A view from the avenue as reality kicks in

John McCormick writes: Regular visitors will be used to Paul Summerside’s thoughts popping up on the site. He’s here often enough to have his own tag – A view from the Avenueand he always has something interesting to say. Today is no exception as he takes the opportunity to look back over the summer and the season to date.

This being a short piece, Paul posted it on our facebook page first but it’s good enough to go up here and it’s important enough to be read twice. So thanks, Paul, for letting us move it across.

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Aston Villa ‘Who are You?’: Bruce, Grabban, Birmingham rivalry and SAFC’s ‘necessary’ relegation

Tom: ‘Like Villa, I’m under Chinese ownership’;

Tom Jolliffe* cannot see beyond an away win at the Stadium of Light tomorrow. At least he applies a neat sense of humour, and traces of sympathy, to his asnwers about our plight and his club Aston Villa’s buoyant current state and longer-term prospects (which should not, in his view, include much room for Lewis Grabban beyond the Championship). And however controversial this will be, Monsieur Salut thinks he’s closer to being right than wrong in his assessment of Steve Bruce …

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The Sunderland v Fulham Guess the Score with classy Niall/SuperKev prize

Niall and SuperKev: click the image for more details

Out with the mugs and in with the print or t-shirt. For the next two games, Guess the Score has the ear of those excellent people at Art of Football, occasional sponsors of Salut! Sunderland competitions and run by Nottingham Forest fans among whom we found a Who are You? candidate earlier in the season.

So guess the score in Sunderland vs Fulham, be first with the right scoreline and you will win one of the two Niall Quinn/Kevin Phillips items shown: a fine print or a t-shirt depicting two heroes of Sunderland’s relatively recent past.

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Clough, Monty, trouncing Chelsea … Salut! Sunderland shares memories with Football Friends

Jake flies the flag

Monsieur Salut writes: Why does Salut! Sunderland exist? What prompted its creation? What was my first game? What have been my highs and lows of supporting Sunderland? All the kind of questions we regularly ask Who are You? candidates. This time the boot was on the other foot. The newish Football Friends site wanted answers from me. Here they are – and do check out the site for chats with those responsible for other club blogs …

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Chance encounter with Wayne Entwistle as SuperKev destroyed Bury, sealing promotion

Entwistle
Entwistle scoring Bury’s second in a 3-0 defeat of Tranmere on Dec 29 1984. Photo: Chris Tofalos


James Bentley
is the author of an imminent book about one of the best seasons in the history of Bury, albeit one overshadowed, as he now explains, by grim events in British football. One of the stars of the Bury squad, jusrt 15 strong, was Wayne Etwistle, who made 53 starting appearances for Sunderland between 1977 and 1979, scoring 15 goals. James takes up the story …

Tuesday 13th April 1999 was a night both sets of supporters at Gigg Lane would remember for a long time.

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Birflatt Boy: end the Mignolet love-in. He’s Liverpool’s now, our history

Birflatt Boy lay bare his innermost thoughts
Birflatt Boy gets a weighty issue off his mind

As Birflatt Boy would have it, both Pete Sixsmith and Monsieur Salut have been guilty of wilfully wishing Simon Mignolet well. But is it right that the Sunderland Echo quoted him as saying once he learned of Liverpool’s interest, he set his heart on leaving? Zero mention, we learn at the Blackcats list, ‘of being sad to leave, hard decision, enjoyed his time here, appreciated the support’. Well, maybe he’s already said as much elsewhere. It would still cut no ice with our shadiest contributor …

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