Read about the key battle areas ahead of the Sunderland v Newcastle derby

It's a big day in the North East of England on Sunday with the Wear-Tyne derby. No matter where the two teams are in the league, this match is huge. I think it's a actually intensified with the fact that the two teams are in lowly league positions, although Newcastle will feel a little less pressure than Sunderland after getting their first win under their belts with a 6-2 home win over Norwich City at the weekend. Both teams have a new manager (at Sunderland, though we are in a permanent state of having a new manager) and both managers will have a point to prove. Both managers will have a point to prove to the Newcastle United fans after Big Sam Allardyce's failed tenure at St James Park in the past and Steve McClaren's lacklustre start.

The fact of the matter is that Sunderland have a recent hold over the Magpies with five wins in a row, and home advantage on Sunday. The passion of the home fans, if the home team is in the game, is a massive boost for either of these clubs. The fans are immense and the support that they give their players both home and away is up there with the best in the game.

What will be the deciding factors?

Discipline

I think that the team that keeps their head will stand a much better chance of winning this one. With Colback, Cattermole, Tiote and M'Villa potentially all playing in the centre of midfield there's bound to be a lot of tackles flying in and there will almost certainly be yellow cards galore. Players having to think twice about a challenge for fear of a second booking can turn the game, especially if it's tight,

Goals

I know it seems obvious that goals will decide a game but until the six that they scored against a poor Norwich team, Newcastle had struggled to find the net. Sunderland still struggle to find the net. So it's a match where chances will mean so much more. Will Wijnaldum keep up his goalscoring form from the last match? Will Allardyce disagree with previous manager Advocaat and play Jermain Defoe up front on his own? The answers to these questions will also provide answer to the question "who will win the match?"

The fans

I've mentioned it before but I think that after a rough time for both clubs recently, the fans will be in great voice. Both sets of fans will be looking forward to this match immensely and there will be a crackle of excitement around the cities for the next few days. Thierry Henry was amazed by the atmosphere in the stadium in last years match at the Stadium of Light. But this excitement can go the other way. Fans of both clubs can get on the players backs if things start to go wrong for the team. Sunderland fans have made a habit of leaving the stadium before half-time in recent seasons, while Newcastle fans have been hugely critical of the owner and his cronies. If Newcastle start well then the home fans can quickly get under the skin of the players and you can see the confidence drain away.

I can see this one being really close and a lucky bounce or mistake settling it. I'm not sure which way, but I can see another 1-0.

Are Sunderland sliding down that slope again?

Fail, sack, hire, survive, repeat.

Is this the cycle that Sunderland have got themselves into with managers? It seems that way.

Since Ellis Short disposed of Martin O'Neill, we've followed that exact pattern every season and survived. The problem is that every time we survive, we're giving more weight to the theory that it's a strategy that works. From O'Neill to Paolo Di Canio, then to Gus Poyet and now in to Dick Advocaat. The club must look mad from the outside.

I looked upon Chelsea as a similar madhouse when Roman Abramovich took over and seemed to sack a manager every 12 to 18 months but they've been right up there with the most successful clubs in the country for over ten years now.

I'd say that in the same way Chelsea as a club view a trophy every season as their measure of success, Sunderland as a club view survival in the Premier League as their absolute measure of success.

So, have Sunderland been successful over the last 5 years? In their own strange way - yes!

Looking back from here at the Di Canio and Poyet reigns there were massive highs and painful lows but we survived, we constantly beat Newcastle home and away and we had that cup run and the day out at Wembley (but I haven't forgotten the 8-0 at Southampton nor the transfer failures of Di Fanti.) And I hope that I can look back upon the reign of Dick Advocaat with the same fondness. With the highs (none so far this season) the lows (already Norwich and Bournemouth stand out) and that we survive.

It gets me thinking about what constitutes success for all but the top handful of clubs. We will never be a Champions League team, we will probably never get a better shot at cup success for a long time so surviving in the league and the annual home and away double over our nearest rivals is all we have to get excited about, collectively as a club. In separation, the fans want exciting football, thrilling matches and the club to show they care every now and again; the club (the owner) wants to make more money than last year, to stay in the league and continue the TV deal.

Mike Ashley, up the road, wants to keep the income rolling in - a Premier League club that passes the survival test and makes a profit every year - is that the level of success that we should aspire to?

I'm worried that Sunderland are getting left behind

It's that time of the year, as teams pout their squads together fore the upcoming season. Because of the Euros next summer, the Premier League starts really early this year, with the first round of matches starting on 8th August. This means that having your squad together early and getting them settled into a team plan is vital.

From Sunderland's point of view, the season that started with Paolo Di Canio as manager and we lost so many early games started the snowball effect that only a change of manager and an unbelievable run from Gus Poyet's men got us out of.

The club have stated that they want to move away from perennial relegation fights and towards the top 10. Dick Advocaat stated at the end of the season, when he hadn't decided whether he was staying or not, that we needed 4 or 5 quality signings to take us up the league and away from the bottom end. And as a fan I agree. Looking at the transfer business that teams with similar ambitions have conducted, I'm starting to worry about what we are doing and where we are being left behind. Sebastian Coates and Adam Matthews are good additions in my opinionj, but we need to be looking for another cetnre-back, a left midfielder/winger, a striker and probably another central midfielder. Let's have a look at what some of the other team have done so far this Summer-

Crystal Palace have signed Yohan Cabaye, which is a statement of major intent for the club.He is a talented player and will dictate the tempo of their game. Although he's never a player that we would have gone for, someone of his quality in central midfield would be a major boost to our club. I think that Jack Rodwell was perceived to be that type of player but injury and poor form haven't allowed him to show it.

Two signings for West Ham stand out so far, and that's Angelo Ogbonna from Juventus and Dimitri Payet from Marseille. Both look like they are quality players with experience of European competition. And both are players that look to have been targeted as part of the planning of the club - they've bought players where they need to strengthen. We, however are linked with Stewart Downing, who is being shifted on for Payet. It shows a lack of ambition and doesn't go any way to solving the problem we have with pace in our side.

Stoke City have made some very good signings and have pre-empted the loss of Asmir Begovic by promoting Jack Butland and buying Shay Given. Marco van Ginkel looks to be a promising prospect and the imminent arrival of Glen Johnson will bring in more experience. The return from injury of Bojan will be a massive boost to the club and will feel like a new signing.

Newcastle have been fairly quiet as well but have announced today that they've signed Georginio Wijnaldum, who looks a very good player and is one that we've been linked to. I think that Georginio Wijnaldum would be a massive step up from playing Connor Whickham on the left and it's a real shame that we've missed out on him - if indeed we were ever in for him.

Another team that have been quite busy is Aston Villa. They've spent the Fabian Delph money on Senegalese midfielder Idrissa Gueye, got defender Micah Richards on a free transfer and converted Scott Sinclair's loan from Manchester City into a permanent deal. These all represent good value and Richards signing will probably gall Sunderland fans the most as he looked all set to join us last Summer before Gus Poyet's intervention. Again, the club have looked at where they need players and acted swiftly to get their targets.

Swansea have added Ghanaian forward Andre Ayew on a free transfer from Marseille in their move that has caught the eye the most, for me. This player is quality and adds pace to their counter-attacking style. He'll take some of the pressure off Bafetimbi Gomis after the departure of Wilfried Bony.

I know that there are always huge amounts of rumours at this time of year, and I don't expect (and I don't want) us to buy every player that we're linked with but so many that we're linked with look like a good match and then we find that they've signed somewhere else.

I'd like the squad out together before the first game and us to move forward at the start of the season by picking up the points that start to move us away from the likes of the promoted clubs, West Brom and Leicester, who I think are the candidates apart from us to be struggling. To do this, we need to replace the creaking old-timers in central defence, provide cover for Patrick van Aanholt at left-back, sort out the slow uninventive options at left attacking midfield and free up Defoe and a new strike partner to score goals. No small order - especially when there's only 27 days until the season starts.

 

Big Dick Advocaat is back - where does it leave us?

The slightly surprising news yesterday that Dick Advocaat has returned as Sunderland manager caught the bookies on the hop and has earned Mrs Advocaat a nice bunch of flowers, by all accounts. It's nice to have a quality manager that knows his football, has the backing of the players, understands the club (already) and has a great rapport with the fans. But it doesn't answer the questions around the playing staff of the club. We still need an overhaul, but the stories that went with Advocaat's departure (of him telling Ellis Short that we needed to buy quality rather than quantity) and the stories that went with his return (of him being promised £50m for players) are promising signs.

Personally, I hope that the gap between him leaving and re-signing was because of negotiations over the transfer policy rather than misgivings from his wife. I suppose we'll never know.

I've already looked at what I think should be potential transfer targets in a previous blog-

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The exception to the players I had identified would probably be Keiran Trippier. I stated that I thought he should be looked at as a new right-back based in the link to Sean Dyche, who was the favourite to take over as manager at the time. Rumours have linked us with Sam Byram from Leeds as a potential new right-back and, although I haven't seen him play, he is highly regarded.

There should now be a renewed feeling of optimism at the Stadium of Light and with the right signings (over to you, Lee Congerton) we can look forward to moving away from a relegation battle next season - but I think that at the same time every year.

The fact that Advocaat has signed a one-year deal means that we have to start work on his replacement straight away. Bringing in a Kevin Phillips now as his number 2, or promoting Paul Bracewell at the end of the season are better options than going into this blindly and looking for a new manager next June rather than this. I hope that the club sees sense in this and takes steps right now to ensure continuity at the end of the upcoming season.

Dick Advocaat - firefighter or costly mistake?

Sunderland have replaced their young coach Gus Poyet who masterminded last season's great escape, not to mention the cup final. The replacement? Dick Advocaat, who is described as a firefighter to ensure the club's safety and has joined in a contract to the end of the season.

With no track record in English football, it reminds me of Fulham's ill-fated move for Felix Magath last season. Magath was also labelled a firefighter and came with the reputation of a man that had never been relegated.

On the us side, I read that Advocaat has a reputation of discipline and that's something that this current group of Sunderland  players sorely need. This set of players have seen off several managwrs over the last few years and have a reputation for drinking, late nights, poor training and a negative collective response to authority.

As a fan, this is the first time in my life where I'm not fearful of relegation for my team. I think that a drop into the Championship will see us shake off the players who don't care about the club and the fans. There appears to be a core of players that take their paycheck and offer the bare minimum in terms of effort and commitment. Poyet spoke about the times where the team and the fans fed off each other and inspired each other. This was evident in the cup run and the escape act last season but was lacking for almost all of this.

Hearing of players drinking into the night, poor training, being banned from pubs because of the trouble they cause, damaging propert, posing in front of new cars as the team go into freefall and attested over sexual contact with a minor only serve to infuriate the loyal following that expert wholehearted commitment and will be following the club years after these players have moved away.

After the Advocaat reign, whether we survive relegation or not, I'd look at taking Kevin Phillips from his coaching role at Leicester City. His standing with the fans and his obvious passion for the club will sit perfectly with the fans that have had to ensure the madness of Di Canio and the direct criticism from Poyet.  For me, he always showed a good understanding of the game and would be a great fit.