A Tale of Two Cities including Newcastle. Our final Sunderland season review

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One of Sixer's best moments of a troubled eason
One of Sixer’s best moments of a troubled eason

It’s never over until the fat lady sings. With a strict exercise regime and sensible dietary arrangements, Pete Sixsmith is well on his way to becoming a much slimmer version of the Sixer we know and love. Let’s hope it doesn’t affect his voice or his writing, as Adele reportedly fears could happen to her. Having endured some of the worst football of his half century of following Sunderland, Pete shared the general appreciation of a vastly improved second half of the season and the pulsating finish. Here is his end-of-season review, which ends the series.

See other contributions to the series at https://safc.blog/category/end-of-season-reviews-2016/

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Win a trip to the Euros: Hodgson snubs Defoe, who should go?

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Jake: 'simply a top man'
Jake: ‘simply a top man, to anyone not called Roy’


Win a trip to the Euros … read on

Roy Hodgson has probably worked out where Sunderland is on the map but not clearly enough to make him select an in-form striker, who grabbed an astonishing tally of 15 Premier League goals despite playing for a team that spent most of the season in the bottom three.

So no room for Jermain Defoe at the Euros 2016 in France. Roy did include in his provisional squad a well-known Championship player, Andros Townsend, and a man who doesn’t quite match Jermain’s standards of clean living, Jack Wilshere.

And SAFC fans who turn out at the Stadium of Light on Friday may well see Jordan Henderson, long lost to us as a player but still a fan, in the England friendly vs Australia. Since Roy’s a linguist, this link helping him find our ground is in French.

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The ‘Who are You?’ Awards frontrunners: West Brom, Tottenham … and Exeter

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

It is that time of year. Salut! Sunderland is preparing to make its annual HAWAY awards, honouring the best of our “Who are You?” interviewees among opposing supporters. The interviews ahead of each match often reach the highest standards (the answers, I mean with due modesty, not the questions) and we are delighted to offer awards to the best as voted by our panel of judges.

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Sunderland season reviews (1): the rocky road to survival

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John McCormick:
John McCormick
looking forward to next season

It’s time again for Salut! Sunderland writers, regular or occasional, to look back on a season that carried the now customary threat of relegation before bursting into life with another of our extraordinary late escapes. The reviews will appear pretty much in the order they are received – feel free to have a go if there’s something pressing on your mind – and end with the thoughts of our indefatigable chronicler Pete Sixsmith. Accordingly, we start with associate editor John McCormick …

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