Season End Reviews: (9) the Lars Word on turning points, Big Sam and the way forward

Lars touching base

There are reports our would-be owner is in a meeting with the EFL today, and that our change of ownership will be confirmed shortly (in respect of which here’s the latest club statement). Until it is we won’t know what will happen, although we all know what we want – in a word, success. No doubt there will be lots of ideas on how that will be achieved and we have one of them today.

Here’s Lars Knutsen  with an end of season review which reflects on the past before giving his ideas on how we’ll achieve that success:

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From the archives, and bordering on insanity

Jake: looking back

John McCormick writes: Nine years ago years ago I was in Sunderland and wondering what the future held. In particular, what the next season would bring. All three of the North East’s teams were in the relegation mix. We had two games to play, at Portsmouth and the the last of the season against Chelsea – sitting in the top three after a long unbroken run of wins. The others had only one. ‘Boro couldn’t catch us (nor could WBA) but they could overtake Newcastle, who in their turn could overtake us. Hull, too, were below us, by only one point. The extra game gave us control of our destiny but if we didn’t win it and the last day’s results went against us we would go down.

Here’s what Pete Sixsmith had to say  about it on 17th May 2009, the day before our game at Portsmouth, with M Salut providing the introduction. He titled the piece “Bordering on insanity”

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The Salut! Sunderland Haways: Hull, Brentford and Derby fans edge out Bolton

Jake: ‘thanks to all who participate’. Click this image to see all interviews from the season just ended

It’s that time of year again and Monsieur Salut unveils the Salut! Sunderland equivalent of the Oscars …

And the winner is: Kathryn Townsley. Click on her photo to read her interview

Salut! Sunderland is delighted to bring you the results of our annual awards for the best interviews of the season with fans of opposing clubs. We call the award the Haways – the Highly Articulate Who are You? (s).

One of the few bright spots of the season was the continuing high standard of responses from our interviewees. Remember, people have to be found, they have to agree to do it and they must then answer a lot of questions (maybe too many; if the series continues into League One, that may change).

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Come what may, can Sunderland go up?

Jake: ‘when will we next see sunny times for Sunderland AFC?’

 

Whoever turns out to be Sunderland’s next manager will soon – and let us hope it is soon as the club’s recent experience of delayed pre-season planning is a depressing one  – have to start a substantial overhaul of playing staff as we approach an August kickoff in League One.

With the ownership change moving along but not yet settled, no appointment is likely for another week or more depending on how long the EFL takes to approve the Stewart Donald takeover.

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Season End Reviews: (8) from the shambles of 2018 to 1988-style Sunderland fun

Ken Gambles: bringing more positivity to the SoL

One of the perils of responding promptly to Salut! Sunderland‘s annual appela for end-of-season reviews is that Monsieur Salut may succumb to pressures of other demands on this time and forget ever receiving it. Another is that ensuing events may render the most incisive thoughts out-of-date/

Ken Gambles
fell into the first trap. As for the second, a minor adjustment to take acocunt of movement on the change of ownership was all that was necessary. We thought the series- see all entries at this link – had ended with the eighth instalment, Pete Sixsmith‘s traditional closing analysis, but with Ken’s piece, and another from a contributor whose best intentions were delayed by travel, Sixer’s will now be re-numbered 10 …

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Season End Reviews: (10) six degrees to relegation (with thanks to Kevin Bacon)

Each year we invite regular and occasional contributors to write  end-of-season reviews, writes Monsieur Salut. You’d be forgiven for thinking there would be little stomach for the task this year. But several welcome articles have been received and published; all deserve to be read as you will see by clicking on this link which takes you to the series in full. We thank all who have taken the trouble to share their part of the collective agony.

As is also customary, Pete Sixsmith – who suffers more than most in his faithful pursuit of good football from Sunderland AFC – brings the series to an end …

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Season End Reviews: (7) some sad stats from Sunderland

 

The sun is shining and I’m sitting comfortable and warm in the shade the day after alleged new owners turned up at the allegedly debt-free SOL where a team including a lot of youngsters put three goals past the league champions without conceding themselves. So the future’s not all bad.

But before we get to that future let’s take a few moments to look back on a season and some statistics we’d probably not want to revisit too often.

And I must caution you, I’ve led you towards a conclusion. You might want to give how I’ve done it a bit of critical thought*.

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Red socks, pinstripes, fighting the bosses. Who is the Charlie Methven in SAFC takeover?

Charlie Methven


In the continuing saga of Stewart Donald’s attempt to buy Sunderland AFC,
Monsieur Salut has a minor interest to declare.

Many of you will have seen references to one Charlie Methven, a public relations wizard and a director of Madrox, the company created by Stewart to take over SAFC and – who knows? – make it great again.

He and Monsieur Salut are former colleagues and also got on well when working for the same newspaper.

Matt drew a cartoon for Charlie when he, too, left the Telegraph a year or two before M Salut

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Salut! Sunderland’s HAWAY awards: the 10 Championship clubs with fans battling for honours

Jake: ‘thanks to all who participate’. Click this image to see all of this seaon’s interviews
With nominations about to close in Salut! Sunderland’s annual HAWAY awards – the prizes offered for best interviews with opposing fans over the season just ended – there is a clear front runner.

Since judging is not quite complete, and readers may still take part as previously invited simply by adding their choices in order of first-second-third in the Comments below, it would be premature to give away more.

Nominations close at midnight UK time so there is not much time left for stragglers, and we do have a quorum with votes already cast by several contributors.

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Season End Reviews: (6) seeking bright spots amid the mismanagement, including Coleman’s

going three down at Goodison. Hey ho….

John McCormick, associate editor, writes in the latest of Salut! Sunderland’s  end-of-season reviews (see all contributions here):

I only made it to three games.

The first saw us exit the League Cup at Goodison, where a weaker than usual team in a struggling club had no trouble in dispatching us. Rodwell played that evening, in what I think was his last game for us (other than as an unused sub at Brentford), but other than that there was nothing of note in the game and it has no bearing on the rest of the season, so I’ll ignore it.

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