Let our very good friend Paul Dobson, universally known as Sobs, introduce – at Salut! Sunderland’s invitation – his new book charting the astonishing events of last season …
If ever a season in which no trophy was won, and no promotion achieved, screamed out to have something permanent written about it, last season at Sunderland did.
We don’t often do well against them at home, but when we do it’s spectacular. Most of us recall that …
Colin Randall writes: We all have memories of our best gig. Mine, as an old folkie, was in a field in Oxfordshire one fine summer’s evening in 2007. The original Fairport Convention line-up – minus, of course, Sandy Denny, whose place was taken admirably by Chris While – reassembled to reproduce the classic Liege and Lief album track by track. But before Fairport, Show of Hands had played their own superb set, making it an evening to remember for the thousands present.
Vaughan Pearce* is the manager of Show of Hands and a Chelsea supporter from boyhood. It seemed a good idea to invite him into the ‘Who are You?’ hot seat ahead of Saturday’s game. I think we can take his Premier top four tips with a pinch of salt …
It began as an understandable precaution, Jack Rodwell playing for 60 minutes or so before being subbed. This seemed unremarkable. At Manchester City, competition for places was so stiff and Rodwell’s injury record so troubling that he arrived at Sunderland short of match fitness.
But when he got that equaliser against Manchester United, it seemed a corner had been turned. Confidence would be high, fitness levels were presumably improving.
John McCormick writes:
It’s a long time since I’ve been to Leicester and I wasn’t there yesterday. Will I feel the need to go next season? Possibly not as we could be in different leagues. Or possibly yes, as we could be in the same League, just not this one. At least I think that’s what Pete Sixsmith‘s saying in his report from the King Power Stadium:
So a Leicester-supporting pal says his lot were the better side but adds that it’s difficult to tell which of the two will go down. M Salut thought aloud at ESPN – http://www.espnfc.com/club/sunderland/366/blog/post/2158151/black-cats-fail-to-shine-at-leicester – neither side could grumble at the outcome. Here, with young Keir Bradwell absent on family duties, is what the older Rob Hutchison made of it, one word for each player, plus a tweet I couldn’t resist repeating about the Fletcher yellow card …
A quick edition of the boss’s post-match thoughts, as expressed in his customary e-mail. Others may add to this introduction. Gus Poyet is right to emphasise the positives. But were two points squandered? …
Pete Sixsmith, whose seven-word instant verdicts enlighten these pages, saw this goalless draw at Leicester as a win we let go. A touch of sharpness in their box, a little more midfield creativity … that would have made the difference. As it is, we still struggle against newly promoted teams. Two nil-nil draws from visits to all three of them. But with Chelsea and Man City up next, it was a game we absolutely needed not to lose so let us take comfort in small mercies. Look out for Gus Poyet’s own verdct and Pete’s considered view ..
Monsieur Salut writes: Iain Hesford*, SAFC’s goalkeeper in the Third Division title-winning season, has died at the cruelly young age of 54. Pete Sixsmith sent his thoughts on this sad news in the same file containing a preview of today’s game at Leicester. It would have been simple to detach and should have been by me before publication. I do so now: Iain’s passing deserves its own place on these pages and that place is not as footnote to a match preview. Now let Pete offer his condolences to the former player’s family and a short appraisal of his Roker Park time.
Pete Sixsmith muses over the trip to Leicester which turns out, probably through no fault of its own but more to do with a long-held student grievance, to be less than his favourite city. Incidentally, his item on the death of former Sunderland goalkeeper Iain Hesford now appears here …