Wrinkly Pete: supporting Sunderland, excusing my French

Salut! Sunderland‘s Monsieur Salut was rebuked recently for banging on too much about France. Since the old French Fancies series, looking at Ligue 1 and below, has largely fallen into disuse, this seemed odd even if the very title of the site betrays a connection with the other side of the Channel. Others did spring to the old codger’s defence and the old codger himself has no known French blood, just a French wife, two half-French daughters and a quarter-French granddaughter.

M Salut’s much greater shame is to have been born in Hove though County Durham was the place of his upbringing and youth, the family has long-established if historic Sunderland connections and anyone on Wearside called Morris may be distantly related.

Just for fun, here’s Peter Lynn‘s wry look at the little contretemps …

Trop de Français? Je dit: “Non!”

In the responses to the recent “3 millionth hit” article there appeared a comment saying that there were too many French references on the site.

As a regular reader this puzzled me as I was aware of hardly any. So, in the spirit of entente cordiale I am having a Je suis Charlie moment.

Firstly, let me draw attention to some things that we have to thank the French for and some – not.

Following on, since this is a football site, I will try to do the same for French footballers who have graced the Sunderland playing arenas wearing our shirt.

Cuisine France has given us countless memorable dishes – but snails [love ’em – Ed]?

Wine I left that blank. Not in a Len Shackleton biography way but because I honestly can’t think of a bad one. [I can, and that’s why I end up buying New World except when in France – Ed]

Culture The vast majority of French families still eat Sunday lunch together – but I bet the kids don’t like it lasting four hours!

Cafés It took us 50 (?) years just to approach their opening hours – but they don’t have real ale.

Elegance Nowhere do you see so many women dressed and made up immaculately – yet there still exists those standing/straddling toilets.

And now, those footballers. According to worldfootball.net, we have had 20 Frenchmen over the years, except that one of those listed, Steeeed Malbranque, was Belgian [-ish, still qualified as French – Ed]. That leaves us with 19, not quite a complete squad but enough to cover every position.

I realise I said I would put pros and cons for each but I have decided to leave it for you, the reader, to do. Maybe reading the list will prompt you to form your own best eleven or perhaps vote hit or miss a la Juke Box Jury ou oui/non! Here it is, in alphabetical order:

El-Hadji Ba

Christian Bassila

David Bellion

Patrice Carteron

Pascal Chimbonda

Djibril Cissé

Modibo Diakité

Younès Kaboul

Lilian Laslandes

Anthony Le Tallec

Yann M’Vila

Jean-Yves M’voto

William Mocquet

Lionel Perez

Anthony Réveillère

Valentin Roberge

Eric Roy

Louis Saha

Oumare Tounkara

Wrinkly Pete (no I’m not French, silly)