Starting at the Emirates, where our dreadful losing run ended with a battling draw, Pete Sixsmith presents his incisive seven-word …
Before we offer a quick glance back at the week as seen by Salut! Sunderland, stand by for some news of our own: the site is about to undergo a long-overdue redesign. The idea is to make it look less like a blog, more a magazine. If there are things you’d hate to see go, features you could happily do without, links you find useful/a waste of space … etc etc … here is the chance to sound off. Older readers may remember Shots at Sleeman in the Sunday Sun. This can be Shots at Sixer & Salut …
The Emirates build-up, from Salut! Sunderland‘s viewpoint, is done.
We’ve run two completely different but equally compelling Q&A interviews with Arsenal supporters, one a Gooner and the other emphatically not, and Pete Sixsmith has reminded us all of Paul Danson’s late bid, in 1996, for worst refereeing performance of the century award.
Without wishing to start a civil war, we can safely state that when it comes to using the word Gooner, our second Arsenal “Who are You?” previewer, Tony Briggs*, does not quite see eye to eye with our first, Tom Watt. Tony describes himself as a “third generation Gooner” and proves, with his responses, to be a football fan – sorry again, Tom (he dislikes fan, too) – of the old school. Bring back standing, get people to stay to the end of games, end the ubiquitous matchday razzmatazz. Oh, and 3-0 to the Arsenal! …
How shocked were you by the Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham and what did you make of the Orient replay?
It’s what we come to expect of The Arsenal now, not taking our chances when they mattered; Birmingham did. Orient was a game where there was many empty seats because alot of the fair weather fans made excuses and didn’t show up. Good all round performance and Bendtner and Chamakh getting the goals they needed to boost confidence.
Each month, if we remember, we make a modest award to the supporter of another club who has impressed most with his or her answers to the “Who are You?” questionnaire …
Salut! Sunderland likes to cause the odd surprise.
Looking back over the “Who are You?” contributions from opposing supporters in February, we were – as often – spoilt for choice.
My first notion was to direct visiting Arsenal supporters immediately to Tom Watt’s great interview. On second thoughts, they should go there only after a quick look at Pete Sixsmith‘s amusing reminiscences on a past Arsenal v SAFC encounter enlivened – even if Pete’s detail may be open to question – by a man for whom the chant “You Don’t Know What You’re Doing” may well have been composed …
Paul Danson. Remember him? Premier League referee from the mid 90s. Came from Leicester; refereed the game at Highbury in September 1996.
That’s the one. Useless little sod who sent off Martin Scott and Paul Stewart before half time for absolutely nothing and left us trying to defend as best we could with nine men. A game never to be forgotten in the annals of Great Crimes Perpetrated on Sunderland AFC.
Sunderland Reserves 2 Everton Reserves 0. Take away the R word and that’s the sort of scoreline we can really enjoy.
But it was the Reserves, of course; all the same, they deserve a hearty pat on the back for a good home win that puts them top of the league.
A few days ahead of Arsenal v SAFC, 5-0 against Orient has an ominous ring to it. Has life picked up again for the Gunners at just the wrong time for us? Our Arsenal previewer, the infuriatingly prolific writer, actor and broadcaster Tom Watt* certainly sounds like an optimist.
When it comes to soaps, I’m more Coronation Street – absurd storylines and all – than EastEnders. So I’d forgotten that Tom played Lofty Holloway for three years. I did recall, however, that he was a likeable phone-in host in earlier days of TalkSport – and a committed G*****. Read on – and his replies do make for an excellent, provocative read – to see why he’ll be pleased with that spot of censorship. And don’t call him a fan either …
Salut! Sunderland:
Oh dear. If you need a fillip after the bitter disappointment of Wembley, you have to look no further than the fixture list showing Sunderland as next up in the Premier. Home banker?
I don’t know about that. It is far more important than a fillip to be honest. The disappointment of Wembley means the next fixture becomes probably the single most important game of the season. If we beat Sunderland we are still in with a fantastic chance of winning the league whereas anything less than a win could make that unachievable.
Right: a busy run-up to Arsenal at Saturday lies in prospect with at least two Who are You? features lined up. A good time, then, to let Pete Sixsmith get a few things off his chest about the state of modern football …
It’s a bright and breezy Wednesday and I have spent the day with ten 16-year-olds while suffering from a cold that has made me feel that my head is in a vice.
The papers and the internet are full of the usual Ferguson complaints about referees and there are pics of the incredibly smug Frank Lampard banging in the winning penalty at Stamford Bridge last night.
Steve Bruce has talked up the performances of Asamoah Gyan and, in particular, his adaptability to the role of solitary striker.
He makes it sound almost like something we’d planned all along.
Image: