Manchester United

Soapbox: from Arsenal to Yeovil, can we stand being made to sit?

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To stand or not to stand. That’s the ‘question posed by Pete Sixsmith and countless other supporters. Manchester United fans complain about their Stadium of Light allocation being cut because of persistent refusal to sit; our own away support routinely stands at a number of grounds. It’s almost hit and miss as to whether stewards take action. Now, though, the tide may be turning …

The debate has moved on: there are now real moves to reintroduce standing at Premier League grounds. My faith in top level football, although not restored, is less hostile than it was.

We all know why standing was banned. A combination of Sheffield Wednesday’s indolence, South Yorkshire Police’s serious logistical failures and Sheffield City Council’s inability to carry out rudimentary inspections, led to the tragedy at Hillsborough 22 years ago.

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Soapbox: season tickets, semi-finals and Nicky Sharkey

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Season ticket renewal time has Pete Sixsmith momentarily undecided as he contrasts the snarling faces of Premier League football and honest-to-goodness non-league fare …

The season ticket forms dropped through the letterbox this week, closely followed by an email from the club telling me that I didn’t have to do anything and they would instruct my bank to carry on with the Direct Debits.

Of course, I can always cancel the DDs and the season ticket and I have had one or two little doubts creeping into the far corners of what passes for my mind. Some of it is to do with Sunderland AFC but most of it is about the general state of the Premier League and its “leading” clubs.

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Ha’way the Lasses – with apologies to Manchester, Stoke & Bolton Lads

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Image: Women’s Football North East


Once again Salut! Sunderland has reason to salute the Sunderland Women’s Football team, victors in the FA Cup match that actually mattered …

The FA Cup semi-finals will be played between Manchester United and Manchester City, and Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers.

It has not escaped the attention of everyone that M Salut’s four semi-finalists, as nominated in a preview that appeared here on Saturday morning, were Arsenal, Reading, West Ham United and Birmingham City.

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Cup wishlist: Man United, Man City out. Arsenal or Reading’s trophy

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Bob Stokoe statue, Stadium of Light, SunderlandImage: Mrs Logic

Salut! Sunderland has absolutely nothing against the city of Manchester. We hold no grudges against Stoke or Bolton.

But choices have to be made. Sunderland’s humiliating exit at the earliest possible stage of the FA Cup means we have been able to pick our runners at will in subsequent rounds.

So to do our bit to restore interest in the ailing old competition, colours will now be nailed to the FA Cup mast.

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How to make Manchester United pay if they want Jordan

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Jordan Henderson

Most people seem to agree that Jordan Henderson has looked short of his best in recent games.

He remains a terrific player who ought to have a truly massive career ahead of him.

We naturally hope that career is with Sunderland AFC, and that playing for us proves no obstacle to picking up loads of caps for England. Being chosen for the England Under-21 squad for a friendly in Italy next week means he may have to wait for his second full cap, but that wait is unlikely to prove a long one.

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Dreams become nightmares for our Man Utd and Ireland stars

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This short posting is dedicated to David Meyler, our young Irish midfielder whose awful, accidental injury at Villa Park looks likely to cost him another lengthy period of treatment. The lad had done extremely well on his return from the last cruciate ligament injury and it is no surprise that he is, as Steve Bruce has said, devastated.

Dedicated to David, but started off as a routine piece – written before events at Aston Villa – about Danny Welbeck as one of Pete Sixsmith‘s regular offerings to the Stretford End Arising website’s running series on Manchester United’s loaned-out players. Danny also left the pitch on a stretcher last night and faces a nasty layoff of his own with a torn hamstring. Pete’s thoughts were entirely positive as he wrote the words that follow and Salut! Sunderland hopes to see both players make strong recoveries and make the words come true ….

In 12 months’ time, as he scores Sunderland’s 3rd goal in a tense Europa League victory over Ajax, Danny Welbeck will look back on December 2010 as the month he changed from a boy to a man.

He cemented a place in Steve Bruce’s first team, first of all partnering Darren Bent and then Asamoah Gyan. But the key to it was that he was the first choice while the other two scrapped it out for the privilege of partnering him.

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Man Utd, Preston and the Ferguson dynasty: wrong and right

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UEFA Champions LeagueImage: tpower1978

The TalkSport site has been having some fun recalling the various times Sir Alex Ferguson – that’s him, gagged, in the image above – has blown his top. The research may well have taken years, so copious is the archive.

Why did they bother? Ah, then you haven’t heard that the Manchester United boss has – TalkSport’s words – “reacted angrily to the sacking of son Darren at Preston by demanding the return of three of his Man United players from their loan spells at Deepdale”.

Hardly the most important talking point of the year just ending, but interesting all the same. And Salut! Sunderland – or, since this is a democracy, one part of it – is instinctively on SAF’s side.

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Old Trafford Soapbox: quiet day at the new Highbury

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Pete Sixsmith’s dispatch from Manchester United 2 Sunderland 0 was accompanied by the message: “Here it is. No photos, no anger, just nothing. A poor day out; won’t be going there again.” What on earth can he mean? …

At 3.20pm, after conceding a goal, seeing the ball thwack the post and bar and admiring three splendid saves from the excellent Craig Gordon, I would have settled for a 2-0 home win – which is exactly what happened in this non-event of a contest.

If you concede early at the Theatre of Prawn Sandwiches, it’s very difficult to get back into the game.

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