The EFL Round of 16. We’re in it and can make the quarter finals by winning, away yet again, on Tuesday night, says Monsieur Salut.
Salut! Sunderland wants to know how you think we’ll fare at Oxford United, having previously beaten Premier League opponents Burnley and Sheffield United on their grounds. But we still cannot publish comments.
No fewer than 1,228 of the 21,460 crowd on a Wednesday night at St Mary’s were in the away end …
John McCormick writes: Just before he slid on to the team coach for the long journey home (having exerted his authority and taken the whole of the back seat so he could kip) our manager penned a letter to M Salut (and maybe one or two others). M Salut, generous fellow that he is, kindly let me see it but told me to keep it to myself.
How could I do that?
So here it is, but don’t let on where it came from
Fresh from much-praised exploits at the San Siro (despite a defeat) and in the draw at the Etihad, Southampton naturally fancy their chances against Sunderland in the EFL Cup 4th round on Wednesday. A hearty welcome to Aidan Small*, a budding sports journalist who owns www.freshsaints.com even if he does think we’re doomed to relegation without the consolation of further interest in the League Cup after the visit to St Mary’s …
A win’s a win, as Pete Sixsmith might put it. A 2-1 victory away to QPR has a competent ring to it, but Sixer wasn’t there and Monsieur Salut was unable to follow it except on his mobile, being on a gruelling French naval press trip and, as the match was played, eating and drinking on board a frigate with Exocets pointing towards the centre of Toulon. So we can but stick to the facts as conveyed by scoreline and scorers and then rely on others to fill in details of a win that brings us the dubious reward of Southampton away in the next round of the league cup … the asterisk denotes an emergency seven-word verdict not of Sixer’s making…
John McCormick (subbing for M Salut) writes:
That Patrick was captain should tell you all you need to know about the team we put out tonight. Still, we won, with what was by all accounts an excellent goal, and head off to Shepherds Bush in the next round.
If you do want to know more, however, then look no further. We’ve spared no expense in bringing you the letter penned not by by our manager but by his assistant and sent by courier to M Salut (and maybe one or two others) straight after the match.