Monsieur Salut writes: Pete Sixsmith wondered at half time, Sunderland two down and looking like little boys lost, whether it was worth staying. He did. And continued to see a team devoid of leadership, character, flair or even – in many cases – passion. Embarrassing, Sixer said later. As bad as, if not worse than, anything he had seen in 53 years supporting our club. His seven-word verdict below is unchanged from half time, after which we had a clear penalty denied and a good chance spurned by Billy Jones but never truly seemed able to save the game …
Having led us to this sorry moment, our esteemed owner Ellis Short and his chief executive Martin Bain were watching from the stands. They, like the manager and players, should have been hanging their heads in shame – and not least because of their thoroughly rotten decision to get rid of the SAFC programme editor Rob Mason, a wonderful club historian and servant who deserved better than this shabby end (his pre-match interview with Nick Barnes oozed class, dignity and total lack of rancour) …
May 13 Sunderland (0) 0 Swansea City (2) 2 SAFC take ineptitude to a new level
May 6 Hull City (0) 0 Sunderland (0) 2 Almost forgotten how wonderful a win feels
April 30 Sunderland (0) 0 Bournemouth (0) 1 And down we go. My ninth relegation
April 26 Middlesbrough (1) 1 Sunderland (0) 0 Two awful sides and one awful game
April 15 Sunderland (1) 2 West Ham United (1) 2 Deserved the point, Should have been three OR Khazri’s performance makes mockery of Moyes’s judgement
April 9 Sunderland (0) 0 Manchester United (1) 3 Quality from Ibramihimovic and idiocy from Pawson
April 4 Leicester (0) 2 Sunderland (0) 0 **Tried hard but just not good enough
April 1 Watford 1 (0) Sunderland (0) 0 **Never made must win seem can win
March 18 Sunderland (0) 0 Burnley (0) 0 Failure to take chances makes relegation certain … later Failed to take one of four chances
March 5 Sunderland (0) 0 Manchester City (1) Better performance but the same old result
Feb 25 Everton (1) 2 Sunderland (0) 0 Everton looked comfortable throughout. We looked doomed
Feb 11 Sunderland 0 (0) Southampton 4 (2) Second best in every facet of game
Feb 4 Crystal Palace 0 (0) Sunderland 4 (4)* Big Sam, Big Sam, what’s the score?
Jan 31 Sunderland 0 (0) Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0) Disciplined and well organised. A deserved point
Jan 21 West Bromwich Albion (2) 2 Sunderland (0) 0 * Wretched. Wretched. Wretched. Wretched. But bravo Honeyman or Sunderland torn to shreds at the Hawthorns
Jan 17 FA Cup 3rd Round Replay: Burnley (1) 2 Sunderland (0) 0 Now we can fully concentrate on relegation.
And a second – This team will struggle in the Championship
January 14 Sunderland (1) 1 Stoke City (3) 3 Any hopes of avoiding relegation extinguished here – that was at 3.37pm. Later: Marginally better in second half. Still awful and finally, despairingly, The bitter end has arrived. Utterly woeful
January 7 FA Cup 3rd Round: Sunderland (0) 0 Burnley (0) 0 * Poor. No revenge for that 4-1 drubbing
And Sixer’s verdict post Dean Street: Sounds a shocker. Replay to be avoided
January 2 Sunderland (1) 2 Liverpool (1) 2 Unexpected but thoroughly deserved. There is hope
December 31 Burnley (1) 4 Sunderland (0) 1 Probably the worst Sunderland display this century
December 26 Manchester United (1) 3 Sunderland (0) 1 Disappointing ending after a hard working display
December 17 Sunderland (0) 1 Watford (0) 0 Dug deep for a welcome Christmas present
December 14 Sunderland (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 1 A decent performance but not enough quality
December 10 Swansea City (0) 3 Sunderland (0) 0* Woeful performance resurrects all the old fears
December 3 Sunderland (0) 2 Leicester City (0) 1 * Superb team display; heroes all over pitch
November 26 Liverpool (0) 2 Sunderland (0) 0 * Committed, organised resistance overcome by better side
November 19 Sunderland 3 (1 ) Hull City 0 (0 ) Victor’s the boy. We have some hope
November 5 Bournemouth (1) 1 Sunderland (1) 2 *Anichebe typifies gutsy display that gives hope
October 29 Sunderland (0) 1 Arsenal (1) 4 Spectacular collapse as soon as Giroud appeared
October 26 EFL Cup 4th Round: Southampton (0) 1 Sunderland (0) 0 * More fight but still no real threat
October 22 West Ham United (0) 1 Sunderland (0) 0 A real killer. Deserved a point. Damn
October 15 Stoke City (2) 2 Sunderland (0) Another inadequate performance that offers little hope
October 1 Sunderland (0) 1 West Bromwich Albion (1) 1 Awful lot of cracks to paper over
September 24 Sunderland (1) 2 Crystal Palace (0) 3 Shambolic defending, barely of Wearside League quality
EFL Cup 3rd Round: September 21 QPR (0) 1 Sunderland (0) 2 *Paddy McNair our new Defoe? No but…
September 18: Tottenham Hotspur 1 (0) Sunderland 0 (0) Point lost thanks to traditional defensive howler
September 12 Sunderland 0 (0) Everton 3 (0) Torn apart in an abysmal second half
August 27. Southampton 1 (0) Sunderland 1 (0) Disappointing at the end, as ever here
August 24. EFL Cup 2nd Round: Sunderland 1 (0) Shrewsbury Town 0 (0) Poor game settled by an excellent goal
August 21: Sunderland 1 (0) Middlesbrough 2 (2) Another season of struggle on the cards
August 13: Man City (1) 2 Sunderland (0) 1 Held them well but tired legs told
Join the Salut! Sunderland Facebook group – click anywhere along this line
Pay off Rob Mason and then ask him to be club historian: unbelievable.
Contract for new programme given to a national newspaper, I believe for three years and they will have to get some of the information from Rob. No feelings for loyalty in this club.
Be interesting to see how many season tickets will be sold. Will the loyalty be returned? Wonder if the Rangers programme was produced in the same manner.Yer couldnt mak it up youngun.
This time I stayed to applaud a true GENTLE man from the pitch, Jermain Defoe. Have the club explained their decision re Rob Mason?
Like Wrinkly Pete, I have never left a game before the final whistle but like Sixer I seriously thought about going after 5 minutes of the second half. I stayed and suffered but am asking myself why.
And as for getting shot of Rob Mason! Another apalling decision under Short’s stewardship. Bet he doesn’t get a million euro payoff either.
If it takes the manager and his coaches 45 minutes to respond to the team being over-run in midfield I think we need to get rid of them all. Bruce was the same —an inability to make tactical changes at the right time when the problem had been blindingly obvious for all to see.
In football parlance Moysie’s legs have gone, in snooker terms he’s got the yips–needs putting out to grass. If he can’t motivate players and put out a competitive team all is lost for him.
We need a team of inspirational coaches in support. Paul Bracewell was a superb player but every time I see him now he has the expression of a stunned horse.
Dump the lot.
No comment in today’s “effort”, other than no comment.