Sixer’s Soapbox: Sunderland flatter to deceive as Chelsea stroll to 3-1 win

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A three all draw is always more satisfying when your team has recovered from three nil down than when it has thrown away a three goal lead. So it has been with the defeats against West Brom, Norwich and now Chelsea. The team’s performances in the latter stages of those games can be seen as causes for optimism. That’s certainly the spin the manager is putting on the outcome of those games, but once Pete Sixsmith has had time for objectivity to kick in he sees worryingly weak team performances achieving too little, too late.

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Sixer’s Sevens: SAFC 1 Chelsea 3. Into the drop zone

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Jake gives Sixer star billing

Pete Sixsmith‘s seven-word verdict on the home game against Chelsea offers mild encouragement after what remains a clear defeat to a team with a bad run of league form of their own to worry about. News can travel slow when you’re in the Sahara so no one will thank Monsieur Salut for pretending to know much more than 0-1, 0-2, 0-3 – Torres (two, almost inevitably) and Mata – before Adam Johnson managed to claw one back. Otehrs may dip in to flesh out this bare-boned detail. Martin O’Neill has to snatch a win from somewhere and it had better be on Tuesday night …

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Out of Africa: a Chelsea view of Sunderland’s plight – and escape exit

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Grant James doesn't support Sunderland, but makes up for that with knowledge and understanding


News, with great conscientiousness, from afar. It’s over, to adapt the relatively recent colloquialism, once the fat lady has sung.

Monsieur Salut, even at the safe distance of the Tozeur oasis in south-western Tunisia, knows better than to accuse Salut! Sunderland‘s star writer of resembling a fat lady. But Sixer has most definitely sung on the issue of O’Neill One Year On so the series cannot be reopened for anyone, least of all someone who does not even support our club. Even so – as Jeremy Robson has noted at Football Analysis*, the site of a South African supporter of Chelsea, Grant James – this is a superb assessment. It therefore merits a slot and a plug …

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Salut! Sunderland’s Week: O’Neill In or Out, Norwich blues, confronting Chelsea

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Jake captures the theme

A return of the occasional series of week-gone summaries as Monsieur Salut kicks his heels after a fairly pointless guided tour of a thalassotherapy centre 20 minutes out of Tunis – why didn’t they take me to Carthage instead? I have to report that I have so far, 12 hours into my trip, failed to locate a creative Tunisian midfielder or strike partner for Fletch …

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O’Neill One Year On: (5) remember, remember the 4th of December (walloping Chelsea)

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Jake gets the gaffer's point. Do the players?

In the final part of Salut! Sunderland‘s mini series looking back at Martin O’Neill’s first year at the Stadium of Light (read the first four via the home page) Pete Sixsmith recalls Decembers of the past, one when the Lads put in a performance to remember, helped in no small part by an unsung Frenchman, another when a feisty Irishman called it a day and finally one which saw the arrival of another saviour, this time from the northern part of the Emerald Isle.

Sixer gives his thoughts on yer man’s first 12 months …

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O’Neill One Year On: (4) keep the faith – things will pick up

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Jake gets the gaffer's point. Do the players?

For our penultimate look back at Martin O’Neill’s first year in charge (Pete Sixsmith‘s view will appear later today) we are pleased to welcome another contributor making his Salut! Sunderland debut. Richard Purdham is a 22 year old from Durham who after experiencing the thrills of the post Steve Bruce turnaround admits to a feeling of anti climax in subsequent months. However, he still thinks that MON is the man for the job. Over to Richard….

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