Bob Chapman

Sixer’s Bolton Soapbox: Gardner and Brighton conspire to beat our Supersub’s blues

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Still in it, says Jake
Still in it, says Jake

With Pete Sixsmith otherwise engaged on family matters, once again Supersub Robert Chapman steps up to the plate with his thoughts on the game at Bolton. It’s fair to say that he wouldn’t have been the only Sunderland fan in a good mood as kick off loomed, as the not unexpected news from Brighton got the afternoon off to a fine start. Certainly the BBC Newcastle team were in upbeat mood about the Black Cats’ cahances as the teams were announced but as Nick Barnes warned, potential banana skins await the overconfident.

And so it proved, as once again the Sunderland team put its supporters through the gamut of emotions with relief and renewed expectation of a 40th anniversary FA Cup run as the final whistle blew. Mind you had we known in advance the identity of our potential 4th round opponents there may have been a little less confidence. Still bogey teams are there to be beaten but first there’s still a tricky replay to negotiate.

It's Bob Chapman on this week's soapbox but Pete's smiling anyway
It’s Bob Chapman on this week’s soapbox but Pete’s smiling anyway

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Sixer’s Sevens: Bolton 2 Sunderland 2 – Gardner keeps the anniversary dream alive

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Pete Sixsmith was playing truant again today, for the unusual – for him – reason of a family commitment, a relative’s 90th birthday if Monsieur Salut remembers correctly. What he missed at the Reebok, and Bob Chapman saw in his place, was a familiar tale: worrying injuries (Rose and Cuellar) and a self-inflicted mountain to climb, two down on 48 minutes. It was done, keeping us in the FA Cup 40 years after we last won it, with what the BBC calls the substitute Connor Wickham close range strike and a “stunning 20-yard drive” from Craig Gardner. We live to fight again, which is more than Newcastle United can say …

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The Chapman Report from Swansea: can SAFC finish above Newcastle?

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Jake wasn't to know Sixer would be out of bounds again

Not often, Pete Sixsmith misses a game. Either some non-league or oval-ball (RL only) nonsense has taken his fancy or up with certain, usually London prices he will not put. Where Swansea away fitted into this is unclear, but luckily our old friend and very occasional contributor Bob Chapman, who is – like Pete – a teacher so a bit of a brainbox, offered to clamber into Sixer’s Soapbox to deliver the Monday morning lecture. As for the question Bob poses at the end of his report, mentioned in the headline, Newcastle’s failure to beat Aston Villa – a match that surely had home banker written all over it – seems more worrying for them than a draw at Swansea is for us..

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Sunderland report cards: (6) measuring progress, and winning the FA Cup again

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The thoughts of Bob Chapman grace the pages of Salut! Sunderland every so often and he seemed an obvious choice for the end-of-season reporting panel. Here is an honest appraisal, warts and all but with plenty of recognition where due, of a season that failed to shake Bob’s innate optimism …

I have watched Sunderland since the start of the 1964/5 season.

My father took me as a very excited nine-year-old to see his newly promoted team play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Fifteen-year-old Derek Foster played his second game in goal as a replacement for the injured Monty. You can still see MoTD footage on Youtube (duly dug out and included – ed). We lost 3-0 but I was heartened by the fact that in another six years I would almost certainly be making my debut for the team …

Ever the optimist, that’s me!

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Titus Bramble our rock as Aston Villa seen off

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A good night for Phil Bardsley, a bad night for Danny Welbeck and a dreadful night for poor David Meyler. Fir the second successive year, Bob Chapman steps into Pete Sixsmith’s shoes to report from Villa Park …

How times change. Last March I reported on this same fixture.

We were just about safe, though I was still chewing nails. On the other hand Villa were challenging for a European place. We drew 1-1 and I reported what an influence John Mensah had been in securing a point.

This season we have reversed those roles, but once again it was a centre half, Titus Bramble who impressed me most and helped secures the points, all three this time.

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