Salut! Sunderland‘s look back on the week just gone may not appear every single Saturday – it is a useful guide for the busy reader but also time-consuming – but resumes with links to much of what has been written here about the Liverpool opener, Joey Barton’s antics at St James’ Park and today’s Derby …
Time for all posturing and pre-match boasting to end. Kickoff is only a few hours away and some of us may be ecstatic, others despondent, come 2pm.
The derby has made it a busy week at Salut! Sunderland. But the flurry of activity here began with the ultimately satisfactory draw at Anfield.
For those who need a recap, the highlights of the week – click on any sub-heading to go to the full article – have included:
* From Dowdly Benevolence to Gradual Control
Pete Sixsmith’s report on a game that began ominously but slowly turned our way, producing the usual number of talking points for a Liverpool-SAFC fixture. And M Salut challenged Graham Poll’s verdict on the major controversy, whether Kieran Richardson should have been shown red.
* The Planet’s Least Successful Club
Just a light-hearted look at Matthew Norman’s book on the 101 things that most annoy him in sport. But it was enough to induce severe sense-of-humour breakdown on the part of a lot of our friends from up the road.
* Reinvented first as philosopher, now as cheat
How Joey Barton grabbed exclusive rights to have a Salut! Sunderland interview question, one posed to every opposing supporter answering the “Who Are You?” questionnaire, named after him. Oddly enough, Joey did not respond to a right-of-reply invitation via Twitter.
* Sense and folly, passion and poison
A good read: Michael Hudson, Newcastle-supporting non-league football buff, gave fascinating answers to the usual questions.
An updated version of the story of Isaac Moore “Ike” McGorian, a Sunderland full-back from the 1920s. We had called him Jack when he was known as Ike; either way, he was a Bardsley figure from the past. Salut! Sunderland’s report, I am glad to say, was much appreciated by his family, who produced facts and photos to illustrate the article.
A whimsical look at the extent to which we allow our lives to be governed, twice every season when we’re in the same division, by the derby games.
There was more: a plea, eventually answered, for a Brighton supporter to do the pre-Carling Cup interview and more on Derby Day. And the odd sneaky plug for the Cinderalla of the Salut! stable, Salut! Live Navigate the site(s) to explore further.
* AND if you really like what Salut! Sunderland tries to do, please consider helping us by buying one of the tea/coffee mugs we have just launched as our first tentative step into the world of merchandising. Go to this link if interested.
