Yesterday you might have seen how I – or rather our readers – came to select a number of clubs to follow over the course of the season. They were originally Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Fulham, Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland; Wolves,Bristol City, Cardiff, Derby and Sheffield United joined them at the end of the January transfer window.
Pete Sixsmith will be on his way tomorrow to watch his beloved rugby league. It rarely fails to put a smile on his face. We have seen, on a handful of occasions this season, how a good Sunderland performance can have the same effect. At most games, however, he witnesses a shambles of a team that would turn the man who is depressive into one who is suicidal. Brentford fans turned out in force and rightly enjoyed their day out (and how they must have loved Sixer’s Bees edition of his fabulous series The First Time Ever I Saw Your Team
Where on earth we, Sunderland, go from here should be anyone’s guess but isn’t – we’re bound for another taste of third division football unless something happens and quickly ….
1-0 down after 15 minutes, 2-0 after half an hour. Jones booked five minutes later. What a surprise.
How much is a typical League One club worth? Surely someone wants to buy and turn this club around.
Pete Sixsmith sent an e-mail not long before the kick-off. It included the phrase “sorry team for today”. He wasn’t kidding and by half-time he was able send a text with what would become his final verdict on that sorry team:
John McCormick writes: It’s a team effort, here at Salut! Pete Sixmith was engaged with a non-League fixture so Bob Chapman stepped in with his seven word summary, which was sent to Malcolm, who used it to finalise the draft I’d prepared.
And now M Salut himself has forwarded Bob’s post-match report. For me, it carries a hint that, while there’s some way to go, we are at least beginning to create chances. That could be because I thought we did something similar at Preston, so I suggest you tuck into this excellent read, bear in mind that not all our players are fully match fit, and decide for yourself.
John McCormick writes: We’ve now conceded 25 goals already this season, although it appears that the last of them came from a deflection that left our keeper no chance.
Still, I suppose a point away’s not too bad, especially as Brentford had 9 shots on target, but not being able to hold on to a two goal lead’s a concern. And that forms the basis of Bob Chapman’s (off the bench as Sixer’s sub today) seven-word summary:
John McCormick writes: I’d hoped to make this fixture but circumstances dictate otherwise, which means I’ll have to wait another year (or more likely a decade, according to some comments I’ve read) before I can renew my acquaintance with what is probably my favourite ground in all of London. For now, I’ll have to make do with more of Pete Sixsmith’s memories. They happen to coincide with mine when it comes to Stamford Bridge but my memories of Griffin Park are much happier than his:
