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The SAFC vs Barnsley Who are You? and prize Guess the Score combined

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The JPT final: look out for the Bowie-shirt, blue jeans and thumbs up: that’s our Craig

Monsieur Salut writes: a very happy new year to all Salut! Sunderland readers, editors, contributors and advertisers/sponsors. As well as featuring the thoughts of a Barnsley supporter, this is the place for entries in Guess the Score. There’ll be a prize as usual – a book or mug, to be sent to a UK delivery address – and Barnsley supporters are very welcome to have a go.

Thank heavens – though not always – for Twitter. It is, or at least can be, a fruitful place to find supporters of other teams. I was fearing a  blank Sunderland -Barnsley ‘Who are You?’ until I found Craig Robinson*.

Craig’s replies, like those of the fan who sat in the same hot seat for the game at their game at Oakwell, are realistic and to the point …

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Hutch’s One-word ratings from Nottingham Forest v Sunderland

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Rob Hutchison

John McCormick writes: Rob Hutchison did his one-words verdicts, passed them to Olivia, who forwarded them to M Salut, who put them into an email in the hope that someone would be able to get them up before tomorrow, which will be very busy. And I just happened to pick up the e-mail.

Teamwork, eh. It’s not just SAFC that can do it

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The First Time Ever I Saw Your Ground: Nottingham Forest and the City Ground

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Sleek Sixer is back on duty

John McCormick writes: I’ve sort of begun a tradition within this series, of adding material, especially video, that Pete Sixsmith hasn’t come up with himself, although he has provided some great photos. I was setting this one up in advance, hoping as I did so that Pete would include something I could use to keep the tradition going. It’s Nottingham Forest this time, so can you guess what I put at the end in anticipation?

Pete delivered perfectly, but he also provided the opportunity for a mid-piece piece as well. And the beauty of it is that neither diverts from another fascinating reminiscence:

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Nottingham Forest Who are You?: ‘if you drop, it’ll be good for you…’

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Jake’s take

John McCormick writes: a midwinter journey to one of the proper clubs. Founded 1865, occupying the same ground during three different centuries, and they had the sense to take on the best manager we never had. And then it all went wrong.

But it looks like it’s going right again as we welcome Forest season ticket holder Dan Watts, founder of Talk Forest TV and spotted for us by our own Pete Sixsmith, to give us the lowdown …

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Sheffield United Soapbox (another Sixer substitute): a shamefully feeble surrender

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Sixer’s soapbox has yet another temporary occupant. The suffering’s the same


Monsieur Salut writes: Pete Sixsmith is making his return to post-Santa duties in a gradual sort of way, a Sixer’s Seven here, that smashing series on The First Time Ever I Saw Ground/Team there. I could hardly decline his invitation to step in with the Soapbox from Bramall Lane, painful as it is to write anything about what happened there on Boxing Day …

Anyone who has supported Sunderland home and away, even if their opportunities are limited, knows the wretched feelings of embarrassment inflicted by truly awful displays. When it’s away from home, the embarrassment is made all the more acute if snatched conversations between opposing supporters are overheard.

“Just coming away from the match,” said one man into his mobile phone as people made their way back towards Sheffield city centre. He added almost as an afterthought: “We won 3-0 but mind, the other team were absolute rubbish.”

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Sixer’s Seven: Sheffield United clinically dissect Black Cats on Boxing Day

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Jake: ‘it’s not always pretty’

Pete Sixsmith, Santa duties over, was at Bramall Lane this afternoon, where no doubt he hoped to enjoy some festive cheer with M Salut, who was seeking to maintain his talismanic streak and see another Sunderland win today. Gary Bennett wasn’t impressed at half time as the Lads went in 1-0 down. How was Pete feeling at the end? Well as the minutes ticked away he sent “New manager bounce over. Send for Pulis!” but I didn’t need to wait until the final whistle for his usual immediate post match 7 word summation because his earlier text, which came with half an hour left, said it all.

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The First Time Ever I Saw Your Ground: Sheffield United.

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John McCormick writes: on Saturday Ed posted on his facebook page that it had been 378 days since he’d seen us win and then headed off to the SOL. Now you know who to blame.

But you can’t fault his loyalty. Stony broke, he and a mate once hitched down to Bramall Lane for an evening game. I’m not sure exactly when it was, or what the competition was but I think the weather was freezing and they were some of the very few who made the journey.

Pete Sixsmith had already been there, of course, and by an easier route:

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Salut! Sunderland’s Christmas stocking fillers: three strikers and three competitions

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Relaxing in his Jesmond grotto after another gruelling day at work

As Salut! Sunderland wishes everyone – or nearly everyone – a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy new year, it seems right to mark the festive occasion with not one, nor even two but three competitions.

Which one shall we mention first first: Guess the Score, a guide to the popularity of our own Sixer – aka Pete Sixsmith, Santa and Sunderland support par excellence – among all he has befriended or taught, or a tale of three strikers? Sixer wins the toss of this three-sided coin.

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