HAWAY awards: Everton, Newcastle, Stoke, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Leeds on shortlist

Jake: 'we demanded answers and got them'
Jake: ‘we demanded answers and got them’

Salut! Sunderland announces the annual HAWAY awards for the opposing fans who gave us the best interviews this season. Only two to publish, so results should be available soon after the season ends. The first sponsorship comes from our old friends at the half-decent football magazine When Saturday Comes – a year’s subscription – for which we are very grateful …

It’s the bit that makes all the effort involved tracking down Who are You? interviewees worthwhile.

The Haway awards – made each season for the best of our Highly Articulate Who are You? features – are back.

The headline above was as far as I dared stretch the list of candidates for prizes. In fact, the shortlist, no more than Monsieur Salut’s guide for the judges which they can choose to ignore, extends to supporters of Manchester United (twice), West Ham United, Birmingham City, Swansea, Burnley and Liverpool.

It could have been longer still. The series continues somehow to unearth a stream of warm, witty and/or wise fans of other clubs willing to give their time and share their thoughts.

There are famous interviewees and those known only to their friends and families. One shortlist place is taken by a Birmingham supporter man called Kevin Ball, but not our Kevin, and another by someone heavily involved with the SAFC Ladies team but a fan of Leeds.

Their interviews, among others, were crackers. I have mentioned 13 interviews to the judges and am proud of the series and of the contact it brings with supporters of the clubs we face in league and cup. I am also immensely grateful to John McCormick, Malcolm Dawson and Pete Sixmsith for their cheerful help in finding suitable hot seat occupants and sometimes posing the questions.

Among the judges are Malcolm, Sixer, A Love Supreme‘s assistant editor Paul “Sobs” Dobson, M Salut and a regular contributor – so far only to Comments – Eric Bowers. Others have been asked and have not yet said yes or no and I am happy to repeat my earlier invitation that if any other readers fancies to participate, he or she needs only to post a message below, taking care to use their proper e-mail address (which will not appear), o use this link to e-mail me – salutsunderland@gmail.com – and I shall be in touch.

Jake: 'win, Lads, win'
Jake: ‘win, Lads, win’


For the buildup to SAFC vs Leicester City, go to our home page
salutsunderland.com. Navigation is easy from there.

The nature of the prizes for first, second and third places – with a special editor’s award if we end up with four sponsors – will be announced in due course.

Just to remind you, last year’s outright winner was Raich Carter Junior, son of the late Sunderland and Hull legend of the same name and a lifelong Hull City fan with a fondness, naturally for Sunderland. He kindly donated his prize – five replica 2014 World Cup balls – to a junior team in his dad’s native Hendon area of Sunderland. This tells the story – https://safc.blog/2014/12/safc-vs-hull-city-lastish-words-on-the-match-and-best-wishes-to-raich-carter-junior/ – but also of the accident that befell Raich last summer and from which we hope he is making a steady recovery.

These were among Raich’s comments in his winning interview last season:

Unfortunately I never saw my dad play as he hung up his boots 17 years before I was born, however after attending many footballing functions and meeting many ex-players it is quite evident that he was one of the game’s best…

… Half of our family used to live in Sunderland and Sunderland, the city and the football team, were always close to my day’s heart so that naturally runs in my genes and I would always look out for Sunderland’s result as soon as Hull City had finished.

I visited Roker Park with my dad many times and always enjoyed the warmth of the welcome with which we were received. However now that we are both scrapping over Premier League survival I don’t mind seeing Sunderland lose more games than we do.

Some things don’t change!

Here, then, is the shortlist as it stands, remembering that each judge is entitled to choose his winners from interviews not included – among them of course, whatever we come up with for the Arsenal and Chelsea games still to come:

• Hannah Myers, Everton: https://safc.blog/2015/05/everton-vs-safc-who-are-you/

• Nick Donaldson, NUFC: https://safc.blog/2014/12/newcastle-v-safc-who-are-you-never-met-a-mackem-i-disliked/

• Denis Smith, Stoke City: https://safc.blog/2015/04/stoke-city-who-are-you-denis-smith-proud-to-have-managed-safc/

• Kellie Shirley, Crystal Palace: https://safc.blog/2015/04/crystal-palace-who-are-you-with-kellie-shirley-racy-scene-with-morrissey-nightmare-in-liverpool/

Howard Hodgson, Aston Villa: https://safc.blog/2015/03/aston-villa-who-are-you-my-poor-dog-bozzies-divine-intervention-vs-wba/

• Keith Hoggins, Man Utd: https://safc.blog/2015/02/manchester-united-v-safc-who-are-you-we-dont-do-romps-any-more/

• Susan Gutteridge, Leeds: https://safc.blog/2015/01/fa-cup-who-are-you-1-part-of-sunderland-family-supporting-leeds/

• Graeme Howlett
, West Ham: https://safc.blog/2014/12/safc-v-west-ham-who-are-you-glad-pdc-was-our-player-not-manager/

• Scott Mackay, Swansea: https://safc.blog/2015/02/swansea-who-are-you-hoping-to-avoid-a-chelsea-repeat/

• Duncan Sutcliffe, Burnley: https://safc.blog/2015/01/burnley-who-are-you-we-have-a-better-team-than-last-time/

• Tony Fay, Liverpool: https://safc.blog/2014/12/liverpool-vs-safc-who-are-you-mignolet-fails-to-convince-this-koppite/

• Tony Park
, Man Utd: https://safc.blog/2014/08/safc-vs-manchester-united-who-are-you-on-fergie-moyes-poyet-and-liam-miller/

• Kevin Ball , Birmingham City: https://safc.blog/2014/08/birmingham-city-vs-safc-who-are-you-return-of-their-kevin-ball/

Ha’way the HAWAY nominees. And Ha’way the Lads tomorrow.

M Salut, drawn by Matt, colouring by Jake
M Salut, drawn by Matt, colouring by Jake
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