Colin Randall

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

Acclaim Sunderland’s new matchday programme but never forget Rob Mason’s award-winners

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The front cover of the Charlton matchday prog

 

Monsieur Salut says: when the new regime took hold, one of its early observations was that the SAFC matchday programme was, frankly, an embarrassment.

That may well have had something to do with the decision, taken as our not-much-missed but highly remunerated then CEO, Martin Bain, penny-pinched his way through the operation, to sideline Rob Mason, whose editorship of the programme had been a rare success story in the recent history of SAFC.

Rob remains club historian and has nothing to do with the perceived decline in the programme’s standards. That needs to be pointed out and I pass no comment on the way his award-winning publication went on to be handled when contracted out.

But now, there is a serious change of approach to report. Many readers will have seen the minor stir on social media about the revamped Red and White, with a strong emphasis on fan input. Salut! Sunderland was involved in the first example of this new approach as anyone buying a programme before the opening game against Charlton Athletic will see, but plaudits are due to the content editor Oscar Chamblerlain …

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The First Time Ever I Saw Your Team: Charlton Athletic

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League One fans probably don’t know that Pete Sixsmith is a member of the 92 club, or whatever it’s called. In fact, given his proclivity for non-league and his propensity for travel he’s probably a member of the 192 club, and for many seasons he has regaled us with tales from around the country and beyond. Last season he stepped it up and provided an account of recalling the first time he saw every club we played against at home and his first visit to every ground  we were due to play at in the lead up to match.

It was a tremendous series and we didn’t think he’d be able to keep it up. But he reckons he can and here’s the first effort. Charlton fans in particular, League One fans in general, I suggest you bookmark the page. After you’ve read it you’ll appreciate why.

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The Charlton Athletic Who are You?: ‘Sunderland really ought to win this division’

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Monsieur Salut writes: first things first: Richard Wiseman*, our Charlton Athletic volunteer for the first ‘Who are You?’ of the new season wants to say hello to two London-based Sunderland supporters he knows but hasn’t seen in a while. Step forward Mick Coad and Alan Walsh (or anyone reading this who is in touch with them). Ian Todd, founder and membership secretary of the London and SE branch of SAFCSA reports that Mick is back in the North East while Alan, ‘never been seen in anything but shorts’, is still in London and travels fairly regularly to home games.

Richard is chairman of the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust (CAST – I’ve added the apostrophe), which is home to a lot of disgruntled Addicks fans, people who love their club somewhat more than they love their owner, the Belgian millionaire Roland Duchatelet. He bought Charlton in 2014, supposedly as a feeder club for other teams he owned on the Continent. In 2016, he publicly accused some fans of wanting the club to fail. Opposition centres on CARD (Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet) and it’s vitriolic.

Our interview covers the controversy but also the prospects for each of our clubs …

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We all agree: name the North Stand after Monty (or do we?)

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We’ve chosen one of Jake’s generic Salut! Sunderland images as this is a democratic effort

John McCormick writes: It was Malcolm who sent the e-mail about a poll to decide on names for the stands at the SOL but it was Eric who made the original request, via the comments section, in Colin’s guess the score for the opening game of the season. My contribution was the headline you see above and the construction of the page.

Charlie Hurley, Bob Stokoe, Bradley Lowery, Raich Carter, Stan Anderson, Jimmy Montgomery and Ian Porterfield, in no particular order, were the first names we came up with; I added Cloughie and Shack when setting up the poll.

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George Honeyman chosen as captain, Jack Ross rewarding his ‘absolutely fantastic’ attitude

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George Honeyman, once thought to be among those wanting to leave Sunderland, as the new club captain.

SAFC.com quotes the manager, Jack Ross, as saying: “George’s attitude towards training on a daily basis is absolutely fantastic What he has is an absolute feel for this club because he’s come through the academy, but he’s also suffered, as a lot of people have through the past couple of years, and it bothers him.”

“He wants to help take the club forward and there’s no better way for him to do that than by being a successful captain. He’s a mature and intelligent young man, and his energy levels and application in games will be a major asset for us, so I’m delighted he’s wanted to take on the responsibility.”

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How Kone can keep up with the Lads if loaned to Strasbourg

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The defender formerly known as a hero of Big Sam’s survival season

Tongue in cheek, Monsieur Salut offers our outgoing Paris-born Ivorian defender a useful tip should he be anxious to follow Sunderland from loan exile abroad …

With reports suggesting Lamine Kone’s ultimately wretched time at Sunderland coming to an end, albeit in unsatisfactory fashion with a mere loan to last season Ligue 2 champions in France, Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace, Salut! Sunderland has news that will surely gladden his heart and barely disturb the small change in his pocket.

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Sunderland vs Charlton and the return of the prize Guess the Score

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Guess the Score is back, and so is our illustrator Jake

Monsieur Salut writes: roll up, roll up to place your predicted scoreline for the opening game of our return to the third tier – or to claim old prizes I somehow overlooked (one Evertonian, Bernard Walker, is in that category and will receive his I-won’t-let-this-change-me award, a mug, for correctly forecasting the dismal result of last season’s League Cup game, as soon a possible.

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Stewart Donald, Jack Ross and Sunderland’s chance to rise like the Phoenix

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Paul Summerside, more upbeat than we’ve seen him in a long while

After the bad news for Sunderland fans – finding themselves in the third tier just two seasons after completing a 10th straight season in the Premier League – comes some good news. According to My Top Sportsbooks, we’re favourites to win League One (10/3) and almost even money to earn promotion back to the Championship (6/5).

All depends on results. But the whingeing about transfers apart, the feeling among supporters seems strong and positive. We hate where we are but we see, in Jack Ross and the new owner, at least a chance to rebuild our club, starting with the recruitment of players who may not be big-money stars but actually want to perform for Sunderland AFC. Paul Summerside shares this surge of goodwill and we can but hope he does not live to regret his new-found optimism …

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Welcome Jerome Sinclair. Only a loan but a striker and, at last, transfer news

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Monsieur Salut offers the traditional Salut! Sunderland welcome to a new signing – Watford’s young striker Jerome Sinclair on a season-long loan deal …

Like many – most? – supporters, I am less than exhilarated by loan deals. They seem to have played a significant part in our decline in recent years.

But it is not as if our purchases and free transfer acquisitions were going so well that no loan deal was necessary. No one should be carried away by winning 6-0 at St Mirren; we have striker problems – I think it was the excellent Phil Smith who said in the Sunderland Echo that we were an injury to Josh Maja away from having no recognised attacker (no disrespect to Andrew Nelson, but he hasn’t played a senior competitive game).

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