James Copley and Phil Smith chat about Sunderland’s pre-season 1-1 draw with Mallorca

Transcript

00:00 Hello, James Copley here with Phil Smith from the Sunderland Echo Fresh from Sunderland's

00:06 pre-season 1-1 draw with Mallorca. We'll jump straight into it. Phil, what did you think?

00:11 I thought it was a good game actually. I thought there was obviously a huge step up in quality

00:15 from the previous opposition. I think, you know, obviously the season starts a bit later

00:20 so I think you could tell in the start someone had the edge sort of fitness-wise and intensity-wise.

00:24 Played some really nice stuff and then the second half I think we saw why Mallorca were

00:28 really finished 9th in that league. I said, yeah, the way they held the ball, the way

00:32 they pressed. Makiri up front, that was brilliant. Six foot four, Kossuthem getting his head

00:36 on everything, bouncing people off him. Sunderland should sign him. That's my hot tip for the

00:40 day. Get your cheque book out, Kiril, sign Makiri. But I thought it was a game Sunderland

00:44 really needed actually. I thought the second half was tough. Mallorca kept the ball off

00:47 them, they made them run, they made them really work to get back into the game and I think

00:50 that's exactly what Sunderland needed ahead of the next Sunday. So, it was interesting

00:54 speaking to Mowbray there saying as well some of the players still feeling a bit jet-lagged

00:57 as we would. Still feeling the effects of that American trip. So, the second half was

01:00 quite a tough watch from a Sunderland perspective because there wasn't a huge amount of excitement.

01:04 I think that was a really valuable exercise. I think they really needed that level of test.

01:08 We'll come back to matters on the field in a second but we've just spoken to Mowbray

01:11 there and this is the most Sunderland thing probably ever to happen but there's been an

01:14 update on Maienda who only signed for the club about three days ago. What's happened?

01:19 Yeah, it sounds like he's picked up a hamstring injury in his first training session.

01:22 Unbelievable.

01:23 Yeah, he was injured on the screen with Mowbray there to be fair. He just sort of said, look,

01:27 we've given this guy a five-year contract. He'll have time to settle. Was he going to

01:31 start against Ipswich next Sunday? He probably wasn't. So, listen, don't get me wrong, it's

01:35 an awful look but speaking to Mowbray there, it sounds like another strike was on the agenda

01:39 anyway and it definitely still will be now. I think he wants to be a little bit more established

01:43 I think anyway.

01:44 Well, listen, another goal for Haamir who has not finished a heart attack but if someone

01:48 keeps popping up in the 6 yard box and scoring against different opposition in different

01:52 games then that tells you he's got a bit of an instinct. Reminds me a little bit of

01:55 Josh Madger actually. You can have quiet spells in games, sometimes you're sort of looking

02:00 for a bit more for him but actually he's got a lovely touch and he just has this knack of

02:03 you look up in the box and he's stung his own. How did you get there? So that was really

02:07 encouraging signs. I do think someone might have got a bit of a find there.

02:11 I agree.