James McClean’s spell as pantomime villain has come to an end, though we can be sure this is a role he will go on filling from time to time. Out of the sow’s ear of a couple of the controversies has come the odd silk purse …
So Philip Mison*, Fulham-supporting writer, broadcaster and much else besides, has answered our questions – see his Who are You? interview by clicking here – but that was not all he said when we fired some questions in his direction. Here’s the introduction he gave to his answers …
Who remembers when “Who are You?” was but a bairn and interviewees not only answered questions but wrote articles of their own to go with the responses? Our Fulham candidate – another of Monsieur Salut’s stablemates in the ESPN stud of club-by-club horses’ mouths – is Philip Mison, writer and broadcaster (see the details below*) and he volunteered some thoughts which will can be seen here. Fulham fans have reason to be a bit cocky this season; Philip’s preview of Sunday’s match suggests he sees a drubbing coming Sunderland’s way …
Salut! Sunderland contributors by and large speak for themselves. There is no editorial line that everyone has to follow. Differences of opinion are as likely to break out between Salut writers as between readers.
I do hope, however, that most if not all would agree with me that passing recognition should be given to Steven Gerrard on the day he wins his 100th cap for England.
Last month, the Sports Mail – one of only four Saturday evening football papers still in operation in Britain – bit the dust. That leaves The Pink in Southampton, the Green ‘Un in Sheffield and the Football Echo in Sunderland. Must we accept even their days are numbered? There’s a response to that question from the Echo management …
Suppose it had to happen really. A little fun being poked at Colin’s struggles resulted in him scoring in all …
Now this is not John McCormick at his most upbeat – not, at any rate, at the start of his review of the season so far. He’s been comparing and contrasting statistics again and what he comes up with would scare the living daylights out of most Sunderland supporters – if he hadn’t also identified a great SAFC tradition of making a nonsense, one way or the other, of the early season numbers …
As if watching another defeat was not bad enough Pete Sixsmith then had his finely written account of an otherwise pleasant weekend assaulted by technical gremlins (Monsieur Salut to blame). So here, again, is Pete’s description – without so much as a word on James McClean and poppygate – of an away trip that promised a pub crawl, entertaining craic with knowledgeable fans and being present at a Sunderland victory. As Malcolm Dawson put it, citing Michael Lee Aday’s philosophical response to partial failure: ‘two out of three ain’t bad.’ Still, Sixer did see the green shoots of optimism peeping out from behind the Everton induced blues …
This year I have bought two poppies. One went straight into the lapel of my replica 1937 Sunderland top for the Aston Villa game. The second was purchased when I was realised it was still there (on the shirt, in a cupboard). One of them will be worn with special pride today.
Not everyone takes the same view. This weekend, there was been a row of the sort that is a logical extension of the authoritarian zeal that obliges television presenters and reporters to start wearing poppies absurdly early to avoid causing offence to retired brigadiers in Dorset.
Eyebrows have been raised, dismay expressed and insults levelled because James McClean would not wear the SAFC poppy top at Everton.
Martin O’Neill saw the same match as us and correctly identified a massive improvement in confidence and also some bad luck. How well we played and how unlucky we were are both open to debate. The simple truth is that we should not have allowed a lead to be overturned as it was – and we should have taken more than one of the four clear first-half chances …
Image: etyek