SAFC Blog - Page 218 of 621 - Sunderland AFC Blog

Sixer Says (before disappearing): Wes Brown and what the retained list overlooks

June 11, 2015June 11, 2015 by Colin Randall

Pete Sixsmith is about to vanish beneath a tall pile of exam papers to mark. It’s a wretched job but …

Nothing changes: Watford, Norwich, Bournemouth plus guess who – already relegation favourites

June 10, 2015June 10, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'Emirates heroics leave bookies unmoved' — Jake: ‘Emirates heroics leave bookies unmoved’

Andrew Pink, from the Square in the Air sports marketing firm, was trying to make me feel better.

He’d sent something about Betway cutting the odds on West Ham finishing in the top six from 18/1 to 14/1 after the appointment of Slaven Bilic as team boss. So where, I wondered, did Dick Advocaat’s return leave us? I told him I’d almost bet on them having us down for the drop anyway, on the basis that betting analysts would reckon we cannot keep getting away with it.

“It’s not all bad news,” came Andrew’s response once he’d lowered his eyes to the prognosis for that far down the table. “Sunderland are 4th favourites to go down….”

SAFC: back in the Deloitte list, with plenty after our place

June 9, 2015June 9, 2015 by Colin Randall

John McCormick writes: back in January various sources ran the news that all of 2013-14’s Premiership clubs were in the world’s top 40 in terms of revenue. While Norwich, Fulham and Cardiff won’t stay there for 2016 I expect Burnley, QPR and Leicester to replace them. Looking ahead to 2017, Burnley, Hull and QPR should drop out with Norwich reappearing, along with Watford and Bournemouth; that’s the power of the Premier …

Mrs Advocaat’s flowers and Sunderland’s blooming expectations

June 8, 2015 by Colin Randall

How can you buy flowers for someone whose name you don’t even know?

This is how The Northern Echo reports the story of Dick Advocaat’s about-turn on his decision – attributed to wifely demands – to leave Sunderland after his Red Adair rescue gig, and the response to that decision of quite a few fans …

Grateful Sunderland fans have raised more than £2,000 to buy flowers for their manager’s wife after he returned to the club with her permission. Dick Advocaat had said that he’d leave at the end of last season because his wife wanted him to retire …. Sunderland fan Tom Sproates set up a GoFundMe page for online donations for his wife, which topped £1,300 seven hours after being started.

Now a reality: Sunderland the play, Saint-Etienne the film

June 7, 2015 by Colin Randall

If only to reassure everyone we are still here, why not reproduce something posted over at the original, non-football Salut! site?

It has SAFC connections, albeit more detached as the story proceeds. Monsieur Salut saw the play in Paris but cannot properly remember at which point the male lead – you see him pictured, in one of our tops – slagging off Newcastle (in French of course). It happened, though.

Sunderland, as you shall soon realise if you didn’t read it here the first time, has become Saint-Etienne in the film version: our links include coalmining, Steeeeeed (all of one appearance for them) and Patrice Carteron (120 – and while with us, he scored against the Mags; he’s now head coach of the Congolese club TP Mazembe).

As for the film, pretty good reviews here and there though I did see a tweet saying it had opened to empty houses in Lyon …

Sixer’s good news in threes: Advocaat’s return, Blatter’s downfall, a cricketing feast

June 5, 2015June 4, 2015 by Colin Randall

Pete Sixsmith was quick off the mark in welcoming news of Dick Advocaat’s one-year term as head coach. Here is his considered view on this and other developments in football …

The return of Advocaat and Advochaat …

June 4, 2015June 4, 2015 by Colin Randall

The return of Advocaat. Dick, by Jake — The return of Advoc(h)aat. Dick, by Jake

As is the mode, I heard about it via Facebook and Twitter. And it has now been confirmed by the club that Dick Advocaat is returning after all, on a one-year deal. There is minor dissent, but my response is that this is news to be heartily welcomed.

Jeremy Robson said on these pages recently that the Little General was “the most accomplished manager to arrive at Sunderland in my lifetime”. As a small by-prouct of the deal, next season’s post-match e-mails published here at Salut! Sunderland will retain the generic title invented by Jake, Advochaat.

Our next head coach: Dyche, Allardyce, Cocu, Pol. Who excites, who doesn’t?

June 3, 2015June 3, 2015 by Colin Randall

So who do we think is fit to lead a team bearing the handsome red and white stripes on which someone clearly based his or her design when coming up with a colour scheme – spotted the other day – for the central bagni in the Italian resort of Santa Margherita, right next to Portofino?

Sunderland Season Reviews: in conclusion, hope eternal and thoughts of Harry Hood

June 1, 2015May 31, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'thanks to all have shared their thoughts in this feature' — Jake: ‘thanks to all have shared their thoughts in this feature’

John McCormick writes: while we don’t know what the future will bring, although we know it won’t be orange, we do know what the past was like. It was like the season before, and the season before that. You know what I mean, a typical Sunderland season in which we beat the Mags, had a brush with relegation, changed managers, stayed up, hey hum…

That’s the bare bones of it.

And to put flesh on those bones, here is Pete Sixsmith with his conclusion to our “End of Season Reviews”

End of Season reviews: sunshine on a rainy day

May 31, 2015May 30, 2015 by Colin Randall

Once again, a series of Salut! Sunderland end of season reviews has inspired our writers to show remarkable powers of analysis, foresight and wit. Pete Sixsmith opened the series, with his brief jottings for The Observer, and will close it with his broader, post-Advocaat view. For the penultimate instalment, our deputy editor Malcolm Dawson cries out for consistency, progress and, above all, some football he can actually enjoy watching …