Hull City - SAFC Blog

Sixer’s Soapbox: A clean sheet against Hull as we lift off the bottom

November 20, 2016 by Colin Randall

John Mcormick writes: It’s Saturday night, and I’m letting the Chateauneuf-du-Pape breathe. The steak is out of its wrapper and relaxing. The cheese, (a brie that would please Mme Salut) is just resting until it becomes “au point”. Ok, my beloved wife has just explained how I should operate an iron, but my use of such an implement is theoretical and cannot detract from the evening. I’m happy. I’m content. I’m even looking forward to Match of the Day.

But the big thing, the perfect thing, is the knowledge that tomorrow, when I’m cooking the free-range sausage and boiling the free range eggs, it’s Malcolm who will be posting a top-notch account from a top notch reporter, spectator, supporter, or any other noun you may wish to insert.

I’ll leave it to him (Malcolm, that is) to continue. After all, he was there and I wasn’t…..

….Driving to the Stadium of Light yesterday, I realised that I had left my wallet with my season card at home but as I was only five minutes into my journey I had plenty of time to turn around and pick it up. For thirty minutes I was wondering if I had made the right decision. I couldn’t work out if the team had decided to take part in the latest social media craze, the mannequin challenge or whether or not they had been inspired by the latest health craze for the over 50s – walking football. For thirty minutes the midfield defended deep in our own half and when we had the ball there was absolutely no movement off it. How we are missing Lee Cattermole, Seb Larsson or Steven Pienaar, who might have injected a bit of enthusiasm into the rest of players. Even the headless chicken Duncan Watmore seemed content to stand still and watch the player on the ball.

I sent Pete Sixsmith a text which said simply “this is horrible”. Then a bit of magic from Jermaine Defoe turned the game and Victor Anichebe showed that he might well become the most important of our summer signings. I still thought we were poor, mind. Does Sixer agree? Read on to find out…………

Moyes on the Boys v Hull: Happy Anniversary, Colin

November 19, 2016November 19, 2016 by Colin Randall

John McCormick writes…..

After the game our manager appeared to take some time in sending his post-match letter to M Salut (and maybe one or two others). But knowing our leader is ensconced deep in the heart of Europe (where Mme Salut may hopefully let him look at the results and where he will surely have received M Sixsmith’s texts) Mr Moyes also sent a copy to me to make up for the delay.

What did the letter contain? Well, it wasn’t marked confidential so you can read it for yourself. Here it is:

Sixer’s Sevens: Hope rekindled v Hull

November 23, 2016November 19, 2016 by Colin Randall

John McCormick writes……..

For the first half hour or so I thought we were in for a bashing. We looked off the pace, and Elmo was showing Patrick how to do it. But the balance shifted, don’t you think, as the game went on. And who do you think was responsible? Was it David Moyes? Well, maybe, but Pete Sixsmith, there to the death, offers another possibility, in seven words, no more, no less:

Salut! Sunderland’s week: Budapest memories, hopes of beating Hull

November 18, 2016November 18, 2016 by Colin Randall

Jake: donlt mind who scores the winner - Hughes, Tueart, Defoe, Watmore, PVA, Anichebe — Jake: ‘do the honours in M Salut’s absence, Lads’

Monsieur Salut writes: as many readers will know, I am off to Budapest for the weekend to celebrate my 45th wedding anniversary.

Whatever happens at the SoL on Saturday afternoon, I shall almost certainly have to rely on Pete Sixsmith’s texts to my mobile phone to make me happy or gloomy. I try to be philosophical, especially this early in a season, but it can be tough.

Before I go, let me remind those who have not necessarily been paying attention that it has been a good week on Salut! Sunderland.

Sunderland v Hull City: aim to be a Defoe, SuperKev or Bobby Kerr winner

November 17, 2016 by Colin Randall

Jermain Defoe's superstrike vs the Mags — Jermain Defoe’s superstrike vs the Mags

This week’s Guess the Score is attracting plenty of entries, which is hardly surprising given
the importance of Saturday’s home game against Hull City. Bottom versus third-bottom is not the stuff of dreams for supporters of the brands – Man Utd/City/Chelsea/Arsenal etc – but it’s got the look of our Cup Final, or maybe the first of several.

There is, perhaps, another reason for the rush of interest: the quality of this week’s prize for whoever is first to predict the correct score.

Hull City Who are You?: ‘who could blame Bruce for walking out?’

November 17, 2016November 16, 2016 by Colin Randall

Mark Bradley at the Wembley playoff final

Monsieur Salut writes: At 15 Mark Bradley* is the youngest ‘Who are You?’ interviewee in the history of Salut! Sunderland. Although we take pride in the quality of this feature, it would not be hard to identify a few examples that showed considerably less maturity and vision than is evident from Mark’s replies.

Like us, he is under no illusion about the significance of Saturday’s game to both clubs and sets of supporters. Concentrating on SAFC, the season does not end if we lose; we are not safe if we win. But the need for three points is pressing, a second successive win that would make climbing out of danger seem less daunting a challenge. We should be grateful to have another struggling side as opponents after finally breaking our duck but, as we so often say, this is Sunderland and we shall see. We thank Mark for his willingness to take part in the discussion …

Let’s hear it for the optimist: why Sunderland will beat Hull

November 15, 2016 by Colin Randall

Paul Summerside hoping for calmer waters - and a new man on the bridge — Paul Summerside hoping for the season to take off in a big 3-0 sort of way

Paul Summerside offers another dollop of his usual upbeatery, though he has also been given to moments of doubt, to explain succinctly why Sunderland will beat Hull City and stop us all looking up road maps to Bristol, Barnsley and Burton for next season (truth be told, he’s as nervous as the rest of us) …

Absolutely nailed-on three-nil Sunderland win.

Duncan Watmore’s challenge: score a (winning) goal like this against Hull City

November 15, 2016 by Colin Randall

With thanks to the YouTube pages of ExplosiveLemonz

All season, many of us have watched in admiration some of Duncan Watmore’s approach play, his tenacity and his sheer enthusiasm only to be disappointed, as he clearly is, by the lack of end product.

That wasted final ball, the missed opportunity to shoot, the tendency to run a shade too far or let the ball roll beyond him – each of these has happened in games and a bright lad like Watmore did not need Monsieur Salut to tell him so.

So just click on the clip above and savour a moment of finesse he produced in an England Under 21 game.

Hull City Guess the Score: forget Salut! Sunderland mugs, Defoe’s our prize

November 19, 2016November 14, 2016 by Colin Randall

What you see is what you get – if you win the Sunderland-Hull City Guess the Score, that terrific print of Jermain Defoe’s five-in-a-row winner against Newcastle United is the prize from new friends of ours at Art of Football. Check out their Sunderland section by clicking anywhere on this paragraph …

Guess the Score has never been earlier. But then, there have not been many games as season-defining as Sunderland versus Hull City on Saturday.

Yes, I know we have said that kind of thing before, quite a lot over recent seasons, but this really is a vital test of whether our 2-1 win at Bournemouth was just a momentary, skin-of-the-teeth distraction from a Villa-style descent to the Championship – or the catalyst for instant revival.

Sunderland, Hull and ‘Boro descending; Watford rising; Palace, West Brom, Burnley and Bournemouth on the level

November 11, 2016 by Colin Randall

John McCormick: stats is thirsty work

During the close season we gave readers the opportunity to select their relegation favourites from the entire Premier league. Then we asked readers to select three candidates from the eight clubs which came top.

By the season’s start some 3,500 votes had been cast in our relegation poll

Hull were firm favourites to go down, with Burnley and Sunderland giving the North a full house. Watford weren’t far behind Sunderland, then came ‘Boro, Bournemouth and West Brom, followed by one hundred votes for “another club” and finally Crystal Palace, whose 67 votes (we got three times as many to become third favourites) must surely mean safety for them.