Salut! Sunderland regrets that it is still not possible to post comments because of a technical problem we are trying to resolve</strong >
Monsieur Salut writes: I was there and may have something to say. Likewise John Marshall. But Sunderland match reports from Bob Chapman, who just cannot ditch that home-and-away habit, are always welcome. Here’s what Bob made of another disappointing SAFC away day …
NB: our technical problems have not been completely fixed. Readers cannot post comments. We are working on this.
In the meantime, you can always have your say on anything that appears here, or for that matter any SAFC topics which do not, at Salut! Sunderland’s Facebook group. Click on any of the preceding four words. If you are told that you need to join the group, you can do so easily. Approval is very quick.
John McCormick writes: Pete Sixsmith wasn’t at Shrewsbury this time round. Nor was I, neuropathy having more or less put an end to my travels before torrential rain shut down the railways and extinguished my last fleeting hopes of getting there. It didn’t look too good at half time, according to a half-time text from John Marshall to Pete (“Pretty lacklustre showing no real attacking threat”) while the man himself opined “huffed and puffed but not good enough”, and I suspect it wasn’t the weather that spoiled Colin’s weekend break, from what our leader sent at the final whistle:
NB: we’re back after our technical problems – but you, the readers, aren’t yet back as fully as we’d like. Unfortunately, you cannot post comments. We are working on this.
In the meantime, you can always have your say on anything that appears here, or for that matter any SAFC topics which do not, at Salut! Sunderland’s Facebook group. Click on any of the preceding four words. If you are told that you need to join the group, you can do so easily. Approval is very quick.
If you do try to post a comment here, it will be stored in our beneath-the-bonnet files and one of these days, one of us will get round to reproducing them all …
Colin Randall writes: an appalling admission but yes, this is my debut for the season. Just back from France before the drawbridge is raised, I am heading for Shrewsbury hoping to witness an away win to match Phil Parkinson’s stomping first experience of being in charge of a home game. Pete Sixsmith’s superb series on his own first encounters with Sunderland’s opposing teams and their grounds ran its course last season. Here, though, is a reminder of one of its many fine moments – memories of both the old Gay Meadow ground and its successor, New Meadow …
Apologies all for the ongoing site difficulties which M. Salut is trying to correct with little or no help from the hosts to whom he pays a substantial fee. I had thought that these were sorted but on my laptop at least, I am unable to either post or read comments. I have copied and pasted a comment already received from Dave at the foot of the article.
In the meantime, you can always have your say on anything that appears here, or for that matter any SAFC topics which do not, at Salut! Sunderland’s Facebook group. Click on any of the preceding four words. If you are told that you need to join the group, you can do so easily. Approval is very quick.
Jake does his bit for the seat change
Pete Sixsmith, enjoyed his mini break in the country formerly known as the Czech Republic, spending the weekend drinking beer and watching football, but was back in time for last night’s comprehensive victory at the Stadium of Light. He took up his normal seat in the East Stand but we are sharing reporting duties between us this year, with Bob Chapman our third contributor for those games neither of us gets to. So with Pete up and about taking the latest tabloid gossip to the good folk of Shildon before making good use of his bus pass, it is my turn to dust down the old soapbox with thoughts on the 5-0 drubbing of Tranmere Rovers.
NB: our technical problems have not been completely fixed. Readers cannot post comments. We are working on this.
In the meantime, you can always have your say on anything that appears here, or for that matter any SAFC topics which do not, at Salut! Sunderland’s Facebook group. Click on any of the preceding four words. If you are told that you need to join the group, you can do so easily. Approval is very quick.
Pete Sixsmith returned from a well-earned break to find the site laid low by technical issues and a team laid low by technical superiority.
Could a quick return to the Stadium of Light provide an opportunity for the team to recover? His seven-word, post-game text, not to mention the result, would seem to suggest it could.
Paul Summerside: ‘the worst football I’ve witnessed here in 51 years’ years’
NB: our technical problems have not been completely fixed. Readers cannot post comments. We are working on this.
In the meantime, you can always have your say on anything that appears here, or for that matter any SAFC topics which do not, at Salut! Sunderland’s Facebook group. Click on any of the preceding four words. If you are told that you need to join the group, you can do so easily. Approval is very quick.
Monsieur Salut writes: we are repeatedly urged to resist the temptation to nurture unreasonable expectations, an inflated sense of self-importance and Mag-like delusions of grandeur. But you do not need to be a social media keyboard warrior, letting rip after 21 pints of lager, to worry about the state of Sunderland AFC. Phil Parkinson cannot fairly be judged on one sub-standard team performance after only two or three days in charge of a team that had been producing something similar all season (except in the slightly unreal world of the League Cup). He may, for all we know, prove just the man to get the best out of the well-paid but seriously under-achieving players he inherits.
If supporters’ confidence is not to be battered further, the process should ideally start with a convincing win against Tranmere Rovers tomorrow night. It will take one to restore a little of Paul Summerside‘s faith in the club he has followed for half a century.
Some of his thoughts describe a long-term malaise that cannot be blamed on the present ownership and management structure. His criticisms will seem unduly harsh to some of those at whom they are levelled; it is undoubtedly true that plenty of time remains this season for a meaningful revival to transform both our position and fans’ morale. The pages of Salut! Sunderland are open for those wishing to respond …
Jake: ‘no messing this time … please’ NB: our technical problems have not been completely fixed. Readers cannot post comments. We are working on this.
In the meantime, you can always have your say on anything that appears here, or for that matter any SAFC topics which do not, at Salut! Sunderland’s Facebook group. Click on any of the preceding four words. If you are told that you need to join the group, you can do so easily. Approval is very quick.
In the Premier League, we moaned as Sunderland put in one rotten display after another. In the Championship, it was the same as, far from pushing for immediate promotion, we disintegrated as a side and almost as a club.
Last season, we whinged about all those draws. Yet we reached Wembley twice and nearly got back up again, gifted an own goal in the opening minutes of the playoff final only to devise a way of losing.
And this season, we find ourselves with a new manager rather earlier in the season than appeared in the script. And in 10th place after more rotten displays, most recently a 1-0 defeat at mighty Wycombe Wanderers.
NB: our technical problems have not been completely fixed. Readers cannot post comments. We are working on this.
In the meantime, you can always have your say on anything that appears here, or for that matter any SAFC topics which do not, at Salut! Sunderland’s Facebook group. Click on any of the preceding four words. If you are told that you need to join the group, you can do so easily. Approval is very quick.
Pete Sixsmith abandoned Sunderland AFC for the weekend, beetling off to Prague for a well-earned break and a chance to develop his skills in avoiding pickpockets. Even from there, even with the site laid low by technical issues, he knew what the defeat meant – or will mean unless Phil Parkinson gets a very avergae-looking squad playing properly …
Monsieur Salut writes: abject apologies to all our readers. A technical issue shut us down for a while but we now appear to be at least on our way back to normality. Bob Chapman once again filled Sixer’s boots in style and ought to have a cheerful match report to offer. But hey, this is – as we well know only took well – Sunderland. Phil Parkinson can hardly be blamed having been in charge for only three days. Where we go from here – a lowly 10th – is anyone’s guess …
With the knowledge that there was a south of Lincoln match embargo in operation, I contacted Pete
to find out who was going to do the match report from Wycombe.
He informed me that he was in Prague with an ex Ferryhill colleague of ours, Peter Malkin and would I mind volunteering for the task.
Thinking that this was the start of a new era I readily confirmed that I would be more than happy to oblige as there would undoubtedly be plenty of positives to report back on.
