to sports related rumors, is reporting that Sunderland has Michael Farfan not only in for a trial, but is also trying to get him a work permit. Farfan will train with Sunderland for two weeks, ending on January 24.

Farfan was originally said to be training with the English Premier side yesterday, when Soccer By Ives revealed the midfielder was heading to Tyne and Wear.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The Seattle Sounders have acquired Danish midfielder Christian Sivebaek following his transfer from FC Midtjylland, the Sounders announced on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old midfielder arrives in Seattle after playing for Midtjylland since 2006.

The London Press 'linked' Sunderland's Stephane Sessengon with Liverpool last week, (and when I say 'linked', I mean they probably made it up), and new Black Cats manager Martin O'Neill has been forced to address the growing 'speculation' over the the French midfielder's future..In a press conference a few days ago, O'Neill admitted that there was a 'problem' of some kind behind the scenes, but

By Alan Duffy

Another day, another police identity parade

On loan from Arsenal, where he struggled to live up to the (self-inflated) hype surrounding his ability, Nicklas Bendtner has been nothing more than average for Sunderland so far this season.

Won on the lips Fan kiss a player right on the mouth by Anatolly7 Sunderland striker Ji Dong-Won got an unsolicited introduction to the passion of English football with a post-goal snog from a persistent fan. The South Korean starlet found himself on the receiving end of some love from a Black Cats supporter after [.

Tottenham Hotspurs have given midfielder Steven Pienaar the green light to leave the club if Sunderland or any other club can meet their £5 million asking price. Pienaar who has not seen any league action this season due to his niggling injuries, has struggled to impose himself in Harry Redknapp's side since his £2.

Llegan las fechas navideñas y el fútbol parece hacer una pausa que nos deja un poco descolocados, nos cortan el suministro. Por suerte, en países como Escocia, Bélgica y sobre todo Inglaterra el fútbol no para, y es que es de sobra conocido el 'Boxing Day' en las islas británicas. Esos partidos en un 26 de Diciembre en el que mientras los pequeños abren sus regalos de Papa Noel la Premier nos hace su regalo especial con una jornada más de la que llevo considerando durante bastantes años la mejor liga del mundo.

Video- Ji Dong-Won Kissed by Sunderland Fan after winning goal- Man City Kiss 2012 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Video- Ji Dong-Won Kissed by Sunderland Fan after winning goal- Man City Kiss 2012 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Sunderland's Korean forward Ji Dong-Won was kissed by a male fan of the Black Cats following their giant killing 1-0 win over the Citizens on New Year's Day 2012.

szólj hozzá: Sunderland v City 1:0 HIGHLIGH

Sunderland continued the theme of the underdogs upsetting the favourites this weekend as they stunned City at the Stadium of Light with as Ji Dong-won's last second goal. Clearly offside. But the Black Cats won't be complaining. And it was a lovely bit of skill by the South Korean as he slalomed around Joe Hart to caress the ball into an open goal.

By Alan Duffy

On Boxing Day, Martin O'Neill's Sunderland were a goal ahead and looking to pick up all three points against Everton when, early in the second-half, the Toffees' diminutive schemer Leon Osman ran into the Black Cats box with the intention of shooting on goal.

The world's most effective miskick The Premier League's biggest Christmas present came from referee Howard Webb. He gave Everton the present of one Premier League point by awarding the Toffees this penalty against Sunderland. Webb pointed to the spot when Leon Osman tripped himself in the Black Cats' box after an enormous miskick.

The world's most effective miskick The Premier League's biggest Christmas present came from referee Howard Webb. He gave Everton the present of one Premier League point by awarding the Toffees this penalty against Sunderland. Webb pointed to the spot when Leon Osman tripped himself in the Black Cats' box after an enormous miskick.

News in the Daily Mirror that Newcastle are in for Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha. Nedum Onuoha in actuion against Newcastle last season Onuoha joined Sunderland on a season-long loan deal a year last August, and he played 31 times for the Black Cats with one stupendous goal. That was in London when Sunderland beat Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge [.

By Alan Duffy

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Sunderland Premier League 18th December 2011

They may have started the game without the crocked pair of Gareth Bale and Jermain Defoe and lost Aaron Lennon after just 27 minutes, but Harry Redknapp's in-form Spurs side still had far too much left in the locker for the visiting Black Cats.

Firing Line: Black Cats bring more bad luck for hapless Kean as Rovers flop again

Each week we bring you our latest chart of the managers under pressure, and those on Easy Street. Here is Sportsmail's sack-race rankings otherwise known as the Firing Line.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-12-16 00:03:56 from: The Mail

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The Sunderland striker Nicklas Bendtner is still an Arsenal player despite vowing that he would never play for the Gunners again, and Arsene Wenger will be hoping that the Danish international has a good season with the Black Cats so he could be sold for a good price next summer. But Wenger will not be [.

Former Derry City winger James McClean made an impressive debut last weekend after new Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill gave the 22 year rold his chance to shine at the stadium of light, and the Irish international hopeful duly obliged by delighting the Wearside faithful with a stunning impact performance after entering as a second-half substitute.

1. Arsenal anniversary celebrations like most Arsenal matches would be a duller place without Robin Van Persie. What a sweet goal. 2. If Martin O'Neill continues to bring that level of luck to Sunderland, Black Cats fans will be delighted to have him around the place. 3. Just imagine what Stoke City could [.

1. Arsenal anniversary celebrations like most Arsenal matches would be a duller place without Robin Van Persie. What a sweet goal. 2. If Martin O'Neill continues to bring that level of luck to Sunderland, Black Cats fans will be delighted to have him around the place. 3. Just imagine what Stoke City could [.

Despite admitting his admiration for new manager Martin O'Neill, Asamoah Gyan has outlined his reluctance to return to Sunderland, perhaps even after his loan spell with Middle Eastern outfit Al Ain has finished.
Ghanaian goalscorer Gyan – who has netted 27 times in 54 matches for the Black Stars – is in the United Arab Emirates as a result of a deal struck back in September and, although rumours to the contrary have circulated this week, the 26 year-old ruled out a return to Wearside this January.

photo by Ben Queenborough/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Phil Neville is in favor of manager David Moyes bringing in reinforcements to the club during the winter transfer window in January, but one player the Everton captain doesn't see being brought in is Landon Donovan.

It remains to be seen whether the 2022 World Cup will be played in the summer or the winter, but one high-ranking FIFA official has a solution to ensure a winter World Cup gets played without a problem: Move the two biggest competitions in European club soccer.

Ahead of Friday's Euro 2012 draw in the Ukraine, UEFA president Michel Platini said that he is open to moving the UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions in order to accommodate a winter World Cup in Qatar.

While Sunderland are deep in final negotiations with O'Neill, and the Northern Irishman having said that he will accept the job as manager of the Black Cats, the news should come as welcome relief not only for Sunderland supporters but ...
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In the end it was not the Sunderland chairman, Ellis Short, who condemned manager Steve Bruce to the sack, it was the Black Cats supporters.
The sheer level of bile and vitriol aimed in his direction following Wigan's last minute winner on Saturday rendered his position untenable.
Bruce looked wounded in his post-match press conference, stressing that he "couldn't help where he was born".

By Alan Duffy

Steve Bruce will have more free time now to feed the pigeons

To be fair to Sunderland, the club had given Steve Bruce a decent amount of money to strengthen his squad over the years. But despite that financial backing, the former Manchester United defender's best showing with the Black Cats was a tenth-place finish last season.