Lee Johnson press conference: Everything Sunderland boss said on team news, injuries, Covid-19 protocols and Ipswich Town

That’s the end of the broadcast section of the press conference but Johnson has also spoken to the written press, including our SAFC writer Phil Smith.

We’ll have much more from the Black Cats boss, as well as build-up and analysis, on the SAFC section of the Echo website.

See you soon.

I think they have really good players.

You saw their really good sort of form six or seven games ago and I think they will recapture that, especially with that new manager bounce.

I think as Sunderland we have to deal with that as teams often raise their game against use.

We can also use that because when teams are trying to raise their game in front of a crowd they can also make mistakes.

I think every bit of information you receive affects what you do.

We clearly don’t need a left-back now with two players returning in that position.

I said to the boys this morning you are playing really well and we need to continue that.

We can’t have complacency and still have confidence in what we are trying to do.

They are a really good team and I was disappointed to see Paul Cook lose his job, he’s a good friend of mine.

Sometimes people discredit League One but I think it’s as strong as it’s been for years.

I have links with Ipswich and was born in Newmarket.

I really love my upbringing there and still speak to friends who I was at school with there.

I thought Ipswich was a really well run club with a good footballing tradition going back to Bobby Robson.

Depending on which manager comes in and whether the current caretaker crew stay in.

Obviously the best judgement for the future is often the past, which is why we do so much analysis.

What we’ll have to focus on is the individual players’ strengths and weaknesses rather than so much the team unity. They have changed their shape two or three times since Paul Cook left.

I think the capacity is 28,000 there and it’s expected to sell-out but we are used to big games.

They have certainly offered guidelines. There was a letter came out and we had a discussion with the players yesterday about it.

Obviously it’s ever evolving because no one really knows how it’s going to affect everybody.

We have to do two things and obviously protect the safety of ourselves and those around us, our loved ones.

We also have to protect the points and make sure all our protocols are absolutely on point and if there is any form of cancellation there is justification for it because we have done everything absolutely correctly.

That involves mask wearing and making sure players aren’t travelling together.

It’s not quite as bad as last time because the national guidelines are if you are in close contact with someone that has tested positive, you have to take a lateral flow test for seven to ten days. Those are the things we will have to implement if those players are double jabbed.

I think we have 97 per cent of the first team double jabbed and booters are ready to go next week.

Really good news, I suppose a couple of players are back in tentatively and we can control the players as much as possible, that’s Corry Evans and Dennis Cirkin.

Denver Hume is not a million miles away now. He’s had three or four days fully training and looked good, looks like he’s moving well and is comfortable on the ankle.

Expect him to come in sooner rather than later.

Will they be ready for Saturday?

No.

Corry at the moment just keeps getting this little feeling in his quad and every time his leg sort of contracts to extreme levels he’s still feeling it a little bit. We are just a couple of days off the pace with him.

Dennis Cirkin is doing very well. With a double hernia you are good to go pretty quickly when you are good to go, so it’s just whether he can cope with striking a ball full tilt, and he’s getting up to that.

I’d say he’s probably 90 per cent of the way there to a full recovery but it’s very positive.

Tickets have now gone on sale for Sunderland’s game at Wycombe

Supporters with 60+ BCP can now secure their seat for the game on Saturday, January 8 (12.30pm kick-off).

Tickets will be sold in the following stages:

60+ BCP – 10am Wed 15 December ‘til 10am Thu 16

40+ BCP – 12 noon Thu 16 December ‘til 10am Fri 17

20+ BCP – 12 noon Fri 17 December ‘til 10am Mon 2

10+ BCP – 12 noon Mon 20 December ‘til 10am Tue 2

SC holders – 12 noon Tue 21 December ‘til 10am Wed 22

General sale – 12 noon Wed 22