With the league campaign kicking off next week, this was Gus’s last chance to see his boys in pre-season. No …
Fletcher and Wickham: two reassuring names to see on the scoresheet. You’ve seen Pete Sixsmith’s account of the 2-0 defeat of Real Betis. Here is Gus Poyet‘s post-match e-mail …
John McCormick writes: I don’t know if Pete sent one of his sevens as there’s no SIM in my phone. I suspect he hasn’t because he has taken the time to write this account of tonight’s game. In his e-mail he said “just a quickie”. Maybe, but it’s still a fine analytical account of a match.
I quoted a Dutch journalist, Peter Zantingh, in the piece I wrote for The National, Abu Dhabi on Louis van Gaal – the image above is copyright of “>John de Grooth and used with his consent – , but formed an instant dislike of him.
Zantingh has written an open letter, only semi-lighthearted, addressed to sportswriters who will cover van Gaal’s progress in his new job in charge of Manchester United. “From this moment on, you will be patronised, looked at with disdain, and haunted by a constant doubt [whether Mr van Gaal is making fun of you or being deadly serious],” he warns them.
At another place, I have written a profile of Louis van Gaal. In it, I refer to the global Manchester …
Now then, this is a warts-and-all series about opening games of the season and Pete Sixsmith cannot just pick the tastiest cherries. There were some matches that would question anyone’s commitment to football and the visit to Ashton Gate in 1994, the start of the season in which Peter Reid arrived late to save our bacon, was one. 11,126 other souls turned out to see two teams that would finish 20th (us) and 24th. The National Media Museum photograph of Brunel’s magnificent Clifton Suspension Bridge may ease the pain a little …
The club’s statement made for an appropriate climax to a day or two of rich entertainment on Twitter as Jack …
Back in March, John Penman, an East Stand regular who makes long trips down from his home in Scotland to be at games – was my companion at the Capital One Cup final at Wembley. He won’t have forgotten that day but it may have slipped his mind that almost exactly seven years ago, he wrote his first Salut! Sunderland guest piece charting the history of SAFC tops he has known and loved. He can update the story in Comments; it seemed a good candidate for the Summer Gold series …
John McCormick writes: Don’t you wish you’d been there? Not for the goals but for the atmosphere? Our away fans really are the best, and here’s one of them, Richy Duggan, with his last post of the Albufeira trip.
John McCormick writes: Are you worried by our lack of goals to date? I must admit to concerns as it …