How does anyone get the impression they have been banned from a football stadium when they haven’t? Monsieur Salut remembers being told he was banned from a folk club in Newton Aycliffe, after comments in his folk column for the now-defunct Evening Despatch, and having to attend a hearing by the club’s committee to get the ban lifted.
With Micky Gray and Sunderland AFC, it’s a little more mystifying.
The bare bones of it, courtesy of safc.com, are that Sunderland beat Toronto with a Jermain Defoe double after his former club took the lead: ‘two well-taken efforts … the first, in the 65th minute, reward for Defoe’s persistence in a scramble on the edge of the area, the second four minutes later after of a flowing counter-attack led by Adam Johnson’. And no battle royal with Jozy Altidore, who did not play. Dick Advocaat was happy for the fans and for Defoe, as his post-match email shows. Much coverage and photos to come – and yes, the players acknowledged the support …
Martin Bates is our latest Out West reporter to keep an eye on all things Sunderland in North America. Martin, a Canadian with Sunderland family origins, has the advantage of following our next opponents, Toronto, in all games in which they are not playing us, if that makes sense. So he knows all about both clubs and all about the possible battle royal between ex-Toronto man Jermain Defoe and ex-Sunderland man Jozy Altidore. Let Martin set the scene …
See all artiicles in the Sunderland Out West series at https://safc.blog/category/sunderland-out-west-2015/
The whole Salut! Sunderland team owes our old mate Jeremy Robson a huge apology. He was one of the first …
Malcolm Dawson writes…..I wonder what the atmosphere was like on the supporters’ coaches which were delayed by the incident on …
Malcolm Dawson writes: It all so much clearer now for SAFC – Shildon that is. A come from behind 3-1 …
Pete Sixsmith witnesses a good, solid performance with more than a hint of Dick Advocaat’s ‘win ugly’ strategy but also a goal of the utmost quality. This was the sort of display that will, if maintained, keep the crowd on the players’ side and secure the necessary points before those dreaded final trips to the Emirates and Stamford Brdige …
John McCormick writes:
It was a special day.
At about half three I was in the Liverpool Women’s hospital, holding my new-born granddaughter.
“It’s been a good weekend,” I said to Peter, my Blackburn-season-ticket-holding-son-in-law.
“Yes”, he said. “Before Leeds I said all we needed was three points and a baby”.
“Three points and a baby. That’ll do me,” I thought.
And I hoped like hell, as we drove home, trying to hear the radio above the noise of grandma and auntie Helen in the back, that that’s what it would be.
Monsieur Salut writes: Pete Sixsmith is not often purring these days. After the stupendous strike by Jermain Defoe in the last moment of the first half, an unstoppable volley from 25 yards to make Charlie Adam look frankly commonplace, he was a happy lad. Well, happyish. ‘Lovely goal? Wasn’t it just? But now we need to finish them off’. We didn’t do that but we did win – five against NUFC in succession – and we won by making Newcastle look poor, something other teams have done to us all season …’
Malcolm Dawson writes….Sixer and I saw SAFC concede twice today and have a man sent off but they not only …