The first thing I saw after the result was this tweet from Paul Nicholson
Bad result 4 @SunderlandAFC today but shd be put into context. @celticfc already plyd competitive games & are a wk or 2 ahead in prep #safc
— Paul Nicholson (@PaulNic_Journo) July 29, 2017
Let Paul inspire the first prize competition of the season.
The winner shall be the reader we decide has come up with the best way of putting SAFC 0-5 Celtic, neanderthal trouble (whoever turns out to have been most to blame) and a reportedly XX-rated performance into context (other than Paul’s suggestion). I wasn’t there so cannot help.
The prize will be decided later.
Pussy’s in Boots Mauled By The Lisbon Lions.
Sunderland’s fifth Team (its the only team we have) Narrowly Defeated by A wee Team North of the Border.
Early Season Preparations Stepped Up As Sunderland Exhaust All Possible Mistakes in 5 Goal Thriller.
Oh, Shit!!!!!
A lot of great context suggested here. Paul Nicholson could barely have guessed what he’d start with his innocent attempt to rationalise a crushing defeat. I will take entries up to kickoff time on Friday and announced winner and prize next week.
Exit left pursued by a bear.
Oh! John (Yogi) Hughes doesn’t play for the Hoops any more!
I went to Jim Baxter’s debut game against Celtic 50 years ago –same sort of result 0-6 if I recall.
Their fans drank the town dry and caused mayhem. Some of the antics were humorous much was not.
Can’t for the life of me believe they were invited back.
Perhaps anyone who could have had a cautionary input has long retired.
Excellent JEL. Have you worked out a mark scheme yet?
Context? compare and contrast?
Jason Steele’s debut – Jan Kirchoff’s debut
James Vaughan to date – Danny Graham
Lamine Kone’s attitude – Duncan Watmore’s attitude
Lamine Kone’s attitude – Darren Bent’s career
Simon Grayson so far – pick from any of; David Moyes, Sam Allardyce, Dick Advocaat, Gus Poyet, Martin Oneill, Steve Bruce, to date (the obvious omission was too much of an aberration to count).
Following the Shakespearean theme:
SAFC delivering the Prologue in A Midsummer’s Night Dream –
“All for your delight
We are not here”
Are you accepting Darron Gibson’s entry by proxy Colin?
I just thought it was crap.
Succinct and to the point. I vote for Eric012 M Salut!
I hope I’m not dragging the tone down a notch by introducing a quote from the Duke. That’s John Wayne to the uninitiated!
‘ There’s right and there’s wrong. You do one and you’re living. You do the other and you may be walking around but you’re as dead as a beaver hat’
I make the quote with reference to the manner in which Ellis Short has apparently decided to run his club.
To put it into context , the club cancelled the lucrative ( for the city) summer concerts to play that one pointless ‘ friendly ‘which
embarrassed the club on and off the pitch . We are run by people with the Midas touch in reverse , kryptonite to common sense and zero idea of how to run a football club .
” (We) are not made or unmade by the things which happen to (us) but by (our)reaction to them”. St John of the Cross
Desperately trying to find a positive after all the doom and gloom.
I cant believe many of the discussions on Sunderland’s performance will be referencing Shakespeare,Yeats and Burgess. Well done Salut!
http://www.thecelticwiki.com/m/page/1965-08-07%3A+Sunderland+0-5+Celtic%2C+Friendly
If you need symmetry in life, history is cyclical.
I hope your optimism is well founded Paul, but to me we look like a Championship side with League 1 players.
“If suffering brings wisdom, I would wish to be less wise.” WB Yeats.
“You cried and you travelled and you spat but you never asked, well how long, how long, how long is this pain?” Ricky Ross.
“Life is a wretched grey Saturday but it has to be lived through.” Anthony Burgess.
“I’ve learned that life is just one crushing defeat after another.” Homer Simpson.
I don’t qualify for a prize – all others linked the site do – but here’s more from the Bard …
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
I csn sum up todays performance im one word…APATHY.
To expand on this….
Just incase anyone out there is still seeing things through red and white tinted glasses…a dose of realism.
This is how bad it is.
A team full of ex premier league players that NOBODY wants to buy.
A team backed up by loanees who cant make it at thier clubs, League 1 standard players, with a centre forward who cant score a pen, and a keeper who cant kick or command his box.
A manager who is just happy to be here, who thinks we’re a ‘ big club’ and appears not to know his best 11 with 5 days till league kicks off.
A club whos Chairman’s only real interest is clawing back as much money as possible, before having another go at selling next year. Hence the £37 million transfer net surplus.
And to cap it all, the lowest sale of season tickets in 10 years, and a shite home kit nobody wants to buy.
Other than that everything’s peachy at the SOL!
???????
That ladies and gentleman is a rant!
I close by wishing everyone a good season, fans, players and management.
Good luck…we will need it. ???
Ive had wine so now posting a smiley face to every football comment ?
July football is ‘still on holiday’ football. Probably
To lull Derby County into a false sense of security?
Another quote from the Bard:
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.”
According to Oxford dictionaries online, a breach is “a gap in a wall, barrier, or defence.”
Sunderland had to go into the breach plenty of times to pick the ball out of the back of the net.
They say days like this are character building. Well, today, Sunderland fans reading these replies can learn some Shakespeare, after having their character built at the Stadium of Light.
Shakespeare said it best, be it to fans or about players:
‘That he which hath no stomach for this fight
Let him depart, his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse
We would not die in that man’s company