Colin Randall

Salut! Sunderland was edited by Colin Randall up until December 2019 - read more

Jordan Pickford on his goalkeeping heroes: De Gea, Lloris, Hart and Schmeichel

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Jake: ‘Keep ’em out, Jordan’

Monsieur Salut writes: we’ve acclaimed Jermain Defoe. So has the country at large. Pete Sixsmith’s Observer Q+A talked of a man who, at Sunderland AFC, had enhanced his reputation as a striker and – through his quite beautiful bond with Bradley Lowery – as a man.

Pete’s piece, reproduced in expanded form here, briefly mentioned the other positive from our truly awful season: the superior goalkeeping of Jordan Pickford, albeit interrupted by a midseason injury layoff.

Jordan deserves and will probably attain the status of England’s Number One. He may well do it while keeping goal for a club other than the one he has always supported, SAFC. That is his right, maybe even a personal duty, as a pro. I wish him well and, while regretting that Sunderland are unlikely to provide the platform for his ambition, will follow his progress much as I follow Jordan Henderson’s.

Here are some excerpts from an interview with Jordan (P), speaking to EASPORTS.com to mark his EA SPORTS FIFA 17 rating being upgraded (that’s a football video game for the unitiated). To read the full interview, go to https://www.easports.com/uk/fifa/news/2017/jordan-pickford-interview …
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Observed: Defoe’s England glory, Sunderland’s endless gloom

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His goals would have kept us up if only Moyes had got us to defend. Can it still happen?

First, heartiest congratulations to Jermain Defoe, for opening the England scoring with a trademark finish against Lithuania. In a wretched season for Sunderland, he has brought rare shafts of bright light. And recalled by Gareth Southgate after 1,465 days in the international wilderness, he ‘rolled back the years to show England what they have missed,’ according to The Guardian‘s Dominic Fifield, with little Bradley Lowery present to complete a heartwarming night. Enjoy the clip, below, while it lasts – and sadly the same can probably be said about Jermain’s sparkling Sunderland career.

Now on to the reason we probably have only 10 games left to enjoy the sight of Jermain in our colours: Pete Sixsmith is a regular in those view-from-the-stands round-ups in The Observer. They like his contributions, he – rightly – likes The Observer so it is a perfect match. But just as relegation for Sunderland will means relegation for Monsieur Salut from his little slot with ESPN, the Observer will not be calling quite so often if at all for the thoughts of a Championship team’s supporter. Here, on Pete’s calculation of what the paper will still want from him this season, is his penultimate offering ‘before we disappear into the Championship for goodness knows how long…….’

Salut! Sunderland challenges David Moyes to prove Sixer wrong. It would make our summers …

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‘I won a few things with them and had a little bit of success’

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John McCormick: We're not bottom, so is it a Happy Christmas?

 

No game, and no need – or desire – for a relegation review so soon after the last one, which means I’m taking another meander around the Northwest to bring you up to date, more or less, with some of the clubs on this side of the Pennines.

I was going to title this piece “take a walk on the west side” in homage to wrinkly Pete’s propensity for including songs. You’ll find out why I didn’t at the end.

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Past glories: priceless American description of Tommy’s penalty save versus Newcastle’s Shearer

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Ye olde days, even before Tommy secured our 2-1 win at SJP

Monsieur Salut writes: people sometimes tell me, whoever they support, that they like Salut! Sunderland because it tries to bring smiles to people’s faces. No matter what! There is no football, apart from Sunderland’s Ladies Team in their SSE Women’s FA Cup semi-final cup game against Chelsea on Sunday, between now and Watford away.

So, hardly Ten Years After, rather 17, but will this cheer us up a little?

Between Facebook chats about good and bad referees and other things, an old Newcastle-supporting journalistic acquaintance, Terry Pattinson, and I found ourselves briefly discussing the Tyne-Wear derby of 2000. The context was my assertion that players make many more mistakes at work than refs. I couldn’t resist mention of the Alan Shearer penalty saved by Tommy Sorensen to ensure our three points. And nor could I ever forget the way an American friend, who attended the match with me, later explained the key moment to his equally American girlfriend.

Since we won’t be playing Newcastle next season – and feel free to interpret that as us somehow staying up, them somehow missing out – it seems worth another outing. It originally appeared at ESPN in 2013, just ahead of the Di Canio 3-0 win at St James’ Park in April 2013. Please bear in mind it was written for a largely neutral readership …

If there are sufficient responses to this article, on any related topic, the best – chosen arbitrarily will get a mini-version of the Nick Barnes Matchbook, whose publishers will pay £5 of the price into the Bradley Lowery fund. A winning Newcastle-supporting contributor will be offered a NUFC-themed mug instead, with Salut! Sunderland paying the fiver into Bradley’s fund)

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Wrinkly Pete’s Crystal Ball: can SAFC’s safety bid really get back on course?

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Peter Lynn, aka Wrinkly Pete


Monsieur Salut writes: with another long wait for our next game, and David Moyes’s next doom-laden post-match reaction, it is once again time for Peter Lynn, aka Wrinkly Pete, to update his series based on the points tally he rather optimistically predicted for Sunderland.

The original preamble is beginning to look a little dated so I shall re-arrange the text to start with Pete’s thought on the Burnley match and its impact on his calculations…

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Sixer’s Burnley Soapbox: no plan, no guile but at least a Chuck Berry payoff

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Jake’s verdict was ‘not enough’ and David Moyes felt unable to disagree

Monsieur Salut writes: normally, our deputy editor Malcolm Dawson introduces Pete Sixsmith‘s unfailingly compelling reflections on Sunderland matches. I have become quite proficient at following each match by internet streams and Barnes and Benno but Malcolm and Sixer both attend most home games and the lame 0-0 draw to Burnley was no exception (the interviewee for our first-class Burnley ‘Who are You?’ Duncan Sutcliffe joined them in County Durham yesterday to complete his journey from Lancashire to the Stadium of Light).

Sixer suggested that for once I should post his piece because, talking over the disappointment of the game by phone this morning, we both found bleak humour in my oversight, when sending my usual report to  ESPN, in inadvertently omitting Jack Rodwell entirely from my ratings. It was therefore, until quickly rectified, as if we had started with 10 men. Mmmm. Over to Sixer to ponder this Freudian slip and other striking features of a match that may prove decisive in our latest bid to survive in the top flight, and see if you can improve on his closing reference to the newly departed and truly great Chuck Berry …

 

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Sixer’s Sevens: Sunderland 0-0 Burnley. Unimaginative and wasteful

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Jake: ‘Benno got it right – just not enough’

Monsieur Salut writes: another wasted chance to keep in touch with anything remotely resembling safety. First half was abysmal, Burnley poor but often threatening whereas Sunderland were just poor. Very poor. Second half? Four or five excellent chances to score so it was undoubtedly better, but still so far short of being good enough. On his birthday, Pete Sixsmith had to field questions on social media about what could possibly spoil his day. His seven-word verdict, later modified a little and on which he will gloomily expand, tells it all …

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