Look at the four FA Cup semi-finalists.
Is there another team in the land Sunderland supporters could care less about?
Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City. Guess the final two, help Bradley Lowery
Past glories: priceless American description of Tommy’s penalty save versus Newcastle’s Shearer
Monsieur Salut writes: people sometimes tell me, whoever they support, that they like Salut! Sunderland because it tries to bring smiles to people’s faces. No matter what! There is no football, apart from Sunderland’s Ladies Team in their SSE Women’s FA Cup semi-final cup game against Chelsea on Sunday, between now and Watford away.
So, hardly Ten Years After, rather 17, but will this cheer us up a little?
Between Facebook chats about good and bad referees and other things, an old Newcastle-supporting journalistic acquaintance, Terry Pattinson, and I found ourselves briefly discussing the Tyne-Wear derby of 2000. The context was my assertion that players make many more mistakes at work than refs. I couldn’t resist mention of the Alan Shearer penalty saved by Tommy Sorensen to ensure our three points. And nor could I ever forget the way an American friend, who attended the match with me, later explained the key moment to his equally American girlfriend.
Since we won’t be playing Newcastle next season – and feel free to interpret that as us somehow staying up, them somehow missing out – it seems worth another outing. It originally appeared at ESPN in 2013, just ahead of the Di Canio 3-0 win at St James’ Park in April 2013. Please bear in mind it was written for a largely neutral readership …
If there are sufficient responses to this article, on any related topic, the best – chosen arbitrarily will get a mini-version of the Nick Barnes Matchbook, whose publishers will pay £5 of the price into the Bradley Lowery fund. A winning Newcastle-supporting contributor will be offered a NUFC-themed mug instead, with Salut! Sunderland paying the fiver into Bradley’s fund)
Wrinkly Pete’s Crystal Ball: can SAFC’s safety bid really get back on course?
Monsieur Salut writes: with another long wait for our next game, and David Moyes’s next doom-laden post-match reaction, it is once again time for Peter Lynn, aka Wrinkly Pete, to update his series based on the points tally he rather optimistically predicted for Sunderland.The original preamble is beginning to look a little dated so I shall re-arrange the text to start with Pete’s thought on the Burnley match and its impact on his calculations…
Sixer’s Burnley Soapbox: no plan, no guile but at least a Chuck Berry payoff
Monsieur Salut writes: normally, our deputy editor Malcolm Dawson introduces Pete Sixsmith‘s unfailingly compelling reflections on Sunderland matches. I have become quite proficient at following each match by internet streams and Barnes and Benno but Malcolm and Sixer both attend most home games and the lame 0-0 draw to Burnley was no exception (the interviewee for our first-class Burnley ‘Who are You?’ Duncan Sutcliffe joined them in County Durham yesterday to complete his journey from Lancashire to the Stadium of Light).
Sixer suggested that for once I should post his piece because, talking over the disappointment of the game by phone this morning, we both found bleak humour in my oversight, when sending my usual report to ESPN, in inadvertently omitting Jack Rodwell entirely from my ratings. It was therefore, until quickly rectified, as if we had started with 10 men. Mmmm. Over to Sixer to ponder this Freudian slip and other striking features of a match that may prove decisive in our latest bid to survive in the top flight, and see if you can improve on his closing reference to the newly departed and truly great Chuck Berry …
Moyes on the boys v Burnley: ‘unfortunately the point we’ve got today isn’t enough’
John McCormick writes: Two weeks ago we started positively against Man City and we showed fight. Our manager found things to praise.
This week, despite a couple of positive comments, he’s not as upbeat. Nor am I or, I suspect, anyone who went to the SOL as a home fan. We are just not good enough for the first division.
Sixer’s Sevens: Sunderland 0-0 Burnley. Unimaginative and wasteful
Monsieur Salut writes: another wasted chance to keep in touch with anything remotely resembling safety. First half was abysmal, Burnley poor but often threatening whereas Sunderland were just poor. Very poor. Second half? Four or five excellent chances to score so it was undoubtedly better, but still so far short of being good enough. On his birthday, Pete Sixsmith had to field questions on social media about what could possibly spoil his day. His seven-word verdict, later modified a little and on which he will gloomily expand, tells it all …
England expects and so do we: why Jermain Defoe fully merits his call-up
Just in case anyone would wonder what Jermain Defoe has been doing on the pitch, here are a few stats which explain exactly why Gareth Southgate is so perfectly right in recalling him to the England squad.
Data courtesy of EA SPORTS
Hail Jermain Defoe, Sunderland and – once more – England
Among the things it seemed impossible to believe, Jermain Defoe’s England recall was up there with “of course the pound will recover from Brexit” and “Sunderland won’t go down”.
Monsieur Salut can live, just, with the former being a somewhat improbable development – while allowing himself a mischievous chuckle at what’s it’s done to Magaluf spending dosh – and meekly accepts the latter is a forlorn hope.
SAFC vs Burnley ‘Who are You?’: Dyche, Barton, Bob Lord and us
Colin Randall wites: What a fabulous set of answers, from a proper supporter of a proper football club, brought to us by Pete Sixsmith, who met him on holiday in Italy and tried to lead him astray (ie by persuading him along to some some Under 23s reserve game Sixer had spotted in the local paper). As I read the first, long answer from Duncan Sutcliffe* I wondered whether the interview ought to be cut in two. I decided against, because a) it’s the sort of read I’d personally want to see in one go and b) because Salut! Sunderland readers generally warm to exchanges of this kind and this quality with people who essentially, share their outlook on football. Great stuff, if ultimately grim reading for us, Duncan – what a pleasure to have you back again ….
Nil desperandum: why Sunderland’s relegation would still not lead me to despair
This article by our deputy editor Malcolm Dawson appeared two years ago next Monday. Change the names and other details and it is as relevant now as it was then. Pete Sixsmith always threatens to jump ship, without – except in the 1997-1998 playoff season – actually getting wet; in fact, he will probably see a season or two, provided it is no more than that, in the Championship as a pleasant change from enduring life at the bottom of the Premier League. Malcolm suggested re-running the article so presumably feels the same as he did in March 2015, just after he’d watched Aston Villa thrash us 4-0 at the SoL; maybe a few tweaks would bring us up to date, but the article and its sentiments stand the test of two years rather well, so there has been almost no editing …