Sixer’s Sevens: SAFC 1 Southampton 1. Can only Arsenal save us?

Sixer at the wall
Jake captures Sixer’s wall of strength

A point, very often during this tense last home game, was more than Sunderland deserved. When Phil Bardsley scored one of his occasional screamers, it looked – briefly – as if we might get the three to secure safety. Not to be. Pete Sixsmith – who summarises the outcome and/or performance of virtually every game with a seven-word verdict, followed by his considered Soapboax report – feared the worst at half time and wasn’t a great deal happier at the final whistle. So the season comes down to this: an improbable result at White Hart Lane or Arsenal avoiding defeat to Wigan before the Spurs game is reached. Wigan must surely be expected to offer Wembley-style heroics against either Arsenal or Villa or both…

May 12 2013 SAFC 1 (0) Southampton 1 (0) Scraped a draw. That sums us up

May 6 2013 SAFC 1 (0) Stoke City 1 (1) Vital point after a dreadful first half

May 5 1973 SAFC 1 (1) Leeds United 0 (0) Bloody hell! We have won the cup

Jake remembers ...
Jake remembers …

April 29 2013 Aston Villa (2) 6 SAFC (1) 1 * Errors punished by better team on night

April 20 2013 SAFC (1) 1 Everton (0) 0 Organised and committed, things looking better now

1973 May 5See all Salut! Sunderland’s articles recalling May 5 1973 and the run that took SAFC to FA Cup glory: https://safc.blog/category/fa-cup/may-5-1973/



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April 14 2013 Newcastle United (0) 0 SAFC 3 (1)Such days come once in a generation

April 7 2013 Chelsea 2 (0) SAFC 1 (1) *Huge improvement gives us hope of survival

April 7 1973 FA Cup Semi Final: SAFC 2 (1) Arsenal 1 (0) Wembley bound without a F****** in sight

March 31 2013 SAFC 0 (0) Manchester United 1 (1) Did OK, but OK doesn’t win points

March 17 2013 SAFC 1 (1) Norwich City 1 (1) Abysmal yet again and trapdoor is opening

March 17 1973 FA Cup Sixth Round SAFC 2 (0) Luton Town (0) 0 No classic but another step to Wembley

March 9 Queens Park Rangers 3 (1) SAFC 1 (1) * We deserved nothing from another shocking performance

March 2 2013 SAFC 2 (1) Fulham (2) 2 Better in second half after woeful first

Feb 27 1973 FA Cup 5th round replay SAFC 3 (2) Manchester City 1 (0) City slickers subdued by scintillating Sunderland show

Feb 24 1973 FA Cup 5th round Manchester City 2 (1) SAFC 2 (1) Magnificent performance that belies our lowly status

Feb 23 2013 West Bromwich Albion 2 (1) SAFC 1 (0) Another disappointment. Looking over our shoulders again

Feb 9 2013 SAFC 0 (0) Arsenal 1 (1) *Second half fightback fails to earn point

Feb 2 2013 Reading 2 (1) SAFC 1 (1) *More points thrown away by shoddy defending

Jan 29 2013 SAFC 0(0) Swansea City 0(0) Be thankful Swansea don’t have a Fletcher

Jan 19 2013 Wigan Athletic (1) 2 SAFC (3) 3 Important win but nerves shredded at end

Jan 15 2013 FA Cup Third Round replay: SAFC (0) 0 Bolton Wanderers (0) 2 What a difference three days make: awful

Jan 12 2013 SAFC (1) 3 West Ham United (0) 0 Great show by Vaughan inspired comfortable win

Jan 5 2013 FA Cup Third Round: Bolton Wanderers (1) 0 SAFC (0) 2 *A Gardner wonder strike saves the day

Jan 2 2013 Liverpool (2) 3 SAFC (0) 0 Our heads went down second half – worrying

Dec 29 2012 SAFC (1) 1 Tottenham Hotspur (0) 2 Nearly a draw but not quite there

Dec 26 2012 SAFC (0) 1 Manchester City (0) 0 What a wonderful way to spend Boxing Day

Dec 23 2012 Southampton (0) 0 SAFC (1) 1 Jingle bells, jingle bells, Sunderland win away <

Dec 16 2012 Manchester United (2) 3 SAFC (0) 1 Dismal first half defending cost us dear

Dec 11 2012 SAFC (2) 3 Reading (0) 0 Just a comfortable win against poor oppositon

Dec 8 2012 SAFC (0) 1 Chelsea (2) 3 Far better performance than the scoreline suggests

Dec 2 2012 Norwich City (2) 2 SAFC (1) 1 Took too long to get into game.

And read Monsieur Salut at ESPN: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/sunderland/id/710?cc=5739

Nov 27 2012 SAFC (0) 0 Queens Park Rangers (0) 0 Won’t see a poorer game all season

Nov 23 2012 SAFC (0) 2 West Bromwich Albion (2) 4 Ridiculous scoreline but too many basic errors

Nov 18 2012 Fulham 1 (0) SAFC 3 (0) Good goals, better performance, 3 important points

Nov 10 2012 Everton (0) 2 SAFC (1) 1 Chances created, which is progress. Much better

Nov 3 2012 SAFC 0 (0) Aston Villa 1 (0) Another abject performance. A long winter looms

Oct 30 2012 Capital One Cup Fourth Round: SAFC 0 (0) Middlesbrough 1 (1) Plan B even worse than plan A

Oct 27 2012 Stoke City (0) 0 SAFC (0) 0 Don’t bother with MoTD: a real stinker

Oct 21 2012 SAFC (0) 1 Newcastle United (1) 1 Got out of jail. Just about deserved

Oct 6 2012 Manchester City (1) 3 SAFC (0) 0 Never gave up but City simply better.

Sept 29 2012 SAFC (0) 1 Wigan Athletic (0) 0 Scrappy performance but a win’s a win

Sept 25 2012 Capital One Cup 3rd Round: MK Dons (0) 0 SAFC (0) 2 Second goal settles nerves for comfortable win

Sept 22 2012 West Ham United (0) 1 SAFC (1) 1 Need to be more positive when ahead

Sept 15 2012 SAFC (1) Liverpool (0) 1 More than happy to take a point

Sept 1 2012 Swansea City (1) 2 SAFC (2) 2 *Lack of ambition against 10 cost points

Aug 28 2012 Capital One Cup Round 2: SAFC (1) 2 Morecambe (0) 0 Shrimps potted as we stroll to victory

Aug 18 2012 Arsenal (0) 0 SAFC (0) 0 Gritty, determined and a well earned point

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7 thoughts on “Sixer’s Sevens: SAFC 1 Southampton 1. Can only Arsenal save us?”

  1. Over this season, agreed, but over the last 4… it looks like the unflushable jobby has finally been flushed.

  2. As usual, this season, I was disappointed with our performance. I agree with everyone, James Maclean is a left sided player. But to have around 30% possession in a home game with Southampton who traveled the furthest they are likely to bar the Mags, is not on.

    We have a lot of passengers in the squad who need to go Wes Brown (sick note since he joined us) for one. It looks like we need 3 new defenders and 1 or more midfielders + 1 sound attacker, as Danny Graham is not a regular First Team player for anyone other than a Championship team.

    We also need wingers who will attack the opposition. Our current wingers are no where near good enough. I fear the worst unless we get at least 6 really good players in this close season.

  3. Would agree with the McClean point,and Colback as a wide midfield and Johnson up front was also a big mistake too.

    Second half was better when he finally took off McClean and put Johnson wide right.My only beef though was why not switch Colback and Rose?Rose is a better attacking flanker and Colback never lets you down as full back,we struggled to get any crosses in from the left.

    That said a we were lucky to get the draw.I am happy with a point…leaving Wigan a mountain to climb bearing in m ind how many key players we had missing,Southampton played some nice football and caused us all sorts of problems,OShea was immense today for hard earned point,credit to N Diaye too who has improved greatly of late.

    You have to say though, the league does not lie,we are a poor side and have brought very little to the Premiership this season.

  4. Sorry to be negative but, if we do go down, then Ellis Short MUST enforce the clause that allows him to get rid of PDC. He may have instilled passion but tactically he is terrible and clearly stubborn.
    Nobody could have watched the first 1/2 hour on Monday and thought that the formation was a good idea but today, same formation. We have had 3 games now where a decent result in any one would have made us safe and yet he has set us up to fail each time. The obsession with someone playing on the wrong side and cutting is going to kill us. If not this season the surely next. First Larsson on the left and then (TWICE!) MacLean on the right.
    I know his options are severly limited by what MON did to the squad but how could anybody watch Johnson rip Stoke apart and then move him from the right wing.

    • It was a huge disappointment to see us set up the way we were today; If McClean on the right wasn’t bad enough we again had Johnson in the hole where he hardly gets the ball. It was said by Swindon fans that Di Canio likes his wingers on their wrong foot but if he’s going to stick to that idea no matter what then he’ll never make a top manager I’m afraid. I pretty much agree with everything you said, sadly.

      We were poor today, effort was there but no composure and if we survive it will with a stumble by the looks of it. Gonna be a painful week if Wigan win on Tuesday.

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