Not for nearly half a century has there been precisely this scoreline from St James’ Park though we remember or know about the later 4-1 variation. That was Gary Rowell’s game. This was Stephane Sessegnon’s. It was a truly outstanding performance in a team display that had many very good ones. Paolo Di Canio can bound up and down the technical area as much as he wishes when celebrating events such as these. This is his verdict on a mighty and mightily important win …
This could be the day that changes history, Sunderland staying up and Pete Sixsmith keeping the faith. A magnificent performance, Sess-inspired but with great input from Simon Mignolet (added belatedly; thanks Vince, his spectator status late on fooled me), John O’Shea, Danny Rose, Adam Johnson, Danny Graham and one or two more, and it had to be so to overcome Howard Webb’s astonishing first-half lapses: three penalty shouts of which two were spot kicks beyond reasonable doubt, denial of Sess’s legitimate one-on-one with Krull and the leniency showed to Cabaye and, above all, Gouffran. This is the sort of day we live for as Sunderland supporters. Three-nil? Nine-one would not have flattered us too much …
Football in, politics out. Or is it? Paolo showed his communist side this week after suggestions were made that the players were being made to do everything together, writes Gareth Barker.
For us however, we are firmly focused on the football during this weeks podcast, as most of you will be delighted to hear and it’s part of the build up to the big one – The Tyne Wear Derby.
“The derby, is the derby, it still counts for three points, not six points. But it counts in terms of dignity, honour and pride for 2,000 games” said Paolo Di Canio this week. It feels like 2,000 games since we last won one of these encounters. Can PDC inspire us to a far too rare victory over ‘them up the road’?
‘But the book’s cheaper than a mug,’ protests Jake
Thanks to the combined forces of Twitter and ESPN, Salut! Sunderland has an Evertonian lined up for the game after the Tyne-Wear derby, plus two willing hands for next season and also a spare Mag for next season IF ….
And at ESPN I have given another outing to the story of Big Jim and the second of the 2-1 St James’ Park victories back in the dayts of Reid, Phillips and Quinn. Jim’s an American pal intrduced by me to the special nature of Sunderland beating Newcastle.
The departure of Martin O’Neill came at an unexpected time and his image has continued to appear at the top of each page of Salut! Sunderland as part of Jake’s montage of Sunderland-related illustrations.
A warm welcome to readers new and old as derby day approaches. A “Who are You?” disappointment lies in store for committed tribal warriors. Our volunteer Mag is a man who sounds nothing like one. Clive Urquhart‘s family was driven from the North East by unemployment and poverty in the 1930s; they came from the right side of the Tyne, as we would see it, but carried with them the wrong allegiance. Like so many sons of North-eastern exiles, Clive embraced his father’s passion for football and also his sense of regional common purpose. He’s been known to cheer the odd Sunderland goal just as his dad made sure of being at Wembley to roar Raich Carter and his men to victory in 1937…
Jake’s your man, Bob, if young David still needs help with art
Jamie Redknapp’s bits-and-bobs column in the Mail made depressing reading. ‘Will they (Newcastle) send Sunderland closer to the drop next week? … At Chelsea, PDC went for Wickham to lead the line – a young player I like – and he played well. But I worry where their goals are coming from.’ But there is hope. Robert Chapman is a home-and-away stalwart and left Stamford Bridge feeling a little perkier. Let’s hope his assessment proves truer than Young Redknapp’s and that PDC’s powers of motivation, and his own home tutorial skills with Young David, prevail …
Once again, The Observer called on Pete Sixsmith to sum up a week in the life of Sunderland AFC. This was written and, of course, appeared before the Chelsea game but remains a valid assessment of extraordinary events in the life of our club …
Jake scratches his head at the title: come up with a better one!
Salut! Sunderland had to improvise a little yesterday. One certainty about Chelsea v Sunderland is that not even the lure of pre-match pints on Parsons Green will lure Pete Sixsmith to London. Bob Chapman stepped in again with the Seven and will be filing a matchday report in lieu of Sixer’s Soapbox. This is Paolo Di Canio‘s first post-match missive, with the sort of tub-thumping encouragement in defeat we’ve become used to – but which was more justified than usual yesterday …
