With Sixer still on duty it fell to Malcolm Dawson to make the trek to the Stadium of Light on our behalf, and then to report on the last home game of a very trying year. Did he see any harbingers of a better 2018?
It would appear that he did:
Malcolm Dawson was back in the East stand seat of Pete Sixsmith, absent again on Santa duties, to see Sunderland drop back into the bottom three after a disappointing draw against the bottom club, with Bolton and Burton both winning. The instant verdict is therefore his, as will be the substitute Sixer’s Soapbox in due course. Gary Bennett, analysing with Nick Barnes, thought it a poor game where poor defending again cost us a goal. He questioned the decision-making by, in particular, Lewis Grabban in chances before and after his (Grabban’s) equaliser and cited a glaring creativity gap that perhaps Aiden McGeady might have filled …
John McCormick writes: I’ve just had my card declined when trying to make a donation to the Whitechapel Centre, which helps homeless/rough sleepers in Liverpool. There were no problems when giving to MIND, where I donated in order to support my niece, Ski, who’s running for them every day in January. (Just letting you know, should last week have left you in a generous mood). Fifty years ago such things wouldn’t have concerned me. In contrast, the lineup for this match might have. Now I can’t remember anything about the game.
Luckily, Pete Sixsmith can:
Colin Randall writes: Just as our Kevin Ball deserves a free season ticket for life at the Stadium of Light, their – Birmingham City’s – Kevin Ball* has earned one to Salut! Sunderland after all his visit to this illustrious series. But think about it: who would you turn to, if looking for candidates, other than someone bearing that name? So Kev’s back for the much-copied Who are You? (I always imagine our confreres at other sites making a painstaking note of all our interviewees before flattering us by imitation). Enough of that: from deepest Devon, the Bluenose version of Kev answers out questions once again …
It’s Christmas and Little Drummer Boy is one of those songs you cannot always escape from.
But into the stocking of a Salut! Sunderland stalwart who signs his comments here as Drummer will go a t-shirt depicting two heroic figures of Sunderland’s not-so-distant past, Niall Quinn and SuperKev.
The only other clue I shall give is that he wants it in large. It is for Drummer to reveal his true identity if he wishes.
And now on to even more serious matters. Sunderland vs Birmingham City and your chance to get the Niall/SKP print on your wall or the t-shirt on your chest.
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.
Keir Bradwell sums up the players’ individual performances in marks out of 10 for the games at Loftus Road and St Andrew’s a few nights earlier…
Let Rob Hutchison explain for himself how he came to see us and the Mags on successive nights …
John McCormick writes: The gods of football are conspiring against me at the moment and I’m finding it hard to even plan for a game. Not so Pete Sixsmith, who has managed to fit in home, away, friendly, non-league, rugby league, cricket league and probably Sunday league into a season that’s hardly started.
That’s not enough, however, so last night he made the trip to Birmingham for the League Cup and saw us negotiate what could have been a tricky encounter:
Gus Poyet accepts Sunderland made a poor start but is delighted that the goals finally came. Stoke at home in the next round sounds winnable, too. Here’s the boss’s post-match e-mail …