Wycombe Wanderers vs Sunderland: a good one to win from ninth place

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Jake: ‘must be the kind fo game we have to win’

At first glance, the League one table makes for depressing perusal. Sunderland and down to ninth and are now eight points behind the convincing leaders, Ipswich Town, with no games in hand.

The second glance makes it seem more respectable. We are just one point behind a top six place and have two games in hand over Blackpool in sixth with the same pathetic goal difference of +2.

This Saturday’s opponents, Wycombe Wanderers, are second and only four points ahead of SAFC having played one game more. So leave aside Ipswich’s so far exemplary sprint to the top and we remain competitive.

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Ross In. A dignified but incisive valedictory: ‘I leave with head held high’

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‘I reflect on two Wembley finals, one home league defeat, victories over Premier League opposition and overall progression’


A lot of Salut! Sunderland readers go nowhere near Twitter and as one who spends far too much time there, Monsieur Salut can but say: “Bear with me. I am hopeful of finding a cure.”

But I must admit I have been flabbergasted by the names that have been more or less officially linked with the search for a successor to Jack Ross – and what those names say about our status and ambition.

First we hear in effect that Ross was not good enough. “.. with three quarters of the season remaining, we did not feel things were going as well as they should be,” our executive director and my own former colleague Charlie Methven tells The Daily Telegraph.

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Sunderland’s lengthening list of promotion rivals: Ipswich, plus Rotherham, Peterborough, Portsmouth and Doncaster (or Wycombe, Fleetwood, Blackpool and Coventry)

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Another weekend without football, another weekend providing space to keep our readers – and pundits – up to date with our chosen clubs. If you think as far back as the start of the season you’ll probably recall six clubs being selected by our readership as the most likely to finish in the top six slots come the end of the season.

Sunderland made the cut but would have been selected regardless. The other five clubs were Ipswich Town, Rotherham, Peterborough Portsmouth and Doncaster. Ipswich apart, they haven’t done as well as expected. In fact, they haven’t done as well as Sunderland who, as the first two graphs show, haven’t done as well as they did last season

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Sixer’s Grimsby Town Soapbox: never too early to start up the buses for Wembley

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Malcolm Dawson writes….I was busy last night with what laughingly passes for the only work I do since retirement. Laughingly, because for 12 or so weeks of the year I get paid for what I might well be doing for nothing during the other 40. However, because I am getting paid and on a kind of contract, that has to take priority, so not only was I unable to attend last night’s fixture, I found it difficult to even follow the game on the interweb. When first I looked it was 0-0 with 42 minutes on the clock. Next glimpse showed us to be losing 1-0, then it was 2-2 and by the time I knew that we hadn’t needed to look for a bonus point via a penalty shoot out, Sixer’s Sevens was already posted and I expect that Pete himself had got past Houghton Cut.

I should make the next home tie, but Pete Sixsmith was there last night on another day of upheaval at the Stadium and Academy of Light. Let’s find out what he made of yesterday’s events.

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Sixer’s Sevens: blushes avoided as Watmore, McNulty and Grigg edge SAFC past Grimsby Town

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Was it inevitable that despite sacking Jack Ross, Sunderland still contrived to go behind to opposition they should be walloping? What happened to No Manager Bounce?

Well, it bounced. The same resilience we showed on better days under Ross surfaced and goals from Watmore – welcome back – and McNulty put us ahead. There wasn’t even time to think of a late flurry of SAFC goals as Grimsby drew level immediately courtesy of Pete Sixsmith’s regular companion. ‘appalling defending’. We were spared penalties – and blushes – by a good Sunderland move, Hume’s cross headed home by Will Grigg. A first step back to Wembley of the EFL Trophy (aka Leasing,com)?

What you see below is Sixer’s instant seven-word verdict. One of 6,952 souls present at the SoL, he’ll be back with more …

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Pete the Prophet: Ross gone just before tonight’s big game

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Malcolm Dawson writes…. I am currently on one of my regular commitments at an hotel in Lancashire, organising and directing Bridge for a large group of mostly retired people for whom it is a pleasant and sociable way of spending a few days away from home, especially for those who are mostly on their own or less mobile, as well as the groups who come together for a bit of libation, in between the Bridge and the sandblasting you get walking along the prom when the tide is out.

As this afternoon’s session finished at 4.30 I switched on my laptop to be greeted with the news that Jack Ross has left the club. This is certainly what a lot of people who follow the fortunes of the club have been asking for and it will come as no surprise to Pete Sixsmith who hinted as much in his Soapbox on Sunday, following a miserable afternoon spent at Sincil Bank. Personally I am not sure that a simple change of manager will bring about an immediate change in fortunes and time will tell if those who have been calling for his head will turn out to be proved right. What I do believe however is that constant criticism affects us all and football managers, owners and players are people first and foremost. Social media provides a platform for people to voice their opinions, which in itself is not necessarily a bad thing but it also provides a degree of anonymity and distances those who make hurtful and spiteful comments from those who it is aimed at. This is further emphasised by a proliferation of websites which like to stress those negative tweets and postings with eye-catching headlines using provocative phrases like “fans blast” or “fans destroy” etc.

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Sunderland vs Grimsby Town. After Lincoln debacle, will Tuesday’s child be full of woe?

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Jake: ‘Time for some semblance of redemption’

Trust it to be on an especially dismal weekend for Sunderland supporters for this site to work just as it should: loads of readers, strong comments from our fans, appreciation from opposing supporters and, so far as Monsieur Salut can tell, no sign of the Turkish hackers.

It will hardly cheer up Pete Sixsmith to know “Clanford”, at this Lincoln City fan forum ensured a lot Imps fans would read his brilliant if depressing account (see it here if you missed it). Another City fan, Brendan Bradley, added this comment: “If there’s one sentence that applies to 100 per cent of football supporters though it’s this one: ‘as often happens, the game spoilt a pleasant day’.”

Another game looms before the international break and you will see if you read on that your thoughts are invited on how it will go. It is only the EFL Trophy, uninvitingly entitled Leasing.com Trophy for sponsorship reasons, but remember that as the equally mundane Checkatrade Trophy last season, it did get us one of those losing outings to Wembley we seem to specialise in.

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