Jake: catch Sixer’s instant seven-word verdicts throughout the season
Monsieur Salut writes: At half time, Sunderland having defended reasonably well without offering a threat to the Everton goal, went behind when Fabio Borini failed to track back and a swift move down the right ended up with the ball in the back of the net. Pete Sixsmith, suffering at Goodison, felt there was ‘no way back’. There were signs of better in the second. SAFC won a corner after Defoe hit the bar and – you guessed – the ball went straight down the field and Lukaku made it two from a one-to-one on Jordan Pickford. Prepare for a push for promotion …
It must rank among the most squalid decisions ever taken in professional football, and there’s plenty of competition.
No profanity, please, lads and lasses but do have your say on the dismissal of Claudio Ranieri just months after he led Leicester City to its finest hour.
A whimsical look back at the antics of Wayne Shaw, 46 years old and weighing in at 23 stones, who has paid dearly for scoffing a liue during the Sutton United 5th round FA Cup tie against Arsenal on Feb 20 …
As the world now knows, Sutton United’s goalie Wayne Shaw’s well-fed form will no longer be a feature of the club’s games, since he officially resigned over a betting scandal that involved eating a pie at half-time during the FA Cup match against Arsenal.
Graeme Holmes at Athletic Bilbao, the Basque club with strong Sunderland links**
Graeme Holmes* is an Everton season ticket holder whose globetrotting, groundhopping activities make our own Pete Sixsmith seem like an armchair supporter. He’s at a match as a neutral most nights to add to those huge number of Everton games he’s seen over the past 38 years. He has obviously come across Sixer on his travels and it is that connection that introduces him to Salut! Sunderland. Welcome, Graeme …
******* CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO ENLARGE FOR A CLEARER VIEW *******
Rob Hutchison, as most of us know, is a man of relatively few words. His one-word, one-mark ratings after each Sunderland game he attends (mostly the aways) can be caustic and cruel, or more rarely ecstatic and encouraging. They are always succinct.
He’s struggling for the right words, any words this time, to sum up the poster you see above.
Jake: ‘what constitutes a safe bet on Sunderland?’
Salut! Sunderland readers have become accustomed to occasional links to betting sites. It is naturally up to each individual to decide whether these are useful, because some people do like the odd flutter (even Monsieur Salut has been known to place bets on first scorer), or of no interest at all. For those in the former category, here are some thoughts from Katie Johnson, who represents one such betting outlet, on how to improve your chances of making responsible betting pay …
Everton away: will Jake’s snap verdict be a happy one?
Monsieur Salut interrupts the usual business of trying to get heating, hot water, internet and the rest working again in France to announce the return of Guess the Score after the recent, perhaps merciful break from premier League action. No Anichebe, sadly, but if Oviedo, Gibson, Pienaar and Rodwell are available, David Moyes’s faith in former Everton players may be about to be put to a stiff test …
The recent double-prize edition of Guess the Score attracted no correct entries, which is not surprising since few of us seriously hoped for a 4-0 win at Crystal Palace and even fewer feared we’d then surrender by the same margin at home to Southampton.
So as we launch the competition for the game at Everton, we can be excused for wondering which Sunderland to expect to turn up this time.
The Observer asked fans of the bottom seven clubs to say who would go down and who would survive. Perhaps to no great surprise, all seven – our own Pete Sixsmith included – said Sunderland would drop. Pete did allow for another possible great escape but without much confidence. Everyone apart from the Palace supporter thought they were doomed, too, with the votes for the third team divided between Hull, Boro and Leicester .
