David Moyes

Beyond belief: mountains to climb if Koné goes to Everton or Chelsea

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Lamine Kone: will he get to keep the shirt?
Lamine Koné: would he get to keep the shirt as a souvenir (photo courtesy of SAFC)?

The loss of Lamine Koné would not only be a huge blow to Sunderland just as we were all hoping for a much better start to the season. If the fans’ worst fears are justified, it would also threaten to bring David Moyes’s honeymoon period to an abrupt end …

STOP PRESS UPDATE: Fans spoke to Koné after training today and the player said he had been “promised a new contract”, reinforcing his agent’s comment that none had been offered. When asked if he would like to remain at SAFC, he replied: “Yeah.”

While thanking Sunderland AFC for kindly sending an image of the new, rather impressive away top, I added a postscript: “Seeing who is wearing it makes me want to cry!”

It was only the slightest of exaggerations.

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Manchester City v Sunderland Guess the Score: can we ruin Pep’s debut?

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Our designer Jake's on the ball for the big kickoff
Our designer Jake’s on the ball for the big kickoff

Another opening day looms and, by the skin of our teeth, Sunderland kick off a 10th successive season in the Premier League.

The new manager’s post-match e-mails will be given the title of Moyes on the Boys, a clear winner in the recent poll and suggested by a reader signing himself as JEL.

Will it be the Boys minus King Kone? As I write, it is looking grim but inconclusive. I tweeted that SAFC supporters had a right to expect our new manager to be fighting tooth and nail to keep him but if this Northern Echo report is to be believed, that may not be the case.

If we do lose perhaps the best centre back seen in Sunderland colours since Dave Watson, it will be a huge setback and the so far elusive inward business had better be good (though we must hope Moyes has found a gem in Papy Djilobodji).

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What to call David Moyes’s post-match emails. He can enter, too

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[polldaddy poll=9481882]

We may be humouring ourselves in describing the post-match missives of Sunderland’s successive managers as being all their own work. It is much more likely that the press office team works on the seeds planted by the incumbent in any immediate press conference or TV interview.

But the views expressed remain, essentially, those of the manager concerned – unless you hear of a position suddenly becoming available in the press office.

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Sam Allardyce, formerly of Sunderland, now of England, Observed

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Sixer looks forward to days in the sun
Sixer licks the opposition

Stop press: Sixer was at Rotherham, along with David Moyes, to see an efficient 2-1 win friendly win. His Sixer’s Sevens verdict: “Good workout in front of new boss”

The Observer digs deep one again into its coffers to recruit our own Pete Sixsmith for a few words on Big Sam. How deep? Er, not enough to pay for the ice cream you see him licking; Sixer’s reward may well have to await his arrival on heaven (rather as is the case here at Salut! Sunderland. He was naturally writing before the David Moyes appointment was known) …


When Sam walked into the club, he inherited a group of players who were unfit, disillusioned and whose collective will was on a par with the recent Shadow Cabinet.

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It’s official – David Moyes takes the reins

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Jake gets arty and scary when Moyes was our nemesis. Can he now do to others what he once did to us?
Jake got arty and scary when Moyes was our nemesis. Can he now do to others what he once did to us?

Deputy Editor Malcolm Dawson writes: and the second worst kept secret in English football over the past few weeks at last is confirmed. Ex Everton, Man Utd and Real Sociedad boss David Moyes is quickly installed in the hot seat at the SoL. No doubt we will be doing a more in depth piece at some point but this hastily added offering will at least give you somewhere to post your thoughts as the Lads head to Rotherham.

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Sixer’s Man Utd Soapbox: De Gea de difference

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Came second again, says Jake
Came second again, says Jake

Malcolm Dawson writes…in all honesty I’m not sure many of us in our heart of hearts expected a win but as always most of us will have wished for a performance that would produce an upset. We always go in hope, even when we don’t go in expectation and for a while on Saturday, it looked as if our hopes and dreams just might come true. It was a gutsy first half followed by the down to earth reality which is part and parcel of being a Sunderland fan. As usual Peter Sixsmith was perched on his eyrie, high in the East Stand and as usual he brings us his version of events on the pitch.

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