Hillsborough (2): a Sunderland fan in Leppings Lane End as disaster struck

Mick Goulding and son
Mick Goulding and son

We have already heard from Pete Sixsmith how the official approach to football supporters that was reflected when 96 people died at Hillsborough also threatened people attending at a Sunderland game, and how it nearly ended his own teaching career. Now, also discussing the historical context in which the tragedy was handled, Michael Goulding, lifelong Sunderland fan and occasional contributor to these pages, looks back on a day that affected all of us in different ways but especially those who, like him, were there …

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Staying up made easy: emulate Arsenal and Liverpool against Leicester, beat Norwich

Jake's generic Salut gif
Acknowledgement:
All graphics courtesy of Jake

Pete Sixsmith says we will go down unless we win four games. Big Sam sets the same target. With only seven left, and looking at who we face in them, it takes a serious half-glass full believer to have much faith in that happening.

“Can we halt the Leicester juggernaut and drive the Foxes into a hole?” Sixer asked at the start of a splendid trawl through the nicknames of those opponents. ” Having done that, can we survive the plastic clappers at Carrow Road and knock the Canaries off their perch? Can we silence the Gunners, break the Potters and consign the Pensioners to their barracks. Will we come unstuck against the Toffees before drawing the sting from the Hornets?”

It looks beyond us. But it can be done, subject to rather a lot of Ifs.

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NUFC and Middlesbrough over there, Bolton and Blackpool over here

John McCormick:
John McCormick
rambling around on a weekend

We might have another blank weekend but it’s only two weeks since my last relegation watch  so, even though things are hotting up, what with Norwich drawing with Citeh and Rafa Benitez taking over the horse punchers after the dismally drawn out sacking of Steve McLaren (and this in the week Mr. Ashley was warned he might be held in contempt for his failure to meet MPs who want to discuss the treatment of his employees), it’s too early to go back there.

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Liverpool fans, spirit of Shankly; Liverpool FC, spirit of Rachman

John McCormick:
John McCormick
putting in his sixpenneth, which LFC will willingly snatch from his hand.

I have to start by saying I think Liverpool’s a great place to live. I’ve no intention of leaving and wouldn’t swap it for a return to the North East, not for a minute. Other people appear to like it too, it’s increasingly a tourist destination, with the river, nightlife, national museums, the Beatles and the Grand National all playing a part in attracting visitors.

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A Canadian Mackem’s diary: Kop that for a comeback at Liverpool

Martin
Martin raises the North America Sunderland Supporters’ Association banner aloft at Anfield

The football part of Martin Bates‘s grand pilgrimage to Sunderland, where his parents were born and raised before heading west to Canada, began with a stirring but losing performance at home to Manchester City. Since he was fearing the worst at Anfield on Saturday when two home goals went in, you can imagine Martin’s joy at witnessing a gutsy late revival. Here is part two of a Canadian Mackem’s trip-home diary …

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Sixer’s Sevens: Liverpool 2-2 Sunderland. Defoe’s quality makes its point

Jake: catch Sixer's instant seven-word verdicts throughout the season
Jake: catch Sixer’s instant seven-word verdicts throughout the season at https://safc.blog/category/sixers-sevens/sixers-sevens-2015-2016/

Monsieur Salut writes: from an easily conceded defeat to a heartening recovery for a draw, Sunderland tested our nerves today but the point gives us a glimmer of hope for the rest of the season. We gave Liverpool masses of possession and eventually paid the price, defensive lapses – with Billy Jones at fault both times – handing Liverpool a 2-0 lead. But as thousands of home fans made their commendable stand against their rip-off owners’ ticket pricing plans, the comeback began. Mignolet allowed Adam Johnson’s free kick to beat him at the post and Jermain Defoe then showed again what a classy striker he is, finishing a terrific little move involving PVA and the impressive Khazri. Below you see Pete Sixsmith’s customary seven-word verdict (1) and a companion summing-up from John McCormick (2) …

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Liverpool daughter, Sunderland dad. She confesses …

1991 and all that: Nathalie in red, her dad in, er, a gruesome away top
1992 and all that: Nathalie in red, her dad in, er, a gruesome away top

Nathalie Randall is Monsieur Salut’s younger daughter, a very decent footballer (for Old Actonians, who play in quite a good women’s league with Premier in its title), a great mum to Maya but a very disloyal child. Despite being frogmarched to Sunderland games from an early age, she supports Liverpool. She has already explained why on these pages and, believe me, it doesn’t bear repeating.

But here, Nathalie looks forward to Saturday’s game at Anfield.

Yes, her pocket money has been stopped before and it doesn’t work …

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Liverpool v SAFC Who are You?: Jordan ‘immense’, Mignolet ‘strange’, says man from Anfield Wrap

Neil Atkinson:
Neil Atkinson:

Neil Atkinson*, our old pal from The Anfield Wrap podcast and site, had to rise above a mountain of typos to make sense of Salut! Sunderland‘s questions ahead of SAFC’s visit to Liverpool on Saturday. Once he’d deciphered them, he came up with these thoughtful and entertaining responses, kindly predicting survival for Sunderland and offering a lyrical, Shankly-inspired appraisal of Jurgen Klopp’s needs …

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The Canadian Mackem: a Sunderland diary starts with ‘timewasting’ Manchester City

m
Martin, back in his spiritual home

Many readers will recall Martin Bates‘s welcome contributions in words and pictures from Toronto when the pre-season tour reached Canada. From pure Wearside stock, Martin is Sunderland daft and anyone befriending him on Facebook will have sensed his great excitement at starting a trip back home, picking up tickets for the Man City, Liverpool and Man Utd games and soaking up the atmosphere and beer of the city where his roots are found. This, we hope, is the first of at least two slices of his back-to-Sunderland diary …

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