Later today, Sunderland host Norwich City at the SoL. Here's what the lads from the Canary Cast had to say yesterday, before everything properly kicked off...
On Saturday Norwich were scheduled to face off against a familiar face in Alex Neil, who since his time at Norwich has been with Preston North End and then us. Do you guys hold Neil in high regards?
Norwich fans will always appreciate Alex Neil for coming in the way he did and getting the side back up to the Premier League. If you ask any Norwich fan they rate Neil very highly still and you've certainly got one of the best coaches in the league, although strangely he seems to be favouring a move to Stoke...
Dean Smith couldn't keep you guys in the Premier League last season, with that being said, do the fans still have faith in the former Villa boss?
It's difficult with Smith at the moment as expectations are high, we're used to watching some very good football at this level and he's yet to find a defined style of play. He needs to have Norwich playing and close to the top two by the World Cup break otherwise Norwich fans will start turning.
Are you happy to see another former Canary in Alex Pritchard on Saturday?
It's always 'what if' with Alex Pritchard, so talented when he was on the pitch but unfortunately he was in the physio room more often than not. It is good to see him back playing again after a move to Huddersfield, which always did look like a short term plan and not quite the right fit for him.
Are you surprised to have kept certain players who impressed in the Premier League such as Max Aarons ?
Max Aarons has been linked with a move for the last three summers now! Last season he fell out of form and he's excellent at this level so a great bonus to keep him but I do think some of this squad will be trimmed as currently it's very heavy, even with the five-sub rule.
Josh Sargent seems to be taking well to the Championship and has got off the mark quickly - similarly to Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms who have formed a deadly partnership, do they worry you?
Yeah it's great to see Josh getting a good run of games under his belt and his confidence couldn't be higher currently. You know with an Alex Neil side they'll be well coached and he will play to the qualities of the players he has. I thought he'd like Stewart when he first went in after having Cameron Jerome at Norwich and Jordan Hugill at Preston. Simms looks a smart piece of business as well and I can certainly see why they're both a threat at this level.
You've got the ex-Mag trio of Tim Krul, Isaac Hayden and Grant Hanley. What are your thoughts on those three?
I'm sure the two that are fit will get a great reception on Saturday! Both have been very good for Norwich but this season both have started in a sluggish manner, Krul's kicking hasn't been at its strongest and Hanley has switched off more often than not, that being said I expect them both to be properly fired up for Saturday with their previous connections.
How's our Sunderland lad Bali Mumba getting on?
Bali has a lot of love from Norwich fans, we can see what a talented young lad he is and are looking forward to his future with us. It's a shame we loaned him out the Plymouth when we did as we currently have a bit of a full back crisis (midfielder Kenny McLean will probably play at LB on Saturday) he's great going forward and despite needing work defensively I think he'll look at next season as the one where he'll want to really be competing for a Norwich starting spot.
What do you think the score will be on Saturday? Can Alex Pritchard get one over their old clubs or will it be the other way around?
I think it'll be a close game and the players will be fired up given yesterday's situation. I'm going to edge with Norwich 1-2 but I think the first goal will be key, if Sunderland have that crowd behind them I can see Norwich struggling to break the team down but with Sargent in form and signs of improvement slowly being more visible I will edge for my lot.
It is still early days but where do you think both sides will finish at the end of the season?
I really like Neil and think he's easily one of the top coaches at this level. It's such a shame that you guys look close to losing him. I think he would have kept you guys comfortably up and it'll be hard to replace him. But if you can find another quality manager, perhaps Sean Dyche, and you're lucky with injuries then I can see you pushing for top ten. For Norwich this squad has the talent to go straight back up and those top 2 places are going to be very much there for the taking this season. If we're not close to that then a change of head coach will start being called for.
