Colin Randall

Since Salut! Sunderland burst into action in Jan 2007, Pete Sixsmith has delivered a seven-word verdict – known collectively as Sixer’s Sevens – on each match, in relatively few cases games not actually attended by him. Looked at over a season, these judgements reveal a mixture of hope and despondency, wit and wisdom. In the concluding chapter of our book of end-of-term reports, Pete maintains the theme of seven for a sharp appraisal of a second successive – and ultimately successful, if that’s the correct word – relegation dogfight. Salut! Sunderland is open to other Sunderland fans who may wish to reopen the series; they should offer their own end-of-term reports using the e-mail link (above left) …

An interesting and eventful season for those of the red and white striped persuasion.

As seven is my keynote number, it seemed an idea – good or not is a matter for you, the readers, to decide – to look at seven highlights and seven low points of 2008-2009. No prizes for guessing which of the two took the longest to think of.

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Week after week, Ian Porter’s detailed reflections on each Sunderland match provide superb analysis for subscribes to the Blackcats list, home of some of the most intelligent comment on our club to be found anywhere. In the third part of our end-of-term report series (Pete Sixsmith now reverts, as intended, to the fourth part), Ian* identifies the 1-1 draw at St James’ Park, in a game we ought to have won by half time, as a key turning point in a season that had another tremendous show of guts and consistency from Danny Collins (pictured) but also stuttered – and nearly fell very heavily – after earlier spells of promise …

The season started with a mixture of optimism and pessimism.

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There’s a lot winning going on: our friends at A Love Supreme have just collected their second successive award for football fanzine of the year, Sunderland “won” the right to stay in the Premier and here – at last – are Salut! Sunderland’s winners in the great Who Are They? awards …

Forget George Orwell, tracing the progress of the same breadcrumb each day on the breakfast table at his lodgings. The Road To Wigan Pier is a marvellous book, but Salut! Sunderland has discovered that the town provides shelter and inspiration for another writer of distinction.

Step forward Bernard Ramsdale, “landlord” of Ye Olde Tree and Crown, the Wigan Athletic fan site and clear winner in our awards for the best contributions to this site by opposing fans during the 2008-09 season.

Bernard, picture below, wins a copy of the customised Wigan Athletic book, kindly donated by Getting Personal. If the excellent Sunderland version of the book is any guide, he will be content with his prize.

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Salut! Sunderland was asked, but two thirds of it was going to the match and Setanta couldn’t stump up the fare to get the other third from the south of France to London.
When the offer was relayed to members of the Blackcats list, Stephen Worthy* leapt at the chance and spent Sunday afternoon in the studio with fans of other relegation-haunted teams, including a certain Newcastle United.
Here is a blow-by-blow account from Stephen – aka Griff, a rock, motoring and former SAFC fanzine (It’s The Hope I Can’t Stand) writer – of a special way of seeing us to safety, Toon safely doon and a Mag safely home …

I’ve made some bad decisions in my time. Like the time I turned down a girl at school for a date; she went on to become a top international model.

But when the Salut! Sunderland editor put out an e-mail last week asking if someone wanted to become the Sunderland representative on a Setanta Sports News fans’ panel for the last weekend of the Premiership season, it sounded like a good gig. At first.

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A lot has happened since Jeremy Robson, a long way from his native Murton, took this clinical retrospective look at a season that, at the time his thoughts were flowing, still held ample scope for disaster for Sunderland AFC and its passionate followers. A day that had not quite begun in his Canadian exile was to end happily. But Jeremy – that’s his lad, Dave, aged seven, a future SAFC keeper, after a tournament at the Riverside (a Championship ground near Hartlepool) – sees no reason to change his analysis of where the club found itself at 4pm on Sunday. There is sharp criticism of Roy Keane, harsh questikons about our rightly revered chairman’s role in the way the season developed – and evidence of a surprisingly intimate knowledge of the work of Barry Manilow …

Judgement day, as I write, has already arrived in Sunderland.

Here in Elora, Ontario it’s 13 minutes away, so still tomorrow. One more day left at least as a Premier League side. I must confess to stalling on writing this.Salut! Sunderland asked me to do it weeks ago, and pestered me all week to remind me that I hadn’t.

I’ve been stalling, not because there’s nothing to say. The problem is that there’s too much to say, so bugger it here we go.

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