Gus Poyet rightly hails a fabulous winner and a grand team performance. He cannot quite share our tribal passion but he gets it! Read his post-match e-mail to Monsieur Saliut, and a few other delirious fans, and feel his joy …
Pete Sixsmith – Father Christmas to many in the North East – saw our fourth successive win against Newcastle as Adam Johnson blasted home a superb winner after we’d wasted chances galore and briefly handed the initiative to the Mags. Sixer said at half time ‘the final ball needs to be better’ though Sunderland had still carved out the three best chances, two headers (one a sitter) to Wickham and Fletcher’s magnificent volleyed attempt, hitting the bar from Larsson’s tremendous ball). Sixer also bemoaned referee Anthony Taylor’s failure to send off Coloccini for his wretched assault on Fletcher or to book Tiote until he’d committed four yellow card offences. Gomez missed a glaring chance in the second half, Johnson missed another (not so straightforward) but no matter. The win was deserved …
Dec 21 NUFC (0) 0 SAFC (0) 1 Four in a row brings Christmas cheer
Dec 13 SAFC (1) 1 West Ham United (1) 1 One point better than none. Tight game
It seems particularly pertinent to choose today to post a brief tribute to a Sunderland supporter who was born in Newcastle. Rest in peace, George …
In our age of electronic communication, it is quite possible to know other people a little, or even a lot, without ever having met or spoken to them.
So it is with the Blackcats e-mail list, a disparate group of Sunderland fans scattered to assorted corners of the world. When names pop up, I can identify a few fellow supporters I have known for years, a few I am on nodding terms with and many more I have never met.
For a mid-season review of Sunderland’s performances so far, The Observer turned as ever to Pete Sixsmith. Here’s his verdict …
As every schoolboy should know, another December Tyne-Wear derby weekend was a particularly happy one for Sunderland AFC. On December 5 1908, enraged by a United equaliser late in the first half, Sunderland romped to a 9-1 win. In a Newcastle championship-winning season! On the eve of another St James’ derby, and in case anyone missed it the first time round, here is a reminder of life as it was 106 years ago this month …it’s adapted from an article written by
Monsieur Salut for The National, Abu Dhabi …
Previewing the Tyne-Wear derby for ESPN, I mentioned the decision by Northumbria police to treat the game with a less jittery approach to security.
Am I being too cynical in wondering whether the logical outcome, given the sad existence of their horse-punchers and our own minority of not-so-peaceable followers, is that it’ll be back to the ring of steel next time?
Geordie and lifelong Toon fan, Nick Donaldson* was one of Monsieur Salut’s colleagues in London and is now following, long after M Salut’s departure, in his footsteps to Abu Dhabi. But while sorting out visas, medicals, accommodation and other formalities, he thought he’d squeeze one more derby before heading east, though he’s having to settle for a pub telly and mixed Mag/Mackem company. Rise above prejudice and stand by for another gem of a Who are You? I forgot to ask him whether 1-9 had a nice ring to it aa a Tyne-Wear score in December …
I still have a card my mother once sent me. It showed a long-suffering wife looking daggers at her old man as he hands her the most romantic birthday present he could think of getting: “Here you are, pet. Just what you always wanted. A framed pitcha of the Sunderland football team.”
Well, look at the mug above. Imagine it as a smart framed photograph. It will be yours if you are the first to post a correct prediction of the score for Sunday’s derby at St James’ Park.
Sunderland 1 – 1 West Ham: Player Ratings
After being silenced by family commitments – and perhaps a spot of homework from school – young Keir Bradwell returns belatedly to action with his Sunderland ratings from the West Ham game (sorry Hammers, our players only; if I were marking yours, Song would be the star man, followed by Downing – Ed). Compare and contrast with the considered verdict of Pete Sixsmith, and the one-word ratings of Rob Hutchison …
This is my third post in this series, which began in August when I used some dodgy stats and history …