Colin Randall

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

Soapbox: from the banks of the Plate to Bolton Reserves

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The first sentence of Pete Sixsmith‘s report from last night’s Reserves game may be evidence that he is finally losing it. He either doesn’t really mean it, or is about to undergo a significant life change. All because he joined a few hundred other souls at SAFC Reserves 0 Bolton Wanderers Reserves 0 …

Sometimes there are better things to do than watch midweek football. Last night was one of those nights. I could have stayed in and watched Mr H D “Dickie” Bird and the terpsichorean terror who is Lionel Blair, struggle to keep up with the tasks they were set.

Or, I could have gone into licensed premises, enjoyed a pint and watched Manchester United Odds and Sods play a Rangers side who adopted the type of tactics that a Division Two side would display on a visit to Old Trafford.

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The Arsenal ‘Who Are You?’: rooting for Blackpool, recalling another Sunderland

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Click here for a top sports editor’s view from the Emirates …

Sunderland v Arsenal: leave aside next week’s Carling Cup game and it’s the start of three really tough tests, and Mackems would settle now for a repeat of last season’s fixture. Perhaps Braga will tire them out tonight. Pat McLaughlin* runs the wildly successful JustArsenal.com fan site (million hits a month) from an armchair somewhere in Yorkshire. He expects the Gunners to thump us – but, then, he thought us dark horses for a sixth-top finish a year ago …

Salut! Sunderland: Solid enough start for the Gunners. What is your expectation for the season?

I have high hopes. I know Arsenal fans like to moan a lot, but I seriously believe the team is a lot stronger than last season, and we weren’t that far away. Squillaci and Koscielny will tighten things up at the back, and if Arsenal can avoid the ridiculous amount of injuries they sustained last year, I see no reason why we can’t finish at the top of the pile this time around.

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Peter O’Toole and a lost Sunderland passion

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Eight years ago, I thought I’d cracked it for my series of Celebrity Supporter interviews for Wear Down South. Missing out on Gina McKee, Dave Stewart and – bizarrely given his initial enthusiasm – Glenn Hugill had been disappointing, but an exclusive interview with Peter O’Toole beckoned …

Peter O’Toole‘s connection with Sunderland AFC was, for a very long time, a mystery to me.

I’d heard the rumours, been told of the chatshow asides and wondered about the truth. Couldn’t recall seeing him in the away end anywhere, and didn’t bump into him on rare forays into executive dining areas.

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Money, money, money: playing the transfer market

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The transfer market is closed until the New Year window, but Andrew Curry* draws on his knowledge of finance and football to mull over the process that saw Kenwyne Jones and Martyn Waghorn leave Sunderland and Asamoah Gyan arrive …

I like Kenwyne Jones.

I like his languor, his goal celebration, the way he could – on his good days – really worry opposing centre halves.

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The Birflatt Boy: he’s no Cool Catt this one

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Didn’t (doesn’t) the Sunday Sun have a column by one Mr Angry? Well, it seemed time Salut! Sunderland had one, too. Ours will take a different name – see above – but the spluttering anger will be undiluted. Where better to start than with our recalcitrant card-loving midfielder? The stage belongs to Birflatt Boy ….

Cattermole!, Cattermole! Cattermole! Why do you keep kicking people up in the air, Cattermole?

Depending on your point of view, this lad’s either a little bit over enthusiastic, or he’s a complete nutter.

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Soapbox: can we send Cattermole back to Wigan?

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“It’s becoming ridiculous.” When a manager says that about his captain, and he’s not defending him but describing his immaturity and indiscipline, you know things are serious. Pete Sixsmith chose the headline; it’s unforgiving but reflects the complete exasperation of supporters Lee Cattermole has again let down …

We are sitting tenth in the league, a position that would probably keep us happy if it were May. However, after four games, three of which were against sides we had hoped to beat, a return of five points is a little disappointing.

Of course, had we managed to keep 11 players on the field for 50 per cent of those games, there is every possibility that we would have had nine points and would have been sitting pretty in third place with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United to come.

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NB: Nice 2 Bordeaux 1, Newcastle 0 Blackpool 2

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Nice, or Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d’Azur to give them their splendid full title, are – for the uninitiated – the team Salut! Sunderland looks out for in France. They had as good a weekend as the Tangerine-clad men from the slightly less sunny English seaside ….

Nota bene the two results. Rather a neat bit of alliteration to mark two minor causes for celebration at Salut!’s Nice Corner, our regular look at French football.

There isn’t too much of a French connection in Blackpool’s balloon-pricking win at St James’ Park.

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Wigan Observed: guess how many out of 10 for Cattermole

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Pete Sixsmith‘s considered view – a point won, or two sacrificed? – should be up and running here by tomorrow. But before he even left Wigan, he was being pumped by Salut! Sunderland for his seven-word verdict – published here last night – and The Observer for a slight longer instant summary …


THE OBSERVER fan’s verdict:

It was very frustrating at the end because I thought we had done enough to just about deserve the win.

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Wigan 1 SAFC 1: Gyan’s magic not quite enough

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In the end, it was a disappointing result because, having shot ourselves in a foot now riddled with self-inflicted bullet wounds, we’d put ourselves in a winning position. But to gain a draw when forced to play with 10 men for three quarters of the game, as Pete Sixsmith says in his one-line verdict elsewhere, shows character …

Asamaoh Gyan cost an awful lot of money. He repaid a small chunk of it with a finish of delightful aplomb after magnificent play on the right from Jordan Henderson.

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