This post is about relegation, something never far from our minds, and who this season’s three might be. Over the summer I looked over a little bit of history and generated some numbers in order to bring you more of my dodgy predictions. Enjoy them or argue with them as you will. Just don’t nick the family allowance and run off to the bookies.
This, then, was the winner. You have had another chance to savour the interviews with our second and third-placed “Who are You?” interviewees, supporters of Manchester United and Norwich City, and also the recipient of the editor’s special award, Kidderminister Harriers’ Scott Jones.
Here, though, is the deserving Number One, Raich Carter, son of the Sunderland legend but a product of the life he later made in and around Hull. Raich, when finally tracked down and told he was our judges’ choice, said: ‘Very honoured by the award and congratulations to Gus and the Lads for battling it through!’
Raich’s interview is reproduced below. He may now choose goods valued at up to $200 by our generous US award sponsors soccerpro.com. It seems to be quality clobber and doesn’t come cheaper, but Raich could – say – have this Brazil World Cup top and still have $50 to spend …
WAY has grown to HAWAY, simply because it seemed an appropriate acronym for Salut! Sunderland‘s annual Who are You? awards to those judged to have contributed the most interesting responses in the Who are You? feature that precedes every Sunderland game. It doesn’t matter too much whether we make this the Hello and Who are You? awards or dream up some other first words starting H and A. Our Oscars are, henceforth, the Haways.
Few outside Hull – apart, maybe, from Brian Kerrigan, a former colleague of mine in Abu Dhabi who is from Cape Breton and knows of Humberside only because it was the birthplace of his favourite guitarist (Mick Ronson, if memory serves) – expected them to beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final. They got close, but not close enough.
But what about the real honours of the 2013-2014 season, the WAYS, or Salut! Sunderland Who are You? awards for 2013-14?
Malcolm Dawson writes…..Fans of the radio show “I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue” will know that one of the long …
When David Meyler played for Sunderland he was struck by two cruel long-term injuries.
He came back from both with remarkable resilience and earned both the admiration and respect of many supporters. I was one of those who regretted that he was not given more chance to succeed in red and white stripes.
Pete Sixsmith felt cheated. Not because he believes Gus Poyet or the team deliberately lost, but because he was obliged to sit through a dreadful display against moderate opponents that exposed glaring weaknesses in the squad. We must all hope to find him in better spirits at tea-time six days from now …
John McCormick writes:Time will tell whether or not Gus got this one right. I knew he’d make changes. I knew he’d start Scorchio. I expected Fletch to get more time on the clock. But I didn’t expect the Gaffer to say to Catts:
“We can’t afford a replay. Even if you get a booking I’m keeping you on the pitch and, if there’s any chance of a draw, I want you to give them a couple of goals”
The headline quotes Gary Bennett’s verdict, not Pete Sixsmith’s, on this shambolic exit from the FA Cup when there was the prospect of another Wembley visit, and surely another after that (we’d have played Sheffield United in the semi).
Sixer’s customary seven-word snap judgement – see below – is hardly more flattering. We can salvage only the hope that the players not only can now concentrate on battling a way to Premier League survival, but will. As for the game, it started badly and got worse, as Benno also observed. The first goal was another of those barely challenged free headers. The next two were presented on a plate by Lee Cattermole errors. David Meyler went down (from a lofty height) in Monsieur Salut’s own estimation with his squalid baiting of the referee to ensure a first-half booking for Cattermole, Ustari deserves credit for saving a harshly awarded penalty and that’s about it.
Gus Poyet’s many changes do not spare the players the shame of having let down the vast travelling support once again – making it three defeats out of three this season against Steve Bruce, with no goals scored and six conceded…
Win on Sunday and, as we all know, at least one more Wembley date beckons.
Some pragmatic supporters feel that having had our day of pride, competing on equal terms with one of the best teams in the world so that they were time-wasting shamelessly before the undeserved third goal, we should settle for an FA Cup exit now and focus on survival.