SAFC Blog - Page 227 of 621 - Sunderland AFC Blog

Sunderland vs Crystal Palace: can we have more winning goals from Fletcher?

April 10, 2015April 10, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'this is a big, big one, Lads' — Jake: ‘this is a big, big one, Lads’

We’ve tried our best to be busy in the aftermath of a fifth successive Wear-Tyne-Wear derby win, and in the build-up to Saturday’s equally important game at home to Crystal Palace. See the home page – salutsunderland.com – and you can find analysis, comment and wit galore, on both topics.

About the Palace game, I have said at ESPN that this is a golden opportunity to reinforce our survival hopes, us at home in a tough but winnable match while all the other strugglers have nominally trickier games whether home or away. I also say it was time for the players to repay and reciprocate the love for SAFC that Niall Quinn talked about on derby weekend.

Crystal Palace ‘Who are You?’: Kellie Shirley’s racy scenes with Morrissey and nightmare in Liverpool

April 9, 2015April 9, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake wants answers ... — Jake wants answers …

Kellie Shirley‘s public may know her best as Carly Wicks from Eastenders but she’s been in so much more, from Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and The Office to Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky with lots of stage work, too, at the Royal National Theatre and Royal Court. If you have watched Soccer AM and listened to TalkSport, you may know Kellie is also a passionate Crystal Palace fan. Read more about her work below*; she’s heavily involved in charity work, campaigning for Mencap and acting as patron (with Richard Wilson, aka Victor Meldrew, who should support Greenock Morton – and did until he got sucked into brand allegiance to Man Utd) to a dance group for disabled young people. We’re delighted to welcome her to the ‘Who are You?’ hot seat …

SAFC vs Crystal Palace Guess the Score: a tougher test than Newcastle

April 9, 2015April 8, 2015 by Colin Randall

So we have the regional bragging rights again and, more important to me, three precious points.

But beating an abysmal Newcastle United team is no more than a confidence-boosting warm-up for the potentially far greater task of grabbing another vital win, this time at home to Crystal Palace.

Newcastle Disunited: at least True Geordie’s funny, unlike Jamie Carragher

April 8, 2015April 7, 2015 by Colin Randall

A Newcastle United fan with huge YouTube and Twitter followings lets rip after Sunday. No one offended by bad language should click on the link to four minutes and 42 seconds of bile aimed not at us but at his own manager and team. 106,310 people had done so as I started posting this.

Keir’s Sunderland Player Ratings after Newcastle beaten again

April 7, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: have your say on Keir's assessments — Jake: have your say on Keir’s assessments

We probably need a psychiatrist to decipher Keir Bradwell‘s comment on Connor Wickham. Otherwise his marks go pretty much as you’d expect, with plaudits all round and special mention for an “all right goal”. Newcastle’s star man? Monsieur Salut! is tempted to say Tim Krul for his spontaneous act of sportsmanship, patting Defoe on the back in the tunnel at half time for a super strike, and managing to annoy Jamie ‘you can’t do that in any game, especially a derby’ Carragher in the process. Let’s more Spirit of Krul, less Snarl of Carragher ….

Sunderland 1 Newcastle United 0. Two unsung winners: Billy Jones, Bill Cowell

April 6, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: hats off to a great showing — Jake: hats off to you for a great game

Yes, everyone will remember Jermain Defoe’s goal-of-the-season contender. Tim Krul will especially remember it, having been rubbished by an infantile lynch mob led by Jamie Carragher for his sportsmanlike gesture of congratulation in the tunnel at half time.

But spare some thoughts, too, for Billy Jones and William Cowell.

Sixer’s Newcastle United Soapbox: Roker Roar revived by five in a row

April 6, 2015April 6, 2015 by Colin Randall

Pete Sixsmith witnesses a good, solid performance with more than a hint of Dick Advocaat’s ‘win ugly’ strategy but also a goal of the utmost quality. This was the sort of display that will, if maintained, keep the crowd on the players’ side and secure the necessary points before those dreaded final trips to the Emirates and Stamford Brdige …

'Gloriious, glorious, glorious', says Jake, clearly believing Defoe's goal should be considered a hat trick — ‘Gloriious, glorious, glorious’, says Jake, clearly believing Defoe’s goal should be considered a hat trick

Advochaat: three points and a baby

April 6, 2015April 5, 2015 by Colin Randall

John McCormick writes:

It was a special day.

At about half three I was in the Liverpool Women’s hospital, holding my new-born granddaughter.

“It’s been a good weekend,” I said to Peter, my Blackburn-season-ticket-holding-son-in-law.

“Yes”, he said. “Before Leeds I said all we needed was three points and a baby”.

“Three points and a baby. That’ll do me,” I thought.

And I hoped like hell, as we drove home, trying to hear the radio above the noise of grandma and auntie Helen in the back, that that’s what it would be.

Hutch’s Patch: Larsson the star as Sunderland making beating Newcastle a habit

April 5, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'nowt wrong with route one' — Jake: ‘for days like this …’

Sixer has had the first of his says – https://safc.blog/2015/04/sixers-sevens-sunderland-1-newcastle-united-0-defoe-makes-adams-looks-ordinary/ – and Monsieur Salut has done the balancing act tequired at ESPNC (http://www.espnfc.com/club/sunderland/366/blog). But if we are honest, it all comes down to the result – what three points mean to our prospects of survival and what doing it five in a row against Newcastle means for tribal instinct.
Here’s Rob Hutchison‘s appraisal, one word per players but read each word in sequence and you’ll get his drift …

Sixer’s Sevens: Sunderland 1 Newcastle United 0. Defoe makes Adam looks ordinary

April 5, 2015 by Colin Randall

Monsieur Salut writes: Pete Sixsmith is not often purring these days. After the stupendous strike by Jermain Defoe in the last moment of the first half, an unstoppable volley from 25 yards to make Charlie Adam look frankly commonplace, he was a happy lad. Well, happyish. ‘Lovely goal? Wasn’t it just? But now we need to finish them off’. We didn’t do that but we did win – five against NUFC in succession – and we won by making Newcastle look poor, something other teams have done to us all season …’