Chelsea - SAFC Blog

The last of Advochaat? Or is the future bright, is the future orange?

May 24, 2015 by Colin Randall

This was a typical end of term affair. For Chelsea, the equivalent of sweets and board games was in saying …

Sixer’s Sevens: Chelsea 3 SAFC 1. Competitive in defeat. Au revoir Hull

May 24, 2015 by Colin Randall

Pete Sixsmith‘s boycott of expensive trips to London was maintained for the final game of the season, though he was able to follow proceedings from afar and supply a seven-word verdict. The game at Chelsea went to script despite Steven Fletcher’s rediscovery of his goalscoring touch, before Costa’s penalty equaliser in the first half and two Loic Remy strikes in the second. Fletch could have done better with his own subsequent chances. Not a bad display – we were far from overwhelmed – but logic prevailed. Whatever we think of Steve Bruce – and he fully merits what we think of him – it is more than a little sad to see Hull City, a decent club with decent fans, go down ..

HAWAY awards update, Hull and Newcastle slug it out, Chelsea demand appreciation

May 23, 2015May 23, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'with thanks to all opposing fans who participate' — Jake: ‘with thanks to all opposing fans who participate’

We’ll look at tomorrow’s match at Chelsea – plus the relegation dogfight – but first, an update on the HAWAY awards …

The prizes are sorted for Salut! Sunderland‘s annual Haways – awards for Highly Articulate Who are You? interviews – so step forward our Guess the Score sponsors, Personalised football Gifts, and old friends from Campo Retro and When Saturday Comes.

There are 13 shortlisted interviews, to which you could easily add either of the two – Arsenal and, though there is dissent about this, Chelsea -to have appeared since the judging process began.

The Chelsea ‘Who are You?’: what Mourinho could do for a Sunderland

May 22, 2015May 22, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'one more question: could you see your way clear to giving us a point?' — Jake: ‘one more question: could you see your way clear to giving us a point?’

The pulsating sounds of Caribbean steel band music, childhood memories from south London, a decades-long affection for Chelsea… where else could Brian Wise* have ended up than Middlesbrough? An old colleague and pal of Pete Sixsmith’s, Brian has left his London roots only in geographical terms and passionately follows the entirely unassuming Mourinho and his team. As a schoolboy goalkeeper, he imagined himself to be Peter Bonetti. Didn’t we all, when not thinking we were Monty? But now sit back and enjoy Wise’s Words of Wisdom in the last Who are You? of the 2014-20-15 season, our own safety secured and nothing but pride riding on the game …

Chelsea Guess the Score: Terry shaking in his boots after Arsenal heroics?

May 21, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake says: 'only a mug wouldn't enter, only a mug if you win' — Jake says: ‘only a mug wouldn’t enter, only a mug if you win’

The bullish tone of the headline should offend no one.

Monsieur Salut is notoriously unyielding on final games of the season where nothing is any longer at stake. They are, simply, more important than any England game, even ones that dictate qualification or otherwise for the Euros or World Cup. That goes for our reserves, too.

Sunderland 1 Chelsea 0 as Mourinho’s Under 21s settle for play-acting

May 12, 2015 by Colin Randall

What, more from Duncan? Jake's man grabs another — What, more from Duncan? Jake’s man grabs another

Week after week, whatever the team, a supporter famous or unknown comes to the Salut! Sunderland ‘Who are You?’ hot seat and expresses horror at one of the scourges of the current game: the squalid combination of diving, feigned injuries and attempts to get fellow professionals booked that has become so prevalent we ask interviewees if the time has come to give up and devote a chapter to cheating in the coaching manuals.

We are as hard on Sunderland players who cheat as on opponents. But after watching another master class of play-acting, this time from Chelsea’s Under 21s, Pete Sixsmith wonders whether this is really how Jose Mourinho – the indisputably worthy title-winning manager – wants his teams to play?

Congratulations Chelsea. But eyes down for the drama (Burnley, QPR, us, Leicester, Hull, Newcastle,Villa)

May 4, 2015 by Colin Randall

Seb: flashback to our own Stamford Bridge glory

Let’s see if the Sunderland ‘will we survive?’ poll can perk up a little more from our viewpoint. The Yes and Maybe votes, though still lagging well behind, are higher than at any time since poll was launched but always bear there have been many No camp followers among fans of other drop zone clubs) …

[polldaddy poll=8818549]

And now for a quick expansion of the poll to find out who Salut! Sunderland readers (who, don’t forget, may well again include supporters of the other six clubs) think will go down.

You thought football had left the neanderthal age? See these Chelsea fans …

February 18, 2015February 18, 2015 by Colin Randall

NB: what you see above is just an impression of the clip: since The Guardian has chosen to block access via YouTube to footage it should want the world to see, I will use the BBC link suggested by Phil in the comment below. See it at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31515624

The bad news is that this happened in 2015. Long after we fondly supposed such low-life primitives had found other outlets for their vile prejudice, a group of English “supporters” are caught on film preventing a black man from boarding a Metro train in Paris before the Chelsea game at PSG. They chant “we’re racist, we’re racist and that’s the way we like it”.

Sixer’s Chelsea Soapbox: Santa’s delivers his present, a tip-top match report

November 30, 2014November 30, 2014 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'that'll dee' — Jake: ‘that’ll dee’

Pete Sixsmith is on Father Christmas duty today, up in Weardale where Monsieur Salut once looked out of the window of a Save Our Railway Line special and saw him doing his stuff with the red-and-white-striped Shildon Sunderland Supporters’ FC team. But he delayed his drive up the dale to write this fittingly noble report on yesterday’s outstanding performance against Chelsea, one that went agonisingly close to yielding three points instead of one …

Hutch’s Patch: how many out of 10 for Cattermole vs Chelsea?

November 30, 2014November 29, 2014 by Colin Randall

Rob Hutchison had to watch on a stream but was quick off the mark with his one word player ratings. No quarrels from Monsieur Salut (though 10/10 for Catts would have been tempting), who wrote at ESPN ‘At no stage of this game, with the possible exception of an opening spell of compelling but ultimately fruitless possession by Chelsea, were manager Gus Poyet’s players second best to his former club’.

Unbeknown to M Salut, deputy editor Malcolm Dawson, just in from the match, had already started editing Hutch’s ratings. This was Malcolm’s introduction: Rob Hutchison is a man of few words. At least he is when rating the Sunderland team in the minutes following the full time whistle. Today’s performances all rate highly against a team that had scored in every game this season and were unbeaten as they arrived at the Stadium of Light. They left still unbeaten (and defeat would have been harsh on them) but this was a gutsy Sunderland performance …