Year: 2007

Another interesting facet of Christmas is looking through the TV film listings to see which ones apply to SAFC. Of course, The Great Escape made its customary appearance and here’s hoping we can celebrate our very own in May.

With regard to Anthony Stokes (rumoured to be interesting Derby and Wolves) I looked for John Goodman’s film, Arachnophobia but no sign of it, while there was one for Joey Barton as James Cagney’s 50 Years in Sing Sing cropped up. Grant Leadbitter may have enjoyed Local Hero while our own Pete Postlethwaite look alike Danny Higginbotham might have got a thrill from Brassed Off. Here’s hoping that we aren’t at the end of the season.

But the real highlight was an outing for Sergio Leone’s epic western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. When it came out in the late 60s it was an iconic film and I remember queuing outside the old ABC in Holmeside to see it. Apart from Morricone’s fabulous score, the title has been a gift for writers ever since and never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I hereby take advantage of it.

Read more

Salut! Sunderland‘s lines of communication were about as effective yesterday as a back four reading Whitehead-McShane-Higginbotham-Collins, about as a sharp as a Sunderland front two. Where, we were reduced to wondering until the real Sixer’s Seven could finally be posted, do we go from this mauling? Pete Sixsmith answers the bleak Christmas question

Over my many years on this planet I’ve had a fair few Christmas’s that have been spoiled.

There was the year when the Hornby Dublo train refused to work leading to tantrums and tears at 7am (and I was only 36 at the time). Or the time my father was given a turkey by a musician pal of his and we woke up to the smell of a rotten, putrid bird stinking the kitchen out.

A good Christmas dinner of sausages, bacon and veg ensued for us, and cold shoulder for my dad from my mother.

As I’ve got older I have become rather sanguine about the Christmas festivities. I admire Scrooge and his refusal to give into the rampant commercialism that clogged up a Victorian Christmas – all those oranges and home made dolls just make people soft – but I do enjoy a restful 25th. with friends and then look forward to a couple of games on Boxing Day.

Read more

At least we’ve an easy one next
Picture:IkaShaZReeN

Pete Sixsmith sees no reason to offer Christmas cheer to Steve Rubery, the linesman whose seasonal gift to Reading was a winning goal. But he doesn’t blame crazy decisions by match officals for our deeper woes.

So this time it’s a linesman who deals us a killer blow. It is worrying to see a human being with the eyes of a hawk that has super-duper 20/20 vision wasting his time on the Premier League line.

Surely with eyes this good he should be looking for nuclear weapons in Iran or wandering the countryside finding misplaced sewing implements in farmers’ winter fodder storage heaps.

But again, the inefficiency of the officials does not disguise the fact that we turned in another disappointing performance. We play without conviction and without the feeling that we can actually take hold of a game and dictate it.

Read more

It was half time at Elm Park, in the deeply miserable Sunderland end of the tatty old Reading ground, when Barry Emmerson turned to me.

“Flaming two nil down to this lot,” he said, though flaming was not the adjective he chose. “What do you want to happen next? We come back in the second half and get a lucky draw, but know we’re utter crap? Or we get hammered 4-0 so Reidy and the board know they’ve got to get their fingers out?”

There was no comeback. Barry’s obvious preference was the precise outcome. On the day, the one tiny consolation was that Kevin Phillips, coming back from injury, was sent on as a sub and at least peppered the Reading goal with shots. You could see, even on that bleak day to be a Sunderland fan, that he might have what it takes.

It was also a bleak day to be Peter Reid (pictured courtesy of A Love Supreme) or anyone else travelling on the Sunderland team coach. SuperKev was among the players who who would never forget the hostile send-off they got from fans who had spent good money only to be cheated by the club they adored.

Brian McNally wrote in the Sunday Mirror:

Sunderland, meantime, suffered a stunning 4-0 setback away to struggling Reading. The Elm Park side were not even at full strength – yet they could have won by more, and that sparked angry scenes among Sunderland’s travelling army of loyal fans. Chants of “Reid out” led to the manager fleeing the ground via a side exit. Earlier an angry Reid laid into his players. “They short-changed us,” he said. “Our fans deserve better.”

Read more

Steve Bennett, it is fair to assume, is not a name to be found on Roy Keane’s late Christmas card list. But, says Pete Sixsmith, do not run away with the idea that we actually deserved to win

Can anyone else pass?
Picture: Peadar O’Sullivan

The referee, in the end, cost us two points. But that situation has been well dealt with in Colin’s excellent piece and the subsequent comments.

So, let’s deal with the football because shocking referees should not distract us from the fact that we did well to get a point from a game against a <a href=”http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/F8940649?thread=4890323
“>moderate Premier League side who are going through a sticky patch.

Read more

It’s dipped to the lower 30s in the Emirates but some of us still find the heat ferocious. Pete Sixsmith, made of sterner stuff, braved a cold night on Wearside to watch the young ‘uns

If it’s Tuesday, there’s got to be football on somewhere. All the better if it’s watching potential stars making a name for themselves at the Stadium of Light where our Under 18s took on Norwich City in Round 3 of the FA Youth Cup.

By going to this game rather than the Ashington v West Auckland Northern League clash, I was able to kill a few birds with the same stone.

First I managed to purchase a new phone to replace the antiquated Motorola that has my class of 16-year-olds giggling and shaking their heads every time I get it out.

Then I was able to buy tickets for the panto at the Empire which, for those away from the North East, stars 83-year-old Mickey Rooney as Baron Hardup and 50-odd-year-old Les Dennis as Buttons.

By calling in I was able to avoid the ridiculous admin charge of £3 a ticket and it also enabled me to reach the SoL shop at 5.30pm and admire a lengthy queue of young and old waiting to have their pictures taken with a smiling and laid back Dwight Yorke.

But the game was the main reason for being away from my fireside and my bottle of Laphroagh.

Read more