One big festival. Two big games. Two big chances to win Guess the Score.
The first bit is easy. Salut! Sunderland‘s tireless team of writers and illustrators – all, or nearly all, fellow supporters of that great thing that is SAFC – offers all readers, from near and far, a wonderful Christmas.
In the league table of human wickedness, the Poznan mockery by Sunderland supporters – after Manchester United lost the title in extraordinary fashion despite beating us on the final day – is lower than the Inquisition, the Holocaust and 9/11. It’s not even as bad as singing ‘you’re s**** and you know you are’. But there are those from Manchester and many, many more from hotbeds of United suport in SE Asia, the USA and Woking who took it as a glaring example of Man’s inhumanity to Man. Scott the Red*, a good friend to Salut! Sunderland, was so upset he wants us to go down. Since he also believes we make too much fuss about diving, we may conclude judgement has deserted him. Scott, the brains behind both the Republik of Mancunia site and the all-club By Far the Greatest Team blog**, expects revenge on Saturday (as if United needed a trivial grievance to be favourites) …
In the second and final part of his Saturday trilogy (OK I know a trilogy has three parts but he had to miss Gateshead’s draw with bottom club Hyde, which was to form the vanilla part of his neapolitan, because there simply wasn’t the time) Pete Sixsmith reveals how his long term relationship with the beautiful game was put to the test by a liaison with his first love …
Saturday began with the prospect of seeing nothing of the game and relying entirely on Pete Sixsmith’s excellent stream of beer/pub assessment, goal updates, occasional comment and final score with the inevitable Sixer’s Seven.
A rash tackle in a dangerous position and we’re 1-0 down. Another near the end and it’s 3-0. Sandwiched in between a clinical finish means that this year we leave the Etihad empty handed. Pete Sixsmith was there and his verdict is here.
Martin O’Neill highlights Cuellar’s challenge as the turning point of the game. That it came after only three minutes in such a dangerous position, is something no doubt he and his backroom staff will discuss with the team. Whether or not it was necessary at all will also be considered. Of just as much concern will surely be the ineffectiveness of the midfield and the lack of goalscoring opportunities created. Manchester City have strength in depth and a wealth of talent at their disposal but despite the endeavours of the Lads on the pitch in red and white, City were worthy winners. In his personal letter to Monsieur Salut the manager expresses his post match feelings …
That should of course have been a question in the headline for our occasional – ie not necessarily weekly – look back at the week just gone. The accolade was awarded by Jeremy Robson, who writes here regularly both as a contributor and reader, to a fine set of answers from Simon Curtis, a City fan and blogger based in Lisbon who paused long enough from the serious business of sampling fine Portuguese wines to give his thoughts about our two clubs and today’s game. Others commenting on Simon’s responses to the Salut! Sunderland questionnaire were also full of praise. Must be the quality of the questions …
A warm welcome to Mark Ferguson, editor of the Labour List and a passionate Sunderland supporter. In this, his first column (we will sort out images and the like later), he takes a huge risk of acquiring egg on face – but, as Pete Sixsmith said in his interview for the Bluemoon site, what’s the point of going or caring unless you believe you can win? …
We went to one Man City site for views on Saturday’s match- and there’s broad agreement it produced a great piece – and another came to us. Bluemoon put Pete Sixsmith – star of Salut! Sunderland, the teaching profession and the admirable By Far The Greatest Team site – on the spot and got a loyal prediction of a Sunderland win …
As the final whistle is blown on Saturday, Monsieur Salut may well prove to have been absurdly optimistic with the headline that drew you here.