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We’re safe, but do we want West Ham relegated?

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boleyn


Bolton 35 -25 -35
Wigan 35 -33 -35
Wolves 35 -23 34
West Ham 35 -19 31
Hull 35 -40 28
Burnley 35 -37 27
DOWN Portsmouth 35 -33 15

Safe by April 17. It doesn’t have quite the same ring as Safe by Christmas, which we were more or less able to say during those two remarkable seasons under Peter Reid, finishing seventh each time before the familiar rot set in.

But for Sunderland fans accustomed to end-of-season trauma of one kind or another, it was still a relief to know we could complete the run-in without the least worry about how things would end up as we leave Molineux on May 9.

We can naturally hope Steve Bruce and his squad will make up for the wretched time we endured during the winless run from November to March. Nine points from the last three games would be delicious, seven pretty tasty and even six a decent appetiser for what we hope will be significantly better things next season.

But we are all human and naturally have preferences about how we want the next three weekends to go for others. Who do we want to see go down with poor old Pompey?

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The sinking of Grimsby Town: Poojah’s polemic

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fishy

Beneath the sublime headline World, f*** off, this post appeared at the admirable Grimsby fan site The Fishy. Salut! Sunderland‘s attention was drawn by Jeremy Robson, one of our Canada-based stalwarts, in these terms: “It’s so funny and tragic at the same time. Grimsby Town are just about to fall out of the league. Some strong language … it’s a great article that lad’s written. I really feel for them. Grimsby Town is a proper old football club. They’ve been in the league for 100 years. It’s a real shame. We’ve had a lot of encounters with them over the years when we were in the second tier and I’m sorry to see this happen.”

21 Lincoln City 43 8 6 7 24 26 4 4 14 16 36 -22 46
22 Barnet 42 7 10 4 29 17 4 2 15 17 42 -13 45
23 Grimsby 43 3 9 10 23 36 4 8 9 18 32 -27 38
24 Darlington 42 3 3 14 14 31 4 3 15 17 47 -47 27

Over – with apologies to the squeamish (ie strong language left intact as there’d otherwise be no point) – to The Fishy’s occasional star contributor “Poojah” for what one Sunderland fan hails as a contender for “greatest rant of all time”…

Now I’m as optimistic as anyone when it comes to this twát of a football club, but after this afternoon’s latest capitulation it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee – we’re fúcked. Down. Goners. Non-league. To be honest I didn’t know how it would affect me, it’s not like it hasn’t been coming, but tonight I just feel absolutely deflated. Absolutely fúcking devastated.

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Hull City: an optimist’s survival plan

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hullartPhoto: K G Stone

Alan Fulcher* is a Wearside-based Hull City fan whose belief that the Tigers can stay up was shaken but not destroyed by what he calls a “bugger of a result” in Wigan v Arsenal. Salut! Sunderland‘s links with Alan began when we ran a piece (after Phil Brown’s sacking) that was essentially affectionate towards the club but which he found condescending, not least since we had little to shout about ourselves at the time. Alan was promptly invited back to preview this weekend’s game in our Who Are You? series: it’s a big match for us as we seek to put earlier woes behind us with a storming finish, but even bigger for City as they fight desperately against relegation …


Let’s start with the obvious one: what’s a bloke in Sunderland doing supporting Hull City?

Dead easy, I have lived in Washington since 1992, but was born in Kingston-Upon-Hull and lived there until 1973. Always support the team where you were born; there’s more than enough ‘Glory Hunters’ around football!

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Soapbox: Blackburn’s Rovers return empty-handed

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soapbox


Pete Sixsmith worries about the lack of a Spurs angle (yesterday’s throwaway on the Hon Alan Hutton inexplicably drew in readers in their thousands, albeit mostly from Tottenham’s tower blocks). But he still manages to capture the essence – and the fight for half-time chips – of a satisfying night with the reserves …

Monday night reserve games always bring back waves of nostalgia for the Reidy days when it looked like we had made the breakthrough as a serious contender in the Premier League.

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Manchester United: a questionable stand

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manu fans


Salut! Sunderland‘s spot of innocent fun on how to keep Alan Hutton at the Stadium of Light attracted nearly three times as many people to the site as will be allowed into the away end when we play Man Utd on May 9. All because United fans like to stand. Let us weigh up the arguments …

One thing needs to be clear. I’d prefer Manchester United to win the title. But success for Chelsea is a price I will happily pay for seeing Sunderland beat United as convincingly as we are able in our final home game.

Unlike many football supporters, I do not dislike Man Utd.

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Alan Hutton: tell Spurs he’s rubbish

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alanhutton

Our brightest hope at full back since Mickey Gray? But can we hang on to him? Salut! Sunderland ponders the chances of securing Alan Hutton permanently …

Most Sunderland supporters who have seen anything of Alan Hutton are likely to agree that he is just the sort of player we need at the club on a permanent basis.

It has been like a breath of fresh air to see a full back so capable of getting forward and causing serious concern to opposing defences.

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Soapbox: bye, bye Burnley

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soapbox

Our immediate post-match thoughts naturally concerned Sunderland’s own safety, not that this had been in serious doubt since we learnt how to win again a few games ago. But spare some sympathy for Burnley, now in need of a miracle to survive. Pete Sixsmith offers a consoling arm …

If there is one thing we Sunderland fans know about, it’s relegation. At one stage of this season, I thought that there was a possibility of us being sucked into the scuffle at the bottom. But I took solace from the fact that Hull City and Burnley were in the bottom three and were unlikely to escape.

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Sunderland 2 Burnley 1: safety assured

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Colin Randall struggles to keep in touch one way or the other with events at the Stadium of Light, but manages to catch essential parts of an important, if not hugely impressive victory …

We started as if we might tear them apart and were left hanging on, though not deperately, at the end.

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Tony Blair and Newcastle United: when the truth hurts

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If it has begun to seem like Be Nice to Toon Week here. be assured normal service will resume once the volcanic cloud lifts. But as a footnote to the questionnaire Alastair Campbell answered for Salut! Sunderland ahead of today’s game against his beloved Burnley, he commented on a certain urban myth – dear to Mackem hearts – concerning his old boss. Colin Randall reports with heavy heart …

Some stories are true, but you wish they weren’t. Some cry out to be true but are false, even if they leave a postscript – read on – that is entertaining and plausible.

Into the second of those categories slots the belief that Tony Bair, while Prime Minister, talked wistfully in an interview of having sat as a lad in the Gallowgate end at St James’ Park, watching Jackie Milburn play for Newcastle United.

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