A winner from West Brom – plus a Bent/Gyan competition

Image: Mrs Logic
The boss has taken to the hills. I have abandoned computer screens and the Med for a long weekend in the Alps.

There may or may not be any new postings in my absence. Rather depends on whether Pete Sixsmith or any of the other regular or occasional contributors writes anything – and whether Joan Dawson finds time to make them appear here.

Sixer is embarking on a quick course on how to post articles for himself but threatens to be a slow learner, so don’t hold your breath just yet.

So how about a spot of fun just before anything nasty happens at Wigan to spoil all the excitement of the past few days?

Answer these questions:

1) How many goals will Darren Bent and Asamoah Gyan bag this season?

2) In what positions will we – and Newcastle – end up in the Premier?

3) Have we now got the best squad Sunderland has assembled since the height of the Quinn/Phillips era or do weaknesses still cry out to be addressed?

The answer I judge to be best – assuming there are any answers – will get a Salut! Sunderland prize, to be announced. Don’t forget that spam filters mean anyone posting for the first time will find their comments held until my return – but they will be included in the competition.

And talking of prizes, I said there might be a Who Are You? equivalent of the manager-of-the-month award. It all depends on getting someone kind enough to stump up a prize of some kind, so will be decided month by month.

For August, we have such a prize, thanks to the payment-in-kind I was offered for writing a piece for the website of When Saturday Comes on the farcical events surrounding French international football.

Any of the August contributions – from Birmingham City, West Brom, Colchester United and Man City fans ahead of our games against their teams – would have been worthy choices.

So I have excluded two of last season’s overall winners – Birmingham’s Kevin Ball and Man City’s Martin Haworth – along with the second Citeh piece, by Nick March, since he’s a colleague, and gone – just ahead of a fine Colchester offering – for David Law, the BBC tennis commentator who is also a passionate WBA supporter.

His two-part questionnaire, starting with his tale about converting John McEnroe and Goran Ivanisevic to the Baggies’ cause, was a treat.

David has been notified of the award and realises it is about to change his life. When he gets back from wherever in the world – the US Open? – tennis currently takes him, he should hear from the half-decent football magazine, enclosing something suitable from its bookshelf.

Colin Randall