Colin Randall - SAFC Blog - Page 64 of 572

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Team: Sheffield Wednesday

April 1, 2018April 1, 2018 by Colin Randall

*Pete Sixsmith then (not so long ago) … he’s a lot trimmer now*

John McCormick writes: I visited the Statcat to check if we played Sheffield Wednesday in 1968 as I had memories of their supporters in the back room of the Cambridge when I was still an underage drinker. I found I could have been out a year in either direction as we were in the same division as them for a number of seasons, and they even went down with us at the end of that decade. I reckon I would have been at most, if not all, of those home games.

But I’m pretty sure I wasn’t there in April 1965, unlike a certain Pete Sixsmith:

SAFC vs Sheffield Wednesday prize Guess the Score: can we do it again?

March 31, 2018March 31, 2018 by Colin Randall

Guess the score and you may win a prize whoever you support

Seven games to go and after that resounding win at Derby on a very Good Friday, Sheffield Wednesday are the Easter Monday visitors to the Stadium of Light.

For once, it looks as if we may have to do without a Who are You? interview. Monsieur Salut did find a willing candidate. There’s a good reason why she may have overlooked it, or simply not found the time she expected to have: her dad, a lifelong Owls fan, died recently.

Sixer’s Sevens: Singing in the Rain as Depression hits Derby.

March 30, 2018 by Colin Randall

John McCormick writes: I watched the opening game of the season at a pub in the Lakes and thought we did OK. I watched this at home, courtesy of Will’s Sky-linked tablet. As the match opened I thought we didn’t look as good as we did in August and that Derby were well organised, which only goes to show that I need to get out more.

Pete Sixsmith does that and is consequently in a much better position to judge. His report on this game won’t be here until Sunday as he’s groundhopping on his way home, so we’ll have to do with his instant seven word reaction for now.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Ground: Derby County, the Baseball Ground and Pride Park

March 29, 2018March 29, 2018 by Colin Randall

John McCormick writes: as I’ve edited and posted the trips Pete has written about for this series I have often wondered if I was there. More rarely, I’ve known I was. But not this time. I ~~don’t think~~ am certain I’ve (n)ever been to Derby, never mind watched a game of football there.

Pete Sixsmith, of course, has been there. Not only has he been there, he’s been there more than once, and he’s been to more than one ground:

Who are You? Recalling Mart Poom’s header and SuperKev as our Derby hero

March 28, 2018March 28, 2018 by Colin Randall

Derby at Wembley 2006: Guy is second from the right, his friend and fellow Who are You? interview Nick Britten is one along from him

Guy Pearson*, introduced to Salut! Sunderland by the first Who are You? candidate of the season, his follow Derby County fan Nick Britten, does not think the Rams are good enough for the Premier League. He is not not even confident of making the playoffs, despite the hotel rooms he and his pals booked back in January to be handy for the final. Viewed from our position, his troubles seem piffling. It will come as no consolation to Sunderland supporters to hear that Guy does think we’ll improve on our current position by the end of the season – he predicts we’ll finish second bottom. Stand by for a thoughtful interview with a realistic supporter who knows his stuff.

And on links between our clubs, Guy remembers that extraordinary Mart Poom equaliser while we remind him of a SuperKev hat trick at Pride Park …

Derby vs SAFC Guess the Score. We may be mugs but the prizes continue

March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 by Colin Randall

In which Monsieur Salut decides to keep the Guess the Score competition running, with prizes, until the final whistle sounds at the end of the home banker against Wolves on May 6 to bring our glorious Championship campaign to a close …

The season began with Derby County on a Friday night. Now that so many of us have written off the season, it seems almost academic that the final spurt to, er, deserved relegation/improbable escape (delete according to choice) should start with Derby on a Friday night.

When it comes to Guess the Score, I’ll adopt the words of Bamber Gascoigne from an earlier television age: I’ve started so I’ll finish. [Update: oops, CSB corrects my memory: it was Magnus Magnusson’s catchphrase on Mastermind]

Despite thoughts of withdrawing the modest prize in protest at the appalling betrayal by Sunderland AFC of its supporters, we shall rise above such pettiness. The mug manufacturers of Weardale – our suppliers, Personalised Football Gifts – need not fret after all. Eight more games = up to eight more mugs to be ordered and delivered.

The Mighty Quinn: is the great man coming to the rescue?

March 26, 2018March 26, 2018 by Colin Randall

‘I learned my trade at Arsenal, became a footballer at Manchester City but Sunderland got under my skin. I love Sunderland’

[polldaddy poll=9968809]

UPDATE: to no great surprise, the early voting has “unbounded joy” way out in front, with “joy” and cautious “hope” following on. But Sixer and James Hunter remain unconvinced the story even has legs …

The Chronicle’s James Hunter, who writes well on SAFC, advises us to to treat the reports with caution. Then along comes the BBC with its own version, namely that our absentee owner Ellis Short has spoken to (or, as the Beeb inelegantly puts it, “spoken with”) Niall Quinn about a possible consortium takeover.

Salut! Sunderland has no inside information. But it sincerely hopes – or, since I can speak only for myself, Monsieur Salut hopes – it is true.

Wolves and Cardiff, then Fulham and Villa. Then pick two from three (or four?) (or five?)

March 23, 2018March 23, 2018 by Colin Randall

Yesterday you might have seen how I – or rather our readers – came to select a number of clubs to follow over the course of the season. They were originally Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Fulham, Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland; Wolves, Bristol City, Cardiff, Derby and Sheffield United joined them at the end of the January transfer window.

Wolves, Cardiff, Bristol, Derby and Sheffield United join Middlesbrough, Villa and Fulham as our ones to watch

March 22, 2018 by Colin Randall

no slide rule needed

Let’s go back to the start of the season (and don’t we wish we could).

I polled our readers as to who would make the top six. These clubs came up favourite ( in the order given) and I began tracking them and reporting on their progress from time to time:

Middlesbrough

Aston Villa

Fulham

Sheffield Wednesday

Leeds

and Sunderland

By Christmas, if not earlier, it was obvious some changes were needed.

Sunderland: a tragic tale of lost love, disconnect and rebuilding from scratch

March 20, 2018 by Colin Randall

Monsieur Salut is left at a loose end, feeling a little redundant with no need to post a Guess the Score or the Derby County “Who are You?” that is already tucked away in the safe …

It comes as something of a relief to have no forthcoming weekend match to fret about.

In truth, the international break could not have come too soon. Some of us would almost like it to continue until May when, in silent shame, we accept our fate and prepare for life in the next division down, knowing there will be no Eric or Marco or Benno to get us straight back up again.