Its being shown on Setanta Ireland so there will be plenty of links, haven't got a clue which team is going to turn up. Hull are better away from home for some strange reason, in a strange season.
http://www.safc.com/match/?page_id=16467&fixture=3004154By Nick Alexander
Ricky Sbragia has said that Dean Whitehead is going to have to fight to win back his place after last weekend's 4-0 victory over West Brom.
The performance against the Baggies has given Sbragia a selection "headache" ahead of Sunderland's trip to Hull tomorrow.
Whitehead, the skipper, returns to the squad after recovering from a leg injury. Teemu Tainio replaced Whitehead against the Baggies.
Sbragia said: "Teemu and Dean can play in the same side, providing the team is set up right, but that's something we will look at over the course of today."
Sbragia must also decide whether to stay with the 4-4-2 line-up that did well against West Brom or switch to a 4-5-1 formation.
"If you play five across the middle it makes you more solid and, tomorrow, trying to keep it tight and not concede a goal early on will be a priority," he said.
fanshull450 Sunderland's fans and players celebrate Ross Wallace's late winner at the KC Stadium in 2006
"But we had a great result with the team we played last week and I have said that continuity is important, it's one I'm thinking about. If we go with the two up front, we need more work from the strikers."
Sbragia will name his team after training today. "We'll name the team and then take a squad of 19 or 20 to Hull," said the coach.
Pascal Chimbonda is fit and is likely to return to the squad but Craig Gordon and George McCartney are still ruled out.
McCartney, the left-back, had an operation on the soles of both feet this week.
"George's operation has been successful," said Sbragia. "He'll rest for 10 days and then we will see how he goes.
"Craig [Gordon] is raring to come back but he might be two or three weeks away, we can't push him."
Sunderland (from): Fulop, Colgan, Bardsley, Nosworthy, Ferdinand, Collins, Chimbonda, Edwards, Leadbitter, Malbranque, Reid, Richardson, Tainio, Whitehead, Yorke, Cisse, Jones, Healy, Murphy.
http://www.safc.com/news/?page_id=16463Richardson to lead Sunderland at Hull
By Nick Alexander
Kieran Richardson will keep the captain's armband when Sunderland go to Hull tomorrow.
The midfielder was made skipper for the first time last weekend, helping the Black Cats record a 4-0 win over West Brom at the Stadium of Light.
And Ricky Sbragia, who coached Richardson when he was kid at Manchester United, reckons the midfielder has grown in stature this season.
Sbragia said: "Kieran's done extremely well this season. He's maturing, and the decision to make him captain last week showed him that everything he has done has been noticed.
"I think generally this season he has shown good leadership, and we asked him to continue that against West Brom.
"Perhaps at Manchester United he didn't have that leadership instinct, but he has grown up and was a worthy captain for us."
Richardson is virtually an ever-present in Sunderland's side this season after making 18 appearances for the club so far.
"He has got the energy and I think the modern player needs that," said Sbragia.
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/Jones-relishing-Cisse-linkup.4808842.jp
Jones relishing Cisse link-up
Published Date: 19 December 2008
E-mail Ian Laws
Kenwyne Jones believes hard work will see his partnership with Djibril Cisse strike fear into Premier League defences.
Former boss Roy Keane – who brought both men to Wearside – admitted before his departure that he wasn't even sure if the international duo would gel.
Jones's double salvo in last Saturday's 4-0 home win over West Brom took his total in an injury-shortened season to four while Cisse fired his seventh of the campaign and created his partner's second against the Baggies.
The pair have started only five games together but Jones heads into tomorrow's trip to Hull hoping the strike pair's performances have offered proof of a positive future.
He said: "The way we have played should have answered some questions. I can't explain what we have to do anymore or what we should be doing to convince people.
"But hopefully, they can see it on the pitch because we are working on it every day in training.
"Hopefully it will turn out good and produce some more goals."
Jones admitted Hull's impact on the top flight had been "a fairytale".
The Tigers are playing in top flight for the first time in their 104-year history but victory over Sunderland tomorrow would take them to 30 points before Christmas.
Jones said: "The league is like a fairytale: there is always a success story, there is always the biggest loser and the biggest winner.
"I guess someone had to fill those roles, and thankfully for Hull, they are doing it. I am happy for them."
The 24-year-old Trinidad and Tobago international is approaching his peak again after missing the opening 10 games of the season due to the knee injury suffered against England on June 1.
It was thought at first that he would not return until March next year at the earliest, so is enjoying every minute of the campaign.
Jones said: "Football is a really short career and you have to enjoy what you do. If you don't, there is no point in being in it.
"In the next 10 years maybe, my career could be over – God willing, it's not – so I have to enjoy every minute I have because when it's over, it's over."
Sunderland are third from bottom as they head to Hull's KC Stadium but Jones feels no pressure about the position.
The former Southampton man, who had loan spells with Stoke and Sheffield Wednesday during his Saints days, added: "The thing is, from eighth place to last place in the league, it is so tight, so I don't think any teams in those positions will be thinking it is going to be a relegation battle.
"It's just like the Championship, or League One or League Two, where I have been for years. You have a couple of wins and you are right up the table; you have a couple of losses, and you are back down.
"That's what's happening this year. All we need to do is just maintain that progression.
"One win gets you so far. We are not really going to worry about relegation until it has separated, and at the moment, it has not.
"There are a lot of big teams down there and you don't know what is going to happen.
"Every game from now until the table irons itself out and there is some space in between the relegation zone and mid-table, we need to be on that type of form and winning games until that time comes.
"Whenever that is, we don't know, but hopefully it will be in the next three, four, five games.
"We just need to keep progressing."
