All good things come to an end: Sunderland’s relegation is mine too

by
… through the Championship, we’re on our way

Just before the start of the 2012-2013 season, Dom Raynor, then editor of ESPN FC, invited me to contribute regular articles on Sunderland to the club-by-club section of the site. These days, I am so used to being asked to work for nothing that I was surprised to discover they proposed to pay for these services. It wasn’t much, but there was demand for sufficient items each month to make it seem like gainful employment.

When I have been absent, Pete Sixsmith has stepped in, as admirably as you’d expect from him, and I owe him one last payment for his excellent report from a game we actually won, at Hull City.

The ESPN FC’s interest in English football is naturally concentrated on the Premier League. When teams go down, so do the writers of blog reports on those clubs’ pages. Seats may or may not be kept warm, but the gig necessarily comes to an end.

After five seasons, and with grateful thanks to Dom’s totally professional successor Alexander Shaw, it feels like a a bit of a wrench though Mme Salut will be pleased to reclaim weekends (little does she know I intend to attend every home and away match, all Under 23 games and the entire SAFC Ladies programme while still finding time for non-Sunderland football on all other days). She always said I promised to rattle off pieces in half an hour; they may sometimes look that way, but always take a little longer.

Here is my preview of the final game of the season, and therefore my final preview for ESPN FC at least for now. My brief report and marks out of 10 will appear as soon as possible after the Chelsea game on Sunday, there will then be a bit of mopping up, end-of-season assessment sort of stuff and then that will be that …

Read more

Sixer’s Soapbox: when Porto’s footballing perfection sees off SAFC, it’s time to sit back and enjoy

by
Sixer by Jake

John McCormick writes: it’s good to see Pete Sixsmith keeping up to date with education matters; that GCSEs are now graded 1-9 had passed me by. I bet M Salut knew, too, he might even have a maths grade to be proud of.

Pete also keeps up to date with football, of course, and although his Premier League season may be over he made his way to the Stadium of Light to join an impressive 18,000 others in watching the youth team take on a group of players who know what it’s like to play week in, week out, in a thoroughly competitive and professional setting.

Read more

The Chapman Report from Arsenal: maybe Moyes had used the cattle prod

by
not giving up

Pete Sixsmith’s season done, the baton is handed once again to Robert Chapman, ever present even though home games involve a 460-mile round trip. After the Swansea mess, he might have been forgiven for not bothering with the remaining away games, closer to home though they may be for him. He stuck to his principles and was pleasantly surprised at Arsenal, not by the predictable result but by the effort he witnessed from our side …

When we were finally relegated against Bournemouth the other week, my wife asked whether I would bother going to the remaining fixtures.

Even I, the eternal optimist, knew we were going to be relegated some time ago. I told her that as long as the team tried – by which I mean giving 100 per cent – I would carry on to the bitter end.

Read more

‘With Rob Mason’s diligence, SAFC would be preparing for Barca not Burton’

by
Visit Rob’s author page at Amazon by clicking this link

Monsieur Salut writes: I have offered the view of Sunderland AFC as I understand it at this link. Here is Pete Sixmsith with a wonderful tribute to Rob Mason, reluctantly departing editor of the award-winning SAFC matchday programme …


One of the consequences of relegation is that there are changes behind the scenes. Players move on to better things if they are lucky but those who work in hospitality, ticketing and admin find that their services are no longer required as there is less demand for pre-match entertainment when the visitors are Cardiff rather than Chelsea.

One of those leaving is Rob Mason who has edited the club programme for many years. He is a supporter who has always attended games, coming back from university at Sheffield to watch the lads in the early 70s. The programme he has produced has been consistently excellent, rarely reflecting the action on the pitch in that it was interesting, well put together and was most certainly value for money.

Read more

Rob Mason: an unsung Sunderland hero departs

by
One of Rob’s publication. Check them out at https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/184818204X/salusund-21 …

Rob Mason, departing editor of Sunderland AFC’s matchday programme, was – as has been noted here previously – utterly dignified and devoid of rancour in his pre-match conversation with Nick Barnes on BBC Radio Newcastle.

He then endured the 2-0 defeat to Swansea; take 10 percent from the fat wages of the men and leader of men involved in that sad spectacle and you’d probably fund Rob’s pay packet several times over. Pete Sixsmith has written a magnificent tribute to Rob, the man he knows as well as the programme editor he knows, and I do not wish to dilute that with this exercise in context and balance. But there is context, and maybe balance, whether or not you agree with the points being made. Pete’s piece follows here …

 

Read more

Chelsea prize Guess the Score: ‘it’s our party, we’ll cry if we want to’

by
Jake wills us to win, just for the fun of it

With apologies to the late Lesley Gore and the writers of her pop classic – it took no fewer than four of them: Walter Gold John Gluck Jr, Herb Weiner Seymour Gottlieb, and their song of teenage betrayal was elevated to new heights in the 1981 version of the non-Eurythmics, non-Sunderland Dave Stewart and Barbar Gaskin – Sunday afternoon is party time. Chelsea fans will be en fete, ours will make the most of their day, too, before taking their leave of the Premier League.

To adapt the song’s best couplet: Everybody knows where my Sunderland have gone/ But Judy (David Moyes?) left the same time

And here’s is a special prize edition of Guess the Score …

Read more

Moyes on the boys v Arsenal: ultimately outclassed

by
Moyes on the boys

John McCormick writes:

I wouldn’t have bothered putting Januzaj on, wouldn’t even have bothered telling him to turn up.

But other than that, I can’t really disagree with David Moyes today, given that Arsenal really did need to win to give themselves a top four chance, and they really did have to make an effort to get that win.

Read more

Sixer’s Sevens: Arsenal 2-0 SAFC. A smidgeon of pride

by
Jake: ‘come on Jordan. Just give us one more season. Please’

Monsieur Salut writes: Pete Sixsmith has done with Sunderland for this season, at least as far as attending games is concerned. You will not see his seven-word verdict but Bob Chapman’s.

After the awfulness of the last home game, our Lads at least mustered defiance and occasional threat. Forget the overwhelming dominance of the stats – shots on goals, corners and so on. Arsenal were forced to fight for this win. Jordan Pickford was superb, Billy Jones stuck as well as anyone might to Alexis Sanchez and was perhaps unlucky that the Chilean scored both goals and Jermain Defoe ran and ran. Even Januzaj ran in his cameo substitute’s appearance. Effort and concentration of this sort, much more often, would have added some points to a miserable tally …

Read more

Haway! It’s awards time again with Bournemouth, Middlesbrough, Swansea making early running

by
Jake: ‘with thanks to all opposing fans who participate’

Monsieur Salut introduces our annual HAWAY awards, with thanks to the supporters of all clubs played by Sunderland in league and cup this season who contributed to the series …

Cinema does it with Oscars, BAFTAs, Cannes and the rest. Pop has the Brits and Grammys. Salut! Sunderland brings you the HAWAYS, honouring the best interviews with opposing fans – the Highly Articulate Who are You? awards.

We are delighted once again to have a trio of generous sponsors. The rough-and-ready shortlist is with judges but I shall extend the process this year to allow a popular vote, using the same criteria including the fact that my suggestions are intended as no more than a guide.

Read more

Arsenal ‘Guess the Score’: just a matter of how many Defoe scores?

by
Jake: ‘this is one I made now’

We all know relegated teams like to turn it on for the swansong. After the meekest of surrenders to Swansea, SAFC players – especially those with an eye on lucrative summer transfers – will accordingly raise their game at Arsenal. Two for Defoe, one more for Billy Jones as we romp to a 3-1 win. Mmm ….

Sunderland AFC: a club that can hire the dross we’ve seen hired and embrace CEOs and directors of football who bring only misery can still find the commercial nous needed to sack backroom staff and get rid of such a SAFC institution as the programme editor, Rob Mason.

We’ve plenty more to say, Messrs Short and Bain, so watch this space.

Read more