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When it’s felt like nothing short of 9,635 days since our glorious victory against the ‘hosts’/‘visitors’, you’re left with a significant amount of time to think about our next match.

International friendlies, although traditionally notoriously dull, have proven to be even more meaningless, with even the players themselves deeming them as optional events to take part in. With the exception of Southampton vs Arsenal, the FA Cup quarter-finals have been equally as tiresome, with the majority of games feeling like somewhat of a procession.

Simply put, there’s nothing that compares to watching Sunderland.

What can we do, therefore, when there’s such a hefty gap between matches?

After rewatching most of the highlights from the last twelve months, I thought it’d be beneficial to revisit our first visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. What can we learn from the away game — and apart from Richarlison being offside at least five times on Sunday, and an inevitable red card for Cristian Romero, is there anything else that we can expect to see?

Although we would argue that any point away from home is a good one, with the power of retrospect, it feels like we wasted an opportunity when we last played Tottenham.

Given what’s happened to their season since, with their third manager of the campaign about to take charge against us, I’m certain that Régis Le Bris will have the team motivated. Our previously impressive home form has dipped during recent games and this is the perfect opportunity to put things right — especially if we think back to what Le Bris said to the BBC post-match in January…

The first half we were a bit flat, without energy.

That could be understandable after the Manchester City Game, which was really tough and demanding.

This time, things are quite the opposite.

We’ve had a welcome break, despite my complaints about lack of things to do. Colossal players that’ve been unable to feature in recent games — including Dan Ballard, Robin Roefs and Nordi Mukiele, to name a few — have had time to recover and I’m hopeful that they’ll be featuring in what’s going to be a crucial run to the end of the season.

Not only that, but we’re riding on the high of beating our biggest rivals after dominating in the second half, so I’d be expecting a strong start from the Lads on Sunday afternoon.

To support this, however, we need to bring back the atmosphere that’s synonymous with battling performances and whilst the performance against Newcastle should rightly be celebrated, we do need to remember that the atmosphere at recent home games has been somewhat flat.

Our challenge should be to channel that winning feeling against the Mags into a daunting atmosphere for Spurs — regardless of who’s in the dugout or who is on the pitch.

Are Tottenham — currently languishing in seventeenth position and facing a genuine threat of relegation — going to be able to take anything from us if we’re able to recreate the cauldron of noise that we saw against West Ham, Arsenal or Manchester City? I appreciate that not every home game can resembling the playoff semi-final second leg against Coventry, but I know that we can stay until the end and make things as unpleasant as possible for Spurs.

What makes this game particularly interesting, though, is the appearance of Roberto De Zerbi — undoubtedly a fantastic manager.

In previous years, I would see it as a bit of a ‘typical Sunderland’ situation to be the guinea pigs for a new manager’s debut. However, there are some things to consider and in 2022, after joining mid-season, Brighton under De Zerbi failed to win any of their first five games, with two draws and three losses.

At the beginning of a season, this isn’t too catastrophic.

We’ve all seen teams, including Sunderland, experience dips in the season and fail to win. The problem comes when you’re managing a team with confidence at an all-time low, and De Zerbi’s system, which appears to very much be focused on high risk and high reward, is something that I would hope we can take advantage of.

One thing that I found particularly impressive against Newcastle was how Le Bris triggered the press at the right moments, creating vast amounts of space for our midfield. With 47,000 potentially in attendance against Spurs, the spine of our squad closer to returning and our opposition seemingly on the ropes, we should see the same this weekend.

Finally, there’s another factor we need to consider ahead of Sunday: Brian Brobbey.

His goal against Spurs, lashing the ball into the top corner after a brilliant bit of interplay with Enzo Le Fee, was absolutely superb, but it feels like we now have an evolved version of Brobbey as he bullies centre backs mercilessly and is undoubtedly one of the first names on the team sheet.

I’m looking forward to seeing how he performs — not only against ill-disciplined defenders like Romero — but against one of two goalkeepers who are giving Lee Camp and Jason Steele a run for their money, as it’s likely that Guglielmo Vicario is missing for our match due to injury.

This leaves Antonin Kinsky.

If we can imagine Michael Beale’s bizarre blanking of Trai Hume amplified by several thousand in front of a global audience of millions, we get an insight into Igor Tudor’s Victorian man-management of Kinsky against Atlético Madrid.

Looking fairly bereft of confidence from the first minute, he committed several errors under pressure, conceding three goals in fifteen minutes before being brutally substituted.

Whilst he’s now working under a different manager, this is somewhat irrelevant. We need to put instant pressure on the goalkeeper during set pieces and look to take advantage of his fragile confidence. This should be a perfect opportunity for Brobbey to continue his excellent form and to be relentless against a notoriously poor defence.

As both Le Bris and Granit Xhaka have said, our target now is to get as many points as possible and to see where the next three games take us.

If we can combine our tactical discipline with a suffocating home atmosphere after 7,000 years away, we’ll doubtless be able to silence the ‘new manager bounce’ narrative. I want the reports to focus on how Sunderland were far too disciplined, far too organised and far too loud to let any more points slip away at home.

Over to you, lads…

In terms of pure entertainment, this has to go down as one of the greatest games that has taken place in the Stadium of Light since its construction in the late nineties. This match had everything: three penalties, amazing goals, controversy and some questionable refereeing decisions on top of it all.

Credit to both sides. Both Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur brought a lot to the game and when you actually look at both the line-ups from this game, this was a classic “Barclays” clash.

In the Sunderland side, we lined up with former Spurs player Darren Bent up top along with an up-and-coming Jordan Henderson and Craig Gordon in goal. Furthermore, Spurs had some heavy hitters in their side including Luka Modric, Kyle Walker, David Bentley and both Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch.

From minute one, this game was bonkers and this would certainly not be what Spurs’ manager would have wanted given his team were chasing a Champions League spot. In what was one of Sunderland’s first attacks of the game, another former Spur Fraizer Campbell swooped with a header to meet Kieran Richardson’s corner and although Heurelho Gomes kept out the point-blank header it fell perfectly for Bent, who had left London for Wearside the previous summer.

This goal sparked pandemonium with both sets of fans who wanted to express viscerally their feelings about the goal towards Bent. It must be said that Bent’s taunting in front of the away end was probably not the brightest move to make where pints of beer were used as missiles towards the Sunderland striker.

If the away fans were unhappy by this stage, things only got worse for them when Bent made it two from the penalty spot. Despite early protestations for a foul on Jordan Henderson, minutes later a penalty was given after a cross brushed Kyle Walker’s arm midway through the half with the referee pointing to the spot for the first time, and Bent confidently beat Gomes low to his right.

Bent’s first penalty looked incredibly confident but perhaps this could have been the issue when he was awarded another after Campbell wriggled clear of the attentions of Sebastien Bassong and Assou-Ekotto and burst into the box, before going over an appalling forward’s challenge from Luka Modric, who simply hung out a leg.

Bent opted to put the ball to the left of Gomes this time, but the Brazilian leapt across goal magnificently to tip the ball away. The Spurs fans celebrated it like it was a goal whilst Bent looked bemused and somewhat humbled by the save.

Sunderland were amazing in the first half where they were winning every duel and battle across the pitch and naturally enough, Harry Redknapp changed it up at half-time where Jermain Defoe and Niko Kranjcar were brought into the game.

Tottenham were certainly better in the second half and only minutes into it, Defoe did go close with an opportunity but his tame effort was ultimately saved by Gordon.

The away side nearly shot themselves in the foot again as Bent, who missed a penalty on his return to White Hart Lane the previous November when Spurs beat Sunderland 2-0, struck his third spot-kick of the afternoon to the right of Gomes, but the Tottenham keeper tipped the ball on to the inside of the post and was relieved to grab the rebound.

Ferdinand looked to have sealed it when he calmly sidefooted a loose ball into the bottom corner after a cross from the influential Steed Malbranque caused yet more problems. A foul on Gomes by Campbell was deemed to have inhibited the goalkeeper from making a challenge for the ball but despite the goal being disallowed, Ferdinand didn’t seem to hear and inexplicably entertained the crowd with a Michael Jackson-inspired moonwalk.

Moments later, this crazy game took another twist when Peter Crouch scored with his first touch of the game to bring Spurs back into the contest when he rose to meet Kranjcar’s looping cross from the left. Replays suggest that Michael Turner was fouled in the build-up but nothing was given and despite Sunderland bossing this game, they were still only one goal ahead going into the final stages of the game.

Steve Bruce made subs of his own and it was one of them who would have the final key moment in this astonishing game when Bolo Zenden acrobatically volleyed into the top corner following Henderson’s looping cross.

The crowd erupted as if a huge sigh of relief came as a wave across the stadium. Many times in the past, the third goal would never arrive and the home side would be pegged back but this day was Sunderland’s day and what a fitting goal it was to finish off this game.

This period of the season has been at the forefront of every supporter’s mind since the start of the season, especially with the arrival of so many AFCON participants. It is a tough portion of the campaign for any team, never mind one with six first-team players unavailable.

The first yellow-card suspension line falls right in the middle and, with the increased demand on the players, injuries are common. So far we have dealt with this well.

We are unbeaten in the four games since AFCON started and since the fixtures started piling up. All four points were hard-fought and deserved, adding to our tally and keeping the ball rolling.

However, this already difficult task may get a lot more difficult with two more games in the next six days.

I love and believe in each and every player in our squad. They have all proved themselves to be brilliant, talented footballers who are prepared to leave everything out on the pitch for our club. That being said, they are only human – they don’t run on rechargeable double-A batteries. With our list of unavailable players, Le Bris’ team selection is almost forced. This was epitomised by a message someone sent into the Spurs match radio reaction on BBC. It was along the lines of “we looked very tired in that first half – why isn’t RLB rotating?”. Gary Bennett’s response was truthful and, in my opinion, correct – Do you really want anyone on the bench to be starting?

Personally I would not want O’Nien, Neil, or Hjelde to be in a starting eleven. Mundle and Rigg are capable, but I don’t think either of them have done enough to displace Mayenda or Adingra. As the season has progressed we have proven ourselves to be able to compete with anyone in this league, so deciding to drop any of the starting eleven for any of those bench players I have mentioned seems ridiculous. Every game provides an opportunity to get more points on the board, and not using the best eleven available greatly reduces the quality of the team and our chances of success.

I know that it is unsustainable to start the same eleven players every game, but the bench seems so weak now that I don’t see an alternative. We give ourselves another issue by playing both Mayenda and Brobbey. Normally one would start and the other would replace them. This issue was exacerbated by Wilson Isidor being out against Tottenham. It is described as a minor injury by Régis, who hopes that he will be available against Brentford, so that is a relief.

Looking ahead, some of our African stars could be returning soon. As I am writing this, Morocco and Talbi, as well as Senegal and Diarra, have qualified, but Mozambique, DR Congo, and Burkina Faso are yet to play. Hopefully they all lose and can return sooner rather than later. Even if they do lose though, they will still not be available for the midweek game against Brentford.

Another trip to London beckons on Wednesday. We beat Brentford in the reverse fixture, but they have proved to be a very capable team in recent weeks. They have an in-form striker and a well-established, difficult-to-play-against tactic. It will be another tough game and one in which the effects of this chock-a-block schedule could be clear.

After that the FA Cup takes us to Merseyside with a first-ever trip to the Hill Dickinson Arena on the cards, and over 7,000 Mackems will follow the Lads west. This is the chance to rotate that we have been looking for, but might be slightly disappointing for the fans taking this expensive trip to Everton (just after Christmas as well) to see a second-choice team play. Regardless, I am sure that the supporters will understand and be grateful that we have this chance to give the rest of the Lads a break. It will be nice to visit this new stadium and see some of the players that helped us get into the Premier League in action.

Overall this demanding period of the season is a difficult problem to navigate, but one in which we have traversed well so far. There are still a few games to go in this overloaded programme, but hopefully we get through it unscathed and with our players returning from Africa soon.

In his epic poem The Waste Land, T.S. Eliot remarked that April is the cruellest month, but I doubt he ever had to face up to three away games in six days at the beginning of January. At any other time of year the prospect of three back-to-back trips to new stadia within six days would be the stuff of dreams for a travelling fan, but straight after Christmas when everyone is skint, freezing, and/or wrestling with attempts at self-improvement, it almost seemed like a cruel joke.

Still, at least those of us lucky enough to already be based in the capital wouldn’t have to face up to a lengthy car journey or risk putting our fate in the hands of Network Rail. Our first trip to the imaginatively named Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was earmarked by many fans back when the fixtures were released, and enthusiasm was high despite the annoying Sunday kick-off.

The blue-and-white side of North London have really taken their trademark “Spursiness” to new levels this season, boasting one of the best away records in the league while being incredibly generous in dishing out points at their shiny new home. A smug Mag mate of mine commented that the ground isn’t really “new” to most teams at this point, to which I gave the natural reply of “one-nil”.

Our African absentees haven’t affected our results as dramatically as most commentators would have expected/hoped, so most Sunderland fans were reasonably confident of adding at least one point to our tally as we passed the halfway stage of the season.

With Spurs being the second-most convenient destination for me behind West Ham, I was excited to host some of our fellow fans who had travelled south for the game at my local in Walthamstow, only to be embarrassed to learn that (contrary to its Google Maps entry) the doors would only open at 11 a.m. rather than at ten. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait too long in the cold, and a few early ales set the tone for the day. We swiftly moved on to the Antwerp Arms, which had a healthy mix of home and away fans congregating under the watchful eye of a hi-vis-clad security guard with a megaphone. This seemed a bit excessive for a pub, but I suppose you can never be too careful.

After entering the ground we basked in the spacious and well-stocked concourse, taking a moment to reflect on just how many light years away the whole matchday experience was from Accrington, Fleetwood et al. The view from our seats in the lower tier didn’t actually encompass the whole pitch, but thankfully the huge screens on each corner of the ground meant we could keep abreast of the action.

Unfortunately not much of it was down at the end Sunderland were attacking as the team served up one of the least inspiring performances of the season so far. A better side than Spurs could have really taken us to the sword, and the statuesque marking for Ben Davies’ opener seemed to unfold in slow motion.

The lethargy on the pitch was sadly matched by a subdued atmosphere in the away end. Far be it from me to say how anyone should conduct themselves at the match, but the players and coach have commented repeatedly on how much the passion and noise from the fans helps to drive the team on, so it was disappointing that many supporters weren’t able to provide more vocal backing to the team in the first half, especially given the excellent season we’ve enjoyed to date.

Thankfully there was a marked improvement on and off the pitch in the second half. The introduction of Ballard added some much-needed balance to our play, and when an excellent move was lashed home by Brobbey the away end sparked into raptures. You felt that if the game had gone on for another ten minutes we might have sneaked a winner, but a point in the circumstances is still a more than satisfactory result which made the dreaded return to work on Monday a slightly less depressing prospect. One down, three to go…

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Sunderland earn the fruits of their labours

After a gruelling battle with Manchester City followed by a tight turnaround ahead of this trip to North London, it felt like a good bet that Sunderland might find the going tough against Spurs, and that’s certainly how it was for the first forty five minutes as the Lads turned in a disjointed, lethargic and generally poor performance that hinted at tired legs and weary bodies.

Ben Davies’ opener — the result of some slipshod red and white defending and Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven making a nuisance of himself — was a suitably irritating way to fall behind but as we should all be aware of by now, this side is made of tough stuff and the phrase “lost cause” has no place in any coaching manual that you’ll find at the Academy of Light or on Régis Le Bris’ bookshelf.

Our second half display — marked by crisper passing, increased aggression and far more variety — was much more like it and Sunderland’s equalising goal in the form of a thunderous Brian Brobbey strike was most certainly merited.

Collectively and individually, the Lads weren’t really at it during the first half on Sunday, but that’s OK, because this side’s powers of recovery are an open secret and the energy we were able to summon after the break was a source of real pride — another example of the resilience that runs through this team and will hopefully continue to carry us forward.

Yes, “natural finishers”.

No, we don’t carve out the greatest openings in the world, but when you’ve got a Dutch powerhouse with a hammer of a right boot and a propensity for delivering in key moments — Arsenal at home, anyone? — there’s always a chance to play your “get out of jail free” card and when the former Ajax striker smashed the ball past Vicario to get the Lads back on level terms after a slick move, it felt like moment of immense relief for both the player and his teammates.

Brobbey excites me. I’ve had a good feeling about him ever since he signed for us, and I’m desperate for him to succeed at Sunderland.

I love his physicality, his aggression, his ability to hold the ball up and his penchant for brushing off defenders like autumn leaves, but this was a classic example of “See ball, hit ball, score” and given that it earned Sunderland a valuable point after a performance that was somewhat hit and miss, finesse was able to take a back seat to sheer, raw power.

He’s making a sizable impact in a Sunderland shirt and given that powerful strikers are still worth their weight in gold at this level, it’s easy to see why he’s quickly established himself as a favourite of Régis Le Bris — and of the Sunderland supporters too.

Stand and deliver…your Mukiele or your life

During a game in which Sunderland often had to live by their wits, dig deeply into their reserves of resilience and fighting spirit and show that every point we earn means a great deal, one member of the defence stood taller than ever — and it was that man Mukiele once again.

What else can you say about this powerhouse defender that hasn’t already been said multiple times since he arrived on Wearside for a fee that wasn’t exactly steep at the time but now feels like nothing short of a bargain? He’s just so good, so accomplished and so composed; the kind of player we’ve all doubtless dreamed of watching in a red and white shirt but that few of us perhaps ever thought would actually sign for Sunderland.

From a perfectly-judged defensive header to deny Richarlison in the first half to an array of thumping tackles, immaculately-timed blocks and perfectly-executed interceptions, Mukiele was often supreme on Sunday and with Omar Alderete firmly established and Dan Ballard on the comeback trail, the centre of the red and white defence is something we need not lose much sleep over.

Want to beat Sunderland? Good luck, because Mukiele wants to ensure that you don’t — and countless opposition attackers have found that out to their cost this season.

Enzo Le Fée: workhorse, magician, inspiration

Don’t allow your judgement to be clouded by the fact that Le Fée’s 2025/2026 goal and assist tally is fairly modest, because like many mercurially talented players, you often have to dig a little deeper to uncover the secret and to understand what it is that makes him so influential and such a key member of Régis Le Bris’ side.

No such focus was required yesterday however, because Le Fée’s mixture of work rate, skill and vision were integral to Sunderland — particularly during our second half recovery — and his sheer commitment to the cause and ability to inspire those around him is something that should never he downplayed.

Unlucky to hit the post with a sharp glancing header, the former Roma playmaker was a constant source of threat, buzzing around, keeping the ball moving and doing his level best to haul Sunderland level — as well as playing a role in Brobbey’s equaliser.

Curiously, I actually think there’s much more to come from him in an attacking sense, because he certainly has the vision and the technical quality to unlock defences, but for now, his all-action style and attitude are perfect for us and under Le Bris, he continues to go from strength to strength.

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Gav says…

Brobbey hits his stride

I think Brian Brobbey has been really good recently and the goal he scored against Spurs was probably the best we’ve scored all season, although you have to give credit to Omar Alderete, Nordi Mukiele, Granit Xhaka and in particular Enzo Le Fée for their part in it, too.

It was a superb team effort and the way he lashed it home was fantastic — he absolutely wellied it into the net.

Hopefully this is the start of a purple patch for the big man, who looks a real threat up top and is showing why we paid so much money for him.

A great second half response

We were naff in the first half — more on that later — but we responded really well after half time and I don’t think there can be any denying that we deserved to get back into the game.

We really improved after the break and the Lads came out and really gave it their all; in fact, I think in the end Spurs could probably count themselves as lucky to have escaped with only a point.

It felt like one of those games where if it had gone on another ten minutes we’d have probably got a second goal, but alas, we take the point and move on — and considering how decent Spurs were in the opening forty five, it was probably a fair result.

Slack first half passing

I think you could see particularly in the first half that the lads were a little fatigued from a gruelling runout against Manchester City a few days ago, but that was no excuse for just how bad our passing was in the opening half of the game.

The amount of times we conceded possession was ridiculous and so unlike us.

Thankfully, we fixed it in the second period and Spurs never took advantage, but we have to be careful that we aren’t that bad against Brentford as they’re confident and would surely take advantage of such massive lapses in concentration.

A questionable first half formation

I don’t think the shape we started the game with was working and whilst Régis Le Bris eventually sorted it out, we could’ve been put to bed in that first half if Spurs had been better, so we probably should’ve changed things up sooner.

Calum Mills says…

Bravo, Brobbey!

Scored a brilliantly taken equaliser to top off an excellent second half performance.

After a quiet first half he battled for the second forty five minutes, was everywhere across the pitch and his willingness to track back was tremendous.

The likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro will be glad they don’t have to deal with him every week, as even their typical shithousery failed with our big striker coming out on top.

Le Fée’s energy and Geertruida’s work rate

How Le Fée keeps running is beyond me.

I thought Sadiki was our “energiser bunny” in the middle of the park but even after a breathless game against Manchester City, Le Fée still clocked up the miles and his second half showing was as if he’d had a week to recover. Unlucky to not score with a brilliant run and deft header, but his first-time ball to assist Brobbey was excellent.

As for Geertruida, I love this lad.

As an opposition manager, you don’t know how to deal with him as he plays everywhere — although the more I watch, I love him in the middle of the park.

His reading of the game was superb; he has such a great understanding with Granit Xhaka and Le Fée that it may mean when AFCON finishes, Habib Diarra and Sadiki won’t just walk back into the starting eleven.

The fight he showed when getting at Bentancur was great to see as well. Can we sign him permanently, please?

Poor Sunderland passing

Countless times in the first half, we were nearly the victim of our own downfall by needlessly and aimlessly giving the ball away through misdirected passes or being too casual when trying to get the ball forward.

Luckily, Spurs didn’t know what to do with it either so we only went in 1-0 down at half time.

Difficult games for Simon Adingra and Romaine Mundle

This was the Adingra we saw at the start of the season, sadly.

Just when you thought he’d turned a corner, his performance was as poor as we’ve seen from him in a Sunderland shirt — and it didn’t help that his immediate replacement in Mundle didn’t offer much more, either.

I feel like Mundle lacks the awareness to the pace the league requires to be successful, as he’s often caught on the ball or closed down before he can move it off to another player.

He definitely hasn’t found the rhythm when trying to beat his man, so maybe a start against Everton in the FA Cup could help with this?

Ciaran McKenna says…

Another terrific point!

I feared the worst after the first half performance as we looked leggy and unmotivated, but the Lads turned it around in brilliant fashion in a much rejuvenated second half display.

We’ve played four games so far during this AFCON- affected period — all resulting in well-fought draws — and this was no exception.

A great fightback from the brink to take something back to Wearside

An emphatic finish from Brian Brobbey

He had a tough first half with not much to work with, but my word — did he take his chance when it came.

A brilliant passing move all the way from Omar Alderete, set up beautifully by Enzo Le Fée with the one-two and finished with thunderous volley into the top corner.

No chance for their goalkeeper (or any goalkeeper for that matter). and it also seemed to really motivate Brobbey, who stepped his performance up a gear after the goal.

A poor goal conceded

Their goal was poor and epitomised our first half perfromance.

There shouldn’t be a man left totally unmarked at the back post and he shouldn’t be able to take a touch and pick a pass. We should’ve been faster to react, to press the ball and block the shot, but we weren’t, and it was very frustrating to see.

Romaine Mundle struggles

Mundle was really poor off the bench.

I really like him and clearly Régis Le Bris does too, but he’s done next to nothing with the opportunities that he’s been given. He’s a very talented player and I have faith that eventually it’ll click into place, but if you’re going to be the first substitute, coming on, you’re expected to make more of an impact.

I understand that it’s easier said than done to come on against a Champions League team whilst everyone else has settled into the game, but I’d still like to see more from him — and all the substitutes.

John Wilson says…

Dan Ballard returns

Great to see big Dan back.

He came on at 1-0, and it would be easy to be confused at bringing on a defender when we were trying to push forward, but the change in shape and Ballard’s threat up front was a bold move and it turned the game.

Brian Brobbey makes his mark

Another great battling performance from the stocky frontman.

He deserved his goal, and what a blast it was! Spurs were there for the taking and but for a non-existent first half show, we could’ve bagged three points.

But another point won, and a full ninety and a goal for Brobbey.

A lacklustre first half display

Very poor and frustrating.

The Lads lacked energy and vigour — you could say that was predictable after the showing against Manchester City — but consistency of levels and performances are key for a good team and we lack consistency at the moment.

The energy picked up in the second half, but we didn’t show up early on.

Passing problems

The passing was also missing for large parts of the game and it was almost like watching a team of strangers at times.

Miscommunication, sloppy passes and not on the same page as each other. Very strange and very unusual but thankfully, we woke up to warm everyone up.

Jon Guy says…

A Régis Le Bris game management masterclass

I’m now at the point where if we are in the game at half time we will get something out of it because Regis is so tactically aware we are a different side in the second half. He did an amazing job to sort the team out for the final 45 minutes.

Dan Ballard gets back in the groove

So good to see Dan back on the pitch. He is so important to this side.

Simon Adingra finds it tough

So disappointed with our winger.

He and Brian Brobbey were Sunderland’s “out ball” today and it was so frustrating as he didn’t show up in the first half.

A less-than raucous atmosphere

The home crowd, a huge stadium…and they were awful.

I was in the home end and they were silent.

However dire your team is, you need to get behind them. They turned away minutes into the game and it just shows what we deliver week after week.

Joseph Tulip says…

Amazing team spirit

After a difficult first half, we came out with renewed vigour in the second half and were the better team thereafter.

Not only did we defend doggedly as a team, we got forward and could easily have won the game.

Second half creative spark

We were very inventive going forward after the break.

Brian Brobbey had arguably his best game for Sunderland — not only scoring a superb goal but holding the ball up and bringing others into play. He’s looking fitter with every game and did his fair share of pressing and defending too.

Granit Xhaka dictated our play, Enzo Le Fée came to life and both Trai Hume and Nordi Mukiele got forward to support the attack.

An intriguing tactical approach

In the first, half we looked leggy — which was understandable — but Régis Le Bris wasn’t frightened to make changes to make us more of a threat and take pressure off our defence.

Dan Ballard’s introduction enabled Lutsharel Geertruida to move into midfield, while Spurs could never settle with Romaine Mundle on the left, Simon Adingra switching to the right and Mukiele getting forward from right back.

A strong Sunderland mentality

We were possibly running on empty after Manchester City but after a slow start, our adrenaline and “til the end” mentality saw us through once again.

I think fatigue could well be an issue but with few options for rotation, the Lads are really putting in a shift to see us through until the African players return.

Lars Knutsen says…

Another great team performance

During the second half, everyone stepped up and Spurs knew they were in a game.

We were very competitive in midfield and defence, and our attack came to dynamic life in the final thirty minutes of the game. For once we were ahead in the overall possession stats., and we could easily have left this impressive stadium with all three points.

The players stayed after the whistle to celebrate with the travelling fans. long after the home team had disappeared down the tunnel.

Brian Brobbey comes of age

If anyone needed convincing about Brobbey, this was the input over ninety-plus minutes that any doubters needed. It was a sensational performance from our number nine which showed that he’s reached full fitness and has bought into the current Sunderland ethos.

He showed massive awareness and was a constant pest to the home defence. The goal itself — a one-two with Enzo Le Fée followed by a powerful finish into the top corner — was a thing of beauty.

A slow Sunderland start

There was a low-key feel to the first half.

Spurs were a bit hesitant given their poor home record, and we started slowly — did we really show up? This wasn’t surprising given how draining the last couple of home games have been, given AFCON and other absences.

In the second half, we shook off our shackles and came forward very effectively.

We’re hard to beat, but wins are currently rare

It’s fine saying that we are unbeaten in the last 5 games, with one defeat in eight, but the truth is that we’ve only won twogames since Stamford Bridge in October.

We need a couple of wins to lift us back into European qualification.

In some ways I can’t believe I’m. writing this as we still need to reach forty points, but Sunderland’s performances have raised the expectations of all fans.

Mark Wood says…

A sensational goal from Brian Brobbey

It was a great build up, with Enzo Le Fée showing a great touch to play the ball into Brobbey’s path — and the finish itself was emphatic.

At that stage it was nothing less than we deserved and it was a timely contribution from Brobbey himself, who’s been playing well enough in recent weeks but with little reward and now finding Eliezer Mayenda breathing down his neck for the centre forward role.

A great Sunderland comeback

As the second half wore on and with Sunderland still a goal down despite taking control of the game, you had to wonder if it was going to be one of those days where it just wasn’t going to go our way.

However, this is a Sunderland team that all the pundits like to emphasise has plenty of spirit and togetherness while also not waking up at this point going into the New Year to what all us fans know — we have quality in there too.

It was quality that crafted our equaliser and you cant go to a place like Tottenham and look the more likely winner without having something more than grit and huff and puff.

The beast is back!

It was worrying to face the possibility that Dan Ballard could’ve faced a lengthy spell out injured as he’s made himself a key player for us this season.

Seeing him back on the pitch in the second half was good news and with Ballard hopefully returning to our starting eleven, it’ll give us more options, with either a five at the back or someone else to move forward.

Either way, our defence looks more solid with him in the middle.

A lack of energy from the Lads

I can’t really moan as this was our second game in a few days, but Tottenham looked like they had an extra yard on us in the first half and deserved to be leading at the break.

That said, it’s over ninety minutes and not forty five, so maybe “the entitled” down at White Hart Lane need to look at their own game plan after they came flying out of the blocks in the first half.

We looked the more likely winners by the time the full time whistle had gone.

Carrying our characteristic tenacity into 2026 earned us a hard-earned point against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on New Year’s Day – proving once again that we could hold our own against the finest sides in world football.

Thursday’s result was an ideal launchpad for the year ahead and for our trip to London, with a faltering Tottenham Hotspur the next stop for our travelling faithful – our first away game of the year… and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

A tale of two halves: a languidly disjointed first was followed by a spirited, gutsy second as Régis Le Bris’ men dug their heels in to claim a share of the spoils.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was one of the newly erected grounds yet to be frequented by the red-and-white army, and while their home form has been patchy of late, the opening exchanges failed to provide us with the warm welcome we would have been hoping for.

Thursday’s exploits looked to have taken their toll on the Lads, with Le Bris opting for the same starting XI this time round. We were leggy and a yard off the pace as Nordi Mukiele crucially blocked Richarlison’s goal-bound header in the opening 30 minutes. We were being out-worked and undone by an unrelenting Spurs high press.

Afforded precious little time in possession, we were pegged back and forced to resort to hoofball as our defensive unit plundered countless unanswered long balls up to Brian Brobbey, who cut a frustrated and isolated figure.

The North Londoners eventually made their greater intensity count as a defensive lapse from a corner allowed Ben Davies to poke home.

Le Bris’ substitutions and Spurs’ perceptible drop-off in vigour were the catalysts for our second-half resurgence. Dan Ballard’s introduction saw Mukiele switch to right-back and Trai Hume move to the left, and from then on we looked like a more cohesive and threatening unit.

As we pursued an equaliser, Simon Adingra and Brobbey both saw shots fly wide of either post, with Enzo Le Fée going closest from a cute header only to be denied by the woodwork.

We probed and pressed, with our efforts finally bearing fruit in the 80th minute.

With 10 minutes to spare, a brilliant pass-and-move attack was finished off emphatically by Brobbey as our Dutch centre-forward struck beyond a helpless Guglielmo Vicario to send our away corner into raptures.

After we restored parity, the only side that looked like winning was us. Hume tested Vicario with an audacious curling effort, forcing the Italian into an acrobatic stop denying us what surely would have been a memorable winner.

Sunday’s result and second-half performance were indicative of a side that embody fight and a self-belief that continues to galvanise us even without several key players.

I for one will continue to embrace self-congratulation. Sitting on 30 points, on the cusp of the European spots with just shy of half the season remaining, is nothing short of remarkable.

As reliable as ever with his feet and confident when coming with the ball, well protected once again though and never had a proper save to make.

Did OK at the back, moved positions quite a bit and coped well. Had a good effort from range in the first half after cutting past a couple of Spurs players.

Another fantastic performance by Mukiele, was so good defensively and then made an impact going forward from right back after the substitutions.

The nearest man to the back post when the Spurs player was left free for their goal but was strong defensively other than that and had a good battle with Richarlison.

Worked hard down the left, no real chance going forward even though he tried to provide support and was quick to get close to any attacking threat down that side.

Thought he was one of the few players to come out with credit in a first half where we looked tired, very reliable on the ball and in whatever position he found himself in. Kept that up after the break when he moved into midfield.

Looked as leggy as his team-mates in the first half but grew into the game and helped us take control after the break.

Struggled to get into the game in the first half but the was instrumental as we got hold of the game, hit the post with a header after ghosting into the box and played a great first time ball to Brobbey for the goal.

Had some dangerous runs around the opposition box but then took one too many touches and allowed Spurs to clear. Played a lovely ball to the outside for Brobbey to run into for a blocked shot.

Did put a good shift in defensively but still does not look confident with the ball to feet, often giving the ball away cheaply. There was one good cross to the back post that allowed Hume to get a header into the six yard box but that was cleared.

Extremely quiet in the first half but we got him more into the game after the break and he caused plenty of problems for the home side. Not only did he do brilliantly for the goal, playing a classy one-two with Le Fee before smashing the ball home but he was unlucky when his shot was blocked after being played in by Mayenda and also got back to help out defensively.

Replaced Cirkin as the team was rejigged but seems to be struggling a bit with the ball to feet since he returned.

Slotted back in as if he wasn’t away, shutting down anything that came near him.

Tidy on the ball and made himself an option with clever runs down the channel, the ball didn’t find him though.

Nordi is my man of the match, once again. Such a colossus at the back, putting in a huge shift defensively alongside Alderete and then made himself dangerous going forward when he switched to right back, putting in dangerous crosses and even picking out Brobbey in the move that resulted in the goal.

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Martin Wanless predicts...

Score prediction: Spurs 0 Sunderland 2

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Granit Xhaka

After a hard fought draw against Manchester City, the game against Spurs gives us a good opportunity to get maximum points on the board.

Spurs don’t have the best home record and I think there’s three points here for us if we want it.

I’m going for a win — with Xhaka getting the opener on his return to North London.

‘The Champion’ Malc Dugdale predicts...

Score prediction: Spurs 1 Sunderland 3

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey

The Lads were immense in midweek and I simply don’t think Spurs are in a place to deal with that, despite our team missing seven players who would fight for a starting berth if available.

Brobbey was unlucky against City and on another day, he and others could’ve nicked that game for us.

I’m backing the Lads to extend a poor home run for Spurs — who coincidentally, a lot of my extended family follow.

To John, Kyle, Joe and all my other family members who support Spurs (and who I would look to for on any other day), hopefully I’m apologising for adding to your misery come 5:00pm.

Jack Howe-Gingell predicts...

Score prediction: Spurs 1 Sunderland 2

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fée

A proper tough performance on Thursday. We got stuck into Man City and let them know they were in a real battle. Everyone stepped up,and it was real pleasure to see.

It’s a quick turnaround to today’s game with Tottenham, and the Lads will need to not rest on their laurels, and push on if we want to get anything.

Tottenham are having a “typical Tottenham” season thus far — although they don’t seem quite as dire as last season. Going away is always difficult at this level, but I really fancy us to go and get something.

Hopefully Eliezer Mayenda will keep his place in the side after a very encouraging display. He caused the City backline regular concerns, and did the spade work defensively — which is an absolute must.

We’ve ridden the wave of the “difficult December run” and come out relatively unscathed. Let’s keep pushing on, and see how far we can go.

Will Jones predicts...

Score prediction: Spurs 1 Sunderland 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Omar Alderete

Still feeling the after-effects of Thursday night; the effort against Manchester City took some doing, and now it’s straight back down to London with tired legs and a short bench.

Spurs are a strange side — one minute they’re flying and the next they’re a mess, and their home crowd doesn’t need much encouragement to turn. If we stay organised and don’t give them anything early, you can feel the pressure shifting.

We probably won’t dominate the ball and that’s fine. Keep it tight, scrap for everything, and see where it takes us.

An Alderete goal from a set piece feels very “us” at the minute — and a point here would be a good latest return from a brutal run.

Matty Foster predicts...

Score prediction: Spurs 0 Sunderland 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Granit Xhaka

What a performance it was on Thursday, as our impeccable home form went on.

We’re on the road for the next two, starting with a Spurs side who are hard to read from one game to the next, and although the Stadium of Light has been a fortress, the same can’t be said for Spurs and their stadium.

Barring the current bottom three, they have the worst home record, with only two wins out of nine and five defeats.

This is a cracking opportunity for us to put some more points on the board.

I predict us to frustrate Spurs, get the home crowd unsettled and nab a late winner.

Anthony Gair predicts...

Score prediction: Spurs 0 Sunderland 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Eliezer Mayenda

This one will be one of those games where we’re actually on top for most of it, as Spurs fans get on their players’ backs.

I’m hoping we’ll attack for most of it, and that we try and just get as many shots at Vicario as possible.

Either way, if we turn up and play the way we did against Manchester City, we’ll be absolutely fine.

Gary Winter predicts...

Score prediction: Spurs 1 Sunderland 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Eliezer Mayenda

What an unbelievable showing of grit, determination and organisation we witnessed against Manchester City.

It was astonishing to see us competing with Pep Guardiola’s side and listenening to him commending our play and say that we are “really good”. Let that sink in.

Tottenham have won just two games at home in the league, so this really is a big opportunity for us to get a result.

My only reservations are that we put in a hell of a shift on Thursday night, so I wonder if we can reasonably be expected to reproduce that same intensity again. Spurs have come off a match against Brentford described by fans on socials as one of the “worst games they’ve ever seen”, so they’re expecting a bounce back.

A draw would be a good result amongst a difficult run of fixtures and a busy schedule that’s stretching our wafer-thin squad. Mayenda looked sharp against Man City and I think he can grab our first goal today.

Brett Lyons-Davis predicts...

Score prediction: Spurs 0 Sunderland 2

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fée

Wow! What a performance on New Year’s Day.

The Lads gave absolutely everything and although they were under a lot of pressure, they could’ve nicked something. Hopefully they’ve had plenty of rest after Thursday as two London trips within a short period of time are calling.

Who knows what you are going to get against Spurs?

They can be sublime one minute and absolute garbage the next. If we go there and play with the same intensity as we did Manchester City, we’ll be coming home with the three points and a fantastic start to 2026.

Last Time Out…

Time and again, this team never ceases to amaze me.

The draw against City was described to me by a neutral family member as “the best 0-0 he’s ever watched” — and we were part of that.

Although we were under the pump a bit later, some great chances — especially for Brian Brobbey and Trai Hume — could well have swung that in our favour, but we all would’ve taken a point before the game kicked off and hence it was to be.

Last Game Predictions…

Confidence was lacking as we welcomed The Citizens to Wearside, but we did very well and those who didn’t foresee a battering or a narrow loss were best-placed.

No goals scored for either side so that extra point was negated, but the league point we just took off the potential champions was more than enough to compensate.

Predictions Table & Standings

Brett now has two fellow predictions lads breathing down his neck, in the shape of Jack and 2024/2025 champion Malc.

Other than those two, the only lad to pick up points was basement grafter Gair, who narrowed the gap to those above who had less faith — and took just rewards.

How the points are awarded

Just a quick reminder of how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:

Correct score = Three points

Correct outcome (but not correct score) = One point

Correct first Sunderland goalscorer = One point (no goalscorer is a valid call)

Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = a two-point deduction.

Sunday 4th January 2026

Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland - Premier League

Stadium of Light Kick-Off: 15:00

Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets are sold out.

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via Sky Sports.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.sbnation.com!

The build-up...

It’s our first trip to Spurs’ fancy new stadium today, so it’s been a trip that many of us fancied when the fixtures were released - and it’s a good one to kick off away days in 2026, although I did like the obscured view we used to have at White Hart Lane.

It’s not just a decent trip because of the first visit to their new toy, but it doesn’t look too bad on paper. We are currently looking at a point per game on the road - nine points from nine games if you were wondering about the maths - but I got a shock when I looked at Spurs’ home form.

At the time of writing, only Burnley, West Ham United, and Wolves have taken fewer points on their own patch, with just two wins on the board in their nine games so far. The first of those wins came on the opening day against Burnley, and the second was a recent 2-0 victory over Brentford at the beginning of December.

Any manager of Spurs with runs like this has to get slightly nervous - even without the presence of Daniel Levy - but with Thomas Frank, it definitely feels like they will give him the time he needs.

But our record against Spurs is crap. We haven’t beaten them home or away in any competition in the previous thirteen games, which takes us back to the Darren Bent game in 201,0 where he scored two and missed a penalty in a 3-1 win. At their place, we go back to August 2008 when Roy Keane’s Sunderland beat Juande Ramos’ side 2-1 with goals from Kieran Richardson and Djibril Cisse, who scored on his debut that day.

It’s been the best part of twenty years since we beat them down there, so hopefully we’re due one.

The betting...

The bookies have the Lads at 18/5 to win the game, while Spurs are priced at 4/5, and the draw is 9/4.

Head to head... at Spurs

(All competitions)

Sunderland wins: 15

Draws: 13

Spurs wins: 33

Sunderland goals: 67

Spursgoals: 112

Last time we met... at Spurs

Sunday 18th September 2016

Premier League

White Hart Lane

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Sunderland

Sunderland: Pickford, Denayer (McNair), Kirchoff (Khazri), Kone, Djilobodji, Manquillo, Cattermole, Ndong, Pienaar (Watmore), Januzaj, Defoe Substitutes not used: Mika, Love, O’Shea, Gooch

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Walker, Vertonghen, Wanyama, Alderweireld, Dier (Davies), Sissoko, Dembele (Lamela), Kane (Janssen), Alli, Son Substitutes not used: Vorm, Trippier, Winks, Eriksen

Attendance: 41,107

Prediction…

Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Sunderland

I reckon we’ll frustrate them today and take a point.