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A view from the avenue as reality kicks in

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John McCormick writes: Regular visitors will be used to Paul Summerside’s thoughts popping up on the site. He’s here often enough to have his own tag – A view from the Avenue – and he always has something interesting to say. Today is no exception as he takes the opportunity to look back over the summer and the season to date.

This being a short piece, Paul posted it on our facebook page first but it’s good enough to go up here and it’s important enough to be read twice. So thanks, Paul, for letting us move it across.

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Branch Lines: sharing the ‘ecstasy and misery’ of Sunderland fans down south

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Ian Todd

In the second item in our new series of SAFC Supporters’ Association branches, this is an introduction – for those who need it; Monsieur Salut is aware that many readers, himself included, are members – to an essential part of the Sunderland-supporting family that clocked up 50 years of existence last year. It should be read in conjunction with the piece about that anniversary, reproduced below, and written by Ian Todd, co-founder of the branch …

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Viewed from Ipswich, Jack Ross’s strong start is a reason for jealousy

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Source: Sunderland AFC via Facebook.

It may seem fanciful to suppose a team that beat us twice last season, and comfortably each time, and plays in a higher division should feel any need to envy Sunderland and Jack Ross. But look at Ipswich’s current plight – winless and second bottom of the Championship while two disappointing home draws have failed to push SAFC out of the League One top four – and you begin to see why William Sundin, the Tractor Boy (and Sunderland University graduate) writing this piece, is wondering which club is better off  …

Ipswich Town fans started this summer in a situation familiar to Sunderland supporters, having taken the plunge and finally said goodbye to Mick McCarthy.

Fortunately, Ipswich didn’t do as Sunderland once did and turn to Roy Keane, as they’d made that mistake a few years previously instead [though taking Sunderland from bottom to top may be seen by some as less than a mistake – Ed].

Instead, Ipswich’s owner Marcus Evans sought an exciting young replacement not yet entrenched on the managerial merry-go-round. Evans was keen to wait for Paul Hurst to complete his playoff adventure with Shrewsbury, but the other standout candidate Jack Ross was not so keen to wait around.

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Sixer’s Sevens: Fleetwood Town make their point

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This going behind early’s getting to be a bit of an issue but at least we can come back from it this season, which is just as well. The bigger question is – will we do better as our injuries abate and players get fully up to speed?  We’re still unbeaten and in the top 4 but I’d like to see us keeping clean sheets and popping in a few more goals.  On paper, the teams we’re putting out look capable enough of winning but on the pitch maybe they are just not quite there yet.

I imagine the 29,000 spectators who were at the Stadium of Light this afternoon will be harbouring similar thoughts. Pete Sixsmith  was one of them and we’ll  know for sure what he thinks when he sends us his match report tomorrow. As a taster here’s the seven word text he sent as the final whistle blew:

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The First Time Ever I saw Your Team: Fleetwood Town

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Pete Sixsmith

John McCormick writes: I don’t know what Pete Sixsmith’s on about in his opening paragraph.

I can’t disagree with his comment about the average Rugby League prop forward but saying Maths sums are hard is a bit much, and surely he knows that some metals are soft. Perhaps his phrase “ very hard” covers both wood and metal. That kind of ambiguity is one of the niceties of the English language. Another nicety is the way it allows the construction of beautiful prose, words which flow and transport the reader to another world, place or time, but I suppose all languages have that power and it’s up to the writer to wield it.

Which Pete does once again, as he transports you to the coast of Lancashire via the Northern Premier League:

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The Fleetwood Town Who are You? “we surprise people every year”

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Jake asks the question … see how others so far this season have replied by clicking on the image

John McCormick writes: Ben Knapman writes a fan column for the Fleetwood Weekly News and Blackpool Gazette. He did a two hour run earlier this year to raise funds for the Bradley Lowery Foundation. If that’s not enough he produces a You tube blog about Fleetwood Town. And he does it all on top of his studies, which I reckon are just about to begin once again.

Yet, when M Salut was about to give up the search for a Cod Army volunteer for this week’s “Who are You?”,  Ben found the time, stepped into the breach and did an excellent job of giving us an introduction to a club few of us would have expected to be meeting in the football league.

Over to M Salut and Ben:

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Sixer’s Sevens Stoke City U21s: Cats get the bonus in penalty shoot out

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Malcolm Dawson writes…..this was a game that rarely got the pulses racing but was decent enough entertainment I thought. I suppose you’d have to say there was a reasonable crowd there but not that many that there was any need to queue for the loos or park miles away from the ground. But there were still a few who felt it necessary to get up and go five minutes before the half time and full time whistles. Perhaps they didn’t know about the extra point penalty shoot out but there were still some who stayed for the first three or four then left before the result was decided!

This is still a competition with a chance of getting to Wembley. I’ll be interested to see how the crowds develop if we were to progress and the chance of a trip to the capital were to become a distinct possibility.

Jack Ross made it clear how he sees this competition and used the game as an opportunity to give some of our summer signings, Flannagan, McGeuch, Wyke and surprisingly and encouragingly Sinclair some match fitness whilst also taking a look at a few of the academy graduates in a match situation. I was there. Pete Sixsmith was there and a match report will follow in due course. For now you have my seven word summary.

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The SAFC vs Fleetwood Town prize Guess the Score: can we spoil Joey’s day?

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There is a prize. You judge whether it’s a great one

Monsieur Salut explains why there may or may not be a Fleetwood Town ‘Who are You?’. At least Guess the Score continues unaffected … (stop press – we now have a willing volunteer – see comment.)

Looking at the sheer number of fixtures in League One, I did wonder whether we’d be able to maintain “Who are You?” on a regular basis this season.

So far, so good. But Fleetwood Town – their stadium may be called Highbury but it houses only 5,327 fans – has proved a tough nut to crack.

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