Each matchday, Pete Sixsmith – or a supersub in his absence – summarises the outcome and/or performance with a seven-word verdict, invariably followed by his considered Soapboax report. Tonight was yet another of those interminable must-win games for Sunderland. At half time, it looked like a no-hoper. The 10 men who remained after Craig Gardner’s astonishing lapse of discipline performed creditably for the rest of the game and fully deserved the point. No complaints from Monsieur Salut about the red though Dean Whitehead led a charmed life: three yellow offences, one card. All may still be to do but this ended up being a mighty point …
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
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
See 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/
Join the Salut! Sunderland Facebook group – click anywhere along this line
And follow us on Twitter: @salutsunderland … click along this line
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
To see Sixer’s Sevens in full, click here.
Join the Salut! Sunderland Facebook group – click anywhere along this line
And follow us on Twitter: @salutsunderland … click along this line
Thank god for that. Wigan lost as well, what a day.
*Elmo. Stupid auto spell.
Elmore isn’t illegible, Chris Young confirmed today
Was Elmo named in the squad for the second half of the season? If not, are there spaces?
Elmo could make the bench but he is dreadful too. we don’t have much choice in playing McClean. I’d rather he started than Bardsley.
I suspect that McClean started on the right as the manager felt with Gardner at full back he would strengthen that flank defensively. His weak tackle on Adam immediately before Gardner’s horrible challenge suggest that PDC got that one wrong.
Gardner’s lunge was so reminiscent of one of Cattermole’s sendings off – in exactly the same place, midway inside the opposition’s half and almost on the touchline. Not clever.
Mind you the squad is so threadbare now it’s a case of finding eleven starters. Assuming Bardsley comes in for Gardner, Sunday’s bench will be Vaughan, Kilgallon and Mangane with three kids and Westwood.
Just thought – is Elmo back at the club and eligible to play? Desperate times!
Yes, I suppose we can bring Elmo back. Although he cannot really cross the ball and is not really that good at right back. He could though be a willing runner on the wing and can snatch the odd goal once in a blue moon.
Following Sunderland is never an easy occupation.I suppose all managers like to switch wingers…..now PDC has seen the results,at least he will not try that again.
We were awful,in game we should have won….as stoke were about as easy a game at home as you could ask for.That said it felt like a win b y the end.We played far better without Gardner,which says everything.Again it removes any temptation PDC might have had of of playing him….he is currently a disaster.
We outplayed a shockingly bad team with 9 and a half men(the fraction being the handicap we have for playing McClean).Bravo indeed for the 9 hard working believers who pulled of some sort of a come back…incredible.And it must be AJ finset hour in a red and white shirt.He seems to be responding to PDC and realising he owes us for a terrible season…..he looked like a leader last night.
No second chance on Saturday against Saints, we have to get it right, PDC must get his team selection and tactics right, go with what you know, 4-5-1 we have to probe their weaknesses they are back in it and will be fighting tooth and nail
It really makes no difference which side McLean is on, as he is equally inept or indeed embarrassing on either flank. He was horrible yet again and for the first half at least he put in as bad a performance as any player I’ve seen in a Sunderland shirt. He was absolutely shocking. He tries hard and he works relentlessly but sadly he is just crap.
The spirit was there, it’s won us a point and it can see us beat the Saints too. I think we can be confident the lads will give their all on Sunday, especially Danny Rose who knows he won’t play any more after that.
I hope Di Canio learns from the first half and won’t keep trying to play wingers on their wrong side when it clearly doesn’t work, certainly not for McClean anyway. I’d actually like to see Larsson behind Graham, Vaughan in the middle with Alfie and Colback at right back on sunday. When we did have AJ back on the right, he was superb and McClean back on the left did much better too. Come on Paolo, you know it makes sense!
I agree with Mcclean being on the wrong side to begin with. And Larsson might do well just behind Graham if he can into a position to shoot.
Vaughn was too lightweight for Stoke. He just gets outmuscled. Now for Southampton, he might fit the bill. Mind you, with half our squad out with injury or suspension, I can see Vaughn starting anyway whoever we would have played.
The only threat Stoke offered all night was set piece play. Other than that, I can see why they were in relegation trouble.
Wow, what a rollercoaster. I watched the first half here in NC and was just upset to see us not looking like we were going to score. Graham in the box surrounded by 5 opposition players reminded me of MON.
Gardner is a likeable lad and works hard but he’s a liability sometimes. Rash challenges and penalties have cost us this year. N’Daiye still looks far from the finished article but is strong on the ball. I just wish he’d get in goal-scoring positions sometimes.
But Johnson in the 2nd half looked alive and dangerous everytime he got the ball. We need him to come good now and that was a great sign for me. I was proud of the lads the shift they put it. Rose was immense, Larsson worked hard, Graham ran himself into the ground (without looking threatening) and I thought Colback did OK too. Stoke looked like the ones who had 10 men, not us.
We need that kind of 2nd half performance v Southhampton next week. The pressure is definitely on Norwich and the Mags more than us now I think. Next match will tell because out of us three, none of us are likely to win our last game (Man City, Arsenal and Spurs).