Jake captures the Bard, with thanks to Owen Lennox
John McCormick writes: Setting this up on the Friday before the game I was wondering how we would do. I did think we’d win but I decided not to enter the “guess the score” rather than risk a jinx.
Did Gus also think we’d win? Did he decide to risk anything? You won’t find out from his post-game e-mail, delivered personally to M Salut and maybe one or two others but you will find he’s looking forward, and that can’t be bad:
John McCormick writes: faster than a speeding bullet, Pete Sixsmith’s text has winged its way across the Pennines. Braving snow, wind and rain, it brings his instant post-match verdict, in seven words, no more, no less.
How do you solve the problem of our fear?
(with no apologies to Julie Andrews)
Peter Lynn: Ol’ Blue eyes is back
I hate “The Sound of Music” and therefore loved the alternative lyrics dreamt up by “Cocky” – a 1970s Cornish (I think) comedy folk group whose lines included “How do you solve the problem of diarrhoea?” and “High on a hill lay a steaming goat turd”.
Somehow, those lyrics crept into my thoughts on trying to solve the enigma which is Sunderland, and our home form and consequent flat crowd atmosphere.
As the new year got under way I began speculatively looking at ticket prices. I didn’t get as far as train timetables before a virus crept up on me and knocked me sideways. Today, I went out for the first time in over a week. I’m back now, obviously, and feeling the better for it, but any lingering thoughts of Burnley, or even Southport-Gateshead are gone.
If I lived in the North East I’d be going to the Burnley game, and I’d have been there against Leeds and Fulham, but that’s easy for me to spout. To paraphrase the late Mandy Rice-Davies, I would say that wouldn’t I.
We have Pete Sixsmith to thank for this week’s guest, Duncan Sutcliffe, who hails from a town at the forefront of a food revolution. To find which town it is you can either click this link or read his excellent article, at the end of which all will be revealed:
