Soapbox: Peter Reid cheering up Plymouth Argyle

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It is baffling how some people manage to look back on Peter Reid’s time at Sunderland and remember only the atrocious slump that brought his reign to an end. Inspired by a excellent Louise Taylor article on the fight Reid has on his hands at Plymouth Argyle, Pete Sixsmith applies some balance – and wishes Reid well in the uphill struggle he’s taken on …

Louise Taylor wrote a super piece in yesterday’s Guardian about Peter Reid and his travails at Plymouth Argyle. The gist was that Reidy was the guy who was holding Argyle together as their financial crisis reached Irish government proportions. No owners, no money, a points deduction and almost certain relegation to the bottom division – and the very clear possibility of liquidation.

It was a very affectionate article from someone who probably had dealings with Reid when he was in his pomp at Sunderland. He was not universally popular amongst the press corps. Apparently, he could be witty and amusing but also rude and boorish and I am sure that Louise witnessed both sides of his character.

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Steve Bruce and The Sun’s racism slur: ‘I found it obscene’

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See the Salut! Sunderland posting “Steve Bruce, Racism And The Sun That Doesn’t Shine” for our original report of Bruce v Murdoch. This is the happy-again sequel …

I do not have the text of The Sun‘s apology to Steve Bruce – though I’ve asked if anyone at Ready To Go can help out – and I won’t pay overseas prices to buy the paper and find out for myself. But they’ve made the apology, and it has been accepted.

You may remember that Bruce considered suing, and the club banned the paper from press conferences and the stadium, after a headline above a report of Marcos Angeleri’s quotes, about suffering from not being English, suggested Bruce had been caught in his “second race storm”. The “first” had been the Darren Bent transfer saga prompting Gérard Houllier to say not being Englsh may have accounted for criticism of him.

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SAFC v West Brom: a tale of two Kevs

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We will all have found ways of trying to blot the memory of Sunday from our minds, but I was still thinking about the gruesome nature of our Eastlands capitulation when I went to Marseille last night, not for a Ligue 1 game but – as old folklies do – to see Joan Baez. What would really work for many of us would be the sort of pulsating performance, against West Brown on Saturday, that we haven’t really seen since Chelsea away. WBA arrive with bags of confidence after a robust display against Liverpool. We are what we are, and it’ll probably be a nervy affair whichever way it goes.
Salut! Sunderland is grateful to Chris Lepkowski*, the Birmingham Mail‘s West Brom writer, for agreeing to answer the customary “Who are You” questions. But reading his thoughts on SuperKev made me yearn for a vanished era of prolific goalscoring at the SoL …

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Eyes down for SAFC’s Tombola link – and a red & white Mini’s trips to Toon

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Salut! Sunderland would much rather people visiting the site arrived on the landing page to see this fetching Mini and not the growling caricature of Mr W Rooney, or for that matter the growls of hypersensitive Arsenal supporters for whom the slightest criticism of their (rightly) acclaimed team is on a par with serious crime.

Before that spat began, pride of place on the home page was occupied by an interview with Phil Cronin, chief executive of Tombola (the company prefers it as tombola), Sunderland AFC’s main sponsors.

Phil is Sunderland-born and, despite his own modesty about his credentials as a fan, a massive supporter of the club. He now gives that support a more tangible aspect, the results of which can be seen most obviously in the logo on the playing strip.

In this exclusive interview – Phil rarely steps into the limelight – he tells us about the car, and its somewhat perilous former parking habits, and about the highs and lows of being a supporter. He was at Man City on Sunday but still feels we are on the right track and, in some parting words when sending the replies to our questions, said something along the lines of “fingers crossed for three points at the weekend.”, a thought we all nervously echo.

Phil also deals with T(t)ombola’s solid Sunderland links which may help persuade doubters that his company name has every right to be on a Sunderland shirt. In a phone call after the replies had been sent, he said the firm employs 150 people, most of them in Sunderland.

Here, for those who missed it the first time around (and it did reach a decent position in the newsnow.co.uk top 20 for Sunderland-related postings), are Phil’s responses in full ….

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Phil Cronin, Tombola and Sunderland: some words from the sponsor

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Still needing consolation after Sunday’s latest low point in the peaks-and-troughs existence common to all followers of SAFC, we turn to a man who has combined lifelong passion for the club and obvious business flair to come up with a way of giving a deeper dimension to supporting Sunderland …

The name on the shirts our players wear tells you why people in the media, and especially in the North East, want to interview Phil Cronin.

He’s as Sunderland daft as anyone who reads this site, and once drove this splendidly decked out Mini to show his allegiance (to the extent of choosing high-risk parking spot at Newcastle Central Station).

Phil is also chief executive of Tombola, SAFC’s kit sponsors (and that’s the last time in this article you’ll see the t/T capped up; Phil sticks to the firm’s preference for lower case).

Inconveniently for the media, he is not one for interviews. All the more reason for Salut! Sunderland to be grateful that he has made this one exception.

Phil tells us about his company’s important links with the city and club, links that include providing employment for 150 people and should comfortably overcome the high-minded objections we heard last year to Sunderland’s announcement of the sponsorship deal.

He talks about the best and worst he’s known as a Sunderland supporter (yes, he was at Eastlands), offers upbeats thoughts on the club’s progress under Ellis Short, Niall Quinn and Steve Bruce and fills us in on that Mini …

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Millwall Lionesses tamed as Sunderland lasses clinch title

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We’re all feeling down, so let the women cheer us up. Sunderland Women’s Football Club have secured their Premier League title, grabbing the three points needed to be sure in a difficult match at Millwall.

The girls, who also reached the FA Women’s Cup fifth round to go out with a fighting display (men playing for SAFC please note) against Arsenal, came from behind to win 3-2 with goals from Natalie Gutteridge, Kelly MacDougall and Abby Holmes.

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The Manchester City Soapbox: a shambles from start to finish

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Steve Bruce knows it, Niall Quinn knows it and you can bet your life Ellis Short will leave neither of them in any doubt that he knows it, too. This was a catastrophic apology for a performance and came tailor-made for extending a dismal run of games that has brought one point, no goals since Gyan’s against Spurs and considerable despair. Pete Sixsmith endured the Eastlands massacre …

Up until 4pm Sunday had been a very pleasant day. A new coach to take us there, good company, an early arrival in Uppermill and a stroll along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to the Diggle Inn, where a lovely pint of Copper Dragon Golden Pippin was consumed. Back to the Wagon, a half of Ginger Tom and off to Eastlands hoping for a point.

Then it all went wrong – and wrong in huge capital letters as we capitulated to a very good Manchester City side.

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