Colin Randall

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

Soapbox: Fratton Park or Roker Park – where’s the glory?

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Three hundred miles or so each way for a match that – allowing for hindsight – had cup exit written all over it. Or a day out to another Roker Park than the one we remember to see the other SAFC, mighty Shildon, in another cup competition. That was the choice confronting Pete Sixsmith. No contest. And be warned, Steve Bruce, this is the scale of the crisis of confidence engulfing Sunderland: Pete may even prefer Shildon away in the next round to Wigan at home in the Premier …

Commiserations to Malcolm Dawson, who got the short straw and had to pay £20 to watch defending that would have been seen as risible in a Northern League Division two game. I pulled the plum out of the basket and saw a stirring FA Vase tie at Roker Park, Stotfold.

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As Stoke’s SAFC “rejects” shine, the message is clear: cheer us Stevie Bruce

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Very well, reject is a harsh word.

But take a good look at the line-up fielded by Stoke City yesterday before the excellent 3-1 FA Cup win over Arsenal:

Thomas Sorensen, Danny Higginbotham, Robert Huth, Ryan Shawcross, Danny Collins, Glenn Whelan, Dean Whitehead, Rory Delap (Salif Diao, 85), Matthew Etherington (Danny Pugh, 90), Ricardo Fuller (Sanli Tuncay, 85), Mamady Sidibe

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Soapbox: Sunderland expects

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As Pete Sixsmith shows a worrying tendency towards part-timism by missing his second Sunderland match in a row (ok, he did report on the Reserves and Under-18s this week), his shoes are ably filled by Malcolm Dawson who enjoys his trip to an old-style ground, but not the reminders of the playground …

For nostalgia buffs such as myself, Portsmouth is a great place to go. You can locate the ground by driving randomly, spotting the floodlights towering above the tightly packed terraced housing and parking a couple of hundred yards away, only a five minute stroll from the turnstiles. The illusion continues inside the ground where the primeval urinals consisting of a concrete trough with no splash backs, necessitate a plodge through an inch or two of undefined liquid to dispose of the pre match Speckled Hen.

Although, like Villa Park and Anfield, ground regulations have meant that plastic seats have been bolted onto the old standing areas, I still half expected to see men in long white coats parading round the pitch with paper bags of monkey nuts and the smell of a hundred pipes full of Ready Rub wafting over the tightly packed hordes.

But the Ford Populars and Singer Vogues have been replaced by people carriers and four wheel drives, every third person seems to be talking into their mobile and the P.A. announcer reminds us that Fratton Park is a no smoking stadium.

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A Trek Supreme

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als2Here’s a word from Salut! Sunderland‘s good causes department: Martyn McFadden, esteemed editor of the fine Sunderland fanzine, A Love Supreme, has found a brilliant alternative to the World Cup.

With Paul Bramley, Ross and Shirley – “he’s a boy, but we call him that anyway!”, we’re assured – he will be in another part of the African continent, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Steve Cram’s children’s charity Coco.

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Soapbox: mauled by the Manchester Reds

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A week that began with disaster (if being walloped at football can truly be one) and improved to mere disappointment ended without even a hint of bringing delight. Pete Sixsmith dutifully turned out to watch Sunderland’s reserves taught a lesson by Manchester United …

Thursday night was the end of a miserable week on the pitch for SAFC.

A good thrashing at Stamford Bridge, penalty kick disappointment against Preston and then a plucky and committed, albeit limited, Reserve team bump into a Manchester United side full of players looking for an opportunity to get into the first team once the Glazers have sold the regulars.

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Kilgallon and – maybe (may)Beye: a decent start

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The rest of the football world is talking morons/idiots/bootlickers – otherwise known as diplomacy, Argentinian style. Maybe Carlos Tevez was pulling punches and really dislikes his unsmiling former teammate Gary Neville. Never mind all that; we’ve finally pulled someone through the opened transfer window …

Anyone who has seen Sunderland’s attempts to hold on to leads or, most recently, avoid double figures knows perfectly well our defence needs steel.

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Soapbox: proud Preston, perfect penalty takers

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It sounded a creditable effort, ahead twice – right up to full time and again right up the end of extra time. Then the phrase Sunderland fans have come to dread: the penalty shoot-out. Pete Sixsmith witnessed the inevitable outcome …

Brrr, it’s a cold Wednesday night and there is an interesting Carling Cup semi on terrestrial TV, a bottle of Tullamore Dew on the go, a decent book to read and a warm fire. So bugger all that, let’s go to the Stadium of Light and watch the Under 18s play Preston in the FA Youth Cup.

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