Manchester United

1968 remembered: is Man Utd 1 SAFC 2 a dreamable dream?

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Not for the first time, and probably not for the last, Pete Sixsmith harks back to schooldays (those spent as a pupil, not teaching at Ferryhill) and shares for the young’uns his priceless memories of a winning visit to Old Trafford. There’s even a spot of advice for Steve Bruce on how he might pull off our second surprise win there in a mere 43 years …

May 11 1968 was the last time we won at Old Trafford. I was 17 years old, idling my time away in the Lower Sixth at Bishop Auckland Grammar School, dozing through Miss Wilson’s English History lessons and desperately trying to impress Mr McConnell with my European history essays. What I didn’t know about the Diet of Worms wasn’t worth knowing, believe me.

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The Manchester United ‘Who are You?’: champs despite City slaughter

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David, with son, at Old Trafford

Canadian, married to a Liverpudlian whose heart lies at Anfield and working with a diehard Mackem, David Tack* really ought to reconsider his allegiance. But it’s Manchester United for him and he’s as avid from afar as anyone whose journey to Old Trafford can be made on foot. I make no comment about the thought process that inspired his choice of club and his answers to Salut! Sunderland reveal a thinking man’s approach to sport. Sadly, for us, he sees Saturday’s game going to script …

Salut! Sunderland: If I wasn’t sure where to start, I am now: which Old Trafford goal feast do you want to talk about, the one against Arsenal or the six Man City put past you?

Neither and both I suppose. While I did enjoy seeing the Gooners get a spanking, I was certainly gutted by our spanking from City. Overall, I don’t think either result was good for the league. Games among the top teams in the division should be fierce and closely contested affairs. When they become blowouts I feel a bit cheated by having not seen a great competition among the best teams in the best league in the world.

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The collapse of Manchester United: Man City today, us soon?

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Were Newcastle United the last team to go down as heavily at home as Manchester United did today and still win the title?

Well that was in 1908, when we hammered the Mags even more comprehensively – 9-1 – at St James’ Park and they just shrugged it off to finish top anyway.

Things have changed in football. Surely after today’s mauling by Man City, 6-1 (going on 9-1 from what I saw of the procession of City chances following Jonny Evans’s correct sending off), United’s odds on keeping the Premier title will lengthen a bit. Probably already have.

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Chelsea and the new order: ‘above Liverpool, beneath Man Utd & City’

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Denise: 'SAFC will finish just inside top 10'

Denise Hone*, ChelseaD from The Chelsea Blog, has been here before, but without the real name. She previewed our great win at Stamford Bridge last season and – despite that – agreed to have another go at the Salut! Sunderland questions ahead of Saturday’s return to proper, post-international football. Denise does her “biggest pessimist” credentials no harm as she offers interesting responses on a range of issues from changing places at the top of the Premier to her Chelsea loves and hates, cheating and the weather up north …

Salut! Sunderland: You obviously saw it coming, last season’s 3-0 win for us at your place? Explain it all the same!

I saw defeat coming, maybe not 3-0 to you but it was on the cards. We’d started the season so well after a rubbish pre-season but as every game went on cracks started to appear and the wins were less convincing. It was always a matter of time before the wheels came off – and when they did, it was no Formula One pit stop.

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Two bad defeats have Gooners shrieking for Wenger’s head

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Tim Boyd

If you thought Steve Bruce had problems with what he suggested was the “pathetic” hysteria of hypercritical supporters of his own club, stand back and consider the torrent of abuse now heading in the general direction of Arsène Wenger.

Comments on a match report at the Red London site after Man Utd 8 Arsenal 2 began with Nealmustgo’s kneejerk “bye bye Arsene that’s your lot”.

Darren Dommett exclaimed “what a total sham wenger needs to buy or go” and Danish Gooner offered his own slice of bacon “WENGER OUT NOW !!!!!” before the oh-so-eloquent “Arsenal” summoned all his expressive powers to declare: “Wenger can burn in hell, just dont take arsenal with you, you f****** french frog.”

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‘SAFC, officially my 2nd team’ – Manchester United fan

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Wes Brown, John O'Shea in funny colours: courtesy ROM

Scott the Red came back from the Manchester United website Republik of Mancunia to renew our warm relations and pose some questions about the new season. This was before the highly encouraging draw at Liverpool, but the answer still stand. One of the United fans leaving comments at RoM said: “Sunderland is officially my 2nd favourite team!” …

This, following a similar exercise with The Chelsea Blog, is Scott’s report and the interview:

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O’Shea and Brown: Republik of Mancunia puts us on spot

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Scott the Red comes calling from time to time, with questions he wants Salut! Sunderland to answer on issues affecting both his club, Manchester United, and ours.

Our signings of Wes Brown and John O’Shea offered a good enough excuse for Scott to return with to ask what we made of them, and Steve Bruce’s other dealings.

Here is the questionnaire, plus a few of the Republik of Mancunia readers’ responses. See whether you agree with me or them or none of us!

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John O’Shea: our second Manchester United capture is official, too

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Manchester - Old Trafford - Manchester United vs Crawley TownImage: Andrea Sartorati


We stuck to our guns and stayed patient. Then the official news came, from both the Manchester United and Sunderland club sites: John O’Shea had followed Wes Brown into the Stadium of Light and joined SAFC for another of those idiotic undisclosed fees.

This is how the announcement came from safc.com:

The 30 year-old Republic of Ireland international … has agreed a deal which will keep him at the Stadium of Light until summer 2015.
O’Shea, who becomes Sunderland’s eighth permanent senior signing of the summer transfer window, will link up with former Red Devils teammate Wes Brown, who also made the switch from Old Trafford.
Speaking following the completion of his move, O’Shea said: “Once I’d heard reports about the club and the people here, the ambitions and what the manager was all about it was the only place I was going to come to.”

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